Lights Out!: Recent Episodes
Sylvia Shults
Lights Out is a place to explore the unknown. This is a podcast of true ghost stories, told by the people who experienced them.
The town of St. Alban's, near London, began as the Roman town of Verulamium. Join me for a stroll around its streets, pointing out the haunted pubs, avenues, and buildings along the way.
Here's a treat -- no trick; an extra Halloween episode of Lights Out. Come explore a haunted cemetery and mausoleum.
39 Hilldrop Crescent. It sounds like a pleasant English address, maybe a small cottage off a cobblestone street, with flowers in the windowboxes. But this building sits in the heart of a busy London neighborhood. And in 1910, it was the scene of one of the most horrific murders in modern British history. Join me for a look at Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, the London Cellar Murderer.
Welcome to Scotland, home of Nessie, excellent whiskey, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread, and ghosts. In this episode, we'll explore some of the ghost stories of haunted Edinburgh.
Pretend you're a wealthy English lord in the middle of the 18th century. You've just gotten back from a Grand Tour of the Continent, and you want to keep the party going. How do you do that? You start up a not-so-secret club, and you build yourself a super cool underground cave fort for you and your friends to hang out in. Let's visit Sir Francis Dashwood's Hellfire Caves with our guide, Cieran O'Keeffe, host for 14 seasons of Most Haunted.
On March 3, 1943, tragedy struck in London, at the Bethnal Green Tube station. People on their way down to the station to seek shelter from a air raid were caught in a crush when one person fell. Fifteen seconds later, 173 people were dead. The Stairway to Heaven is the Bethnal Green memorial, where the victims are remembered. But the ghosts of this tragedy do their own remembering late at night, when the trains fall silent. Join me for a walk around this touching monument.
The tragic disappearance of the Sodder children, on Christmas Eve 1945, began in flames and ended in enduring mystery. How could five children simply vanish from their bedrooms without a trace? The unsolved mystery continues to haunt West Virginia today.
The Haunted Museum in Nottingham, England, is four glorious floors of creepy artifacts galore. Join me for a stroll through the museum, if you dare. I'll even let you hold one of the haunted skulls.
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London, one of the largest museums in the world, is home to two haunted objects; the Great Bed of Ware, and a chair that once belonged to the wife of 18th century actor David Garrick. Come along and explore them with me!
Travel to England to visit Henry VIII's opulent Hampton Court Palace, scene of several hauntings. And take a peek at Berry Pomeroy Castle, home of both a White Lady and a Blue Lady ... the sight of both of them is an omen of certain death. Are you brave enough to go Lights Out?
Willard Library, in Evansville, Indiana, is home to the Grey Lady. Is she the disgruntled daughter of the library's founder? Tune in to find out!
Here is my Christmas present to you all: an extra episode of Lights Out. In this episode, we'll hear a reading of "Smee", a short story by A. M. Burrage from 1931. Burrage brings the spooky with this ghostly tale. Merry Christmas!
Ready for another walk in the woods? Come along with me, but be warned ... there are creepier things than ghosts in the forest.
Join me for a walk through haunted woods on the night before Halloween. What secrets lie beneath the fallen leaves and tilted headstones?
Pennhurst Asylum is one of the most actively haunted places in Pennsylvania. Its legacy of patient abuse and neglect casts a long shadow over the history of mental health care in the United States. But to many people, this was home, for better or for worse. Come inside the gloomy halls of this long-abandoned asylum and meet its resident spirits.
A hotel. A nursing home. A group home. Malvern Manor has been through many incarnations, and all that energy is still swirling in the grand old building. Join me for a return to this active location ... and this time, we're staying there overnight.
In the 19th century, Spiritualists believed that the dead could speak, and interact with the living. They may have been on to something ... The story of the Watseka Wonder is a tale of spirit possession, one young girl helping another to avoid the same fate she had suffered years before.
July 3, 1863. The third day of fighting at Gettysburg. The Confederate Army pushed as far as it would ever go into Northern territory at the High Water Mark at the end of Pickett's Charge. Let's investigate this incredible piece of history together.
Around 30,000 soldiers needed medical care after the Battle of Gettysburg. Bivouacs became hospitals for the care of the wounded. Join me for a walk through eight acres of haunted woods, as we explore a Confederate camp and field hospital. Find more information at www.thehauntedtrailsofgettysburg.com
The veil between the worlds is thin in Gettysburg. Many people have had ghostly encounters with the the spirits that still linger in the town and on the battlefield.
The rocky area of Devil's Den and Little Round Top saw some of the fiercest fighting on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. What paranormal effects has this had since the battle? Join me to find out.
Take a stroll around downtown Gettysburg with me and listen to some wicked cool ghost stories.
The people of Gettysburg didn't go looking for a battle; the battle came to them. In this episode, we'll visit not one, but two haunted places touched by the war. The Old Orphanage was a sanctuary for war orphans ... until things went horribly wrong. And just across the street is the house where Jennie Wade, the only civilian killed in the battle, lost her life.
Welcome to the first episode in the Gettysburg series! Sachs Bridge is a gorgeous little covered bridge just outside Gettysburg. In 1863, three Confederate soldiers were hanged from the bridge after being discovered hiding amongst Union troops. Do they still linger on the bridge?
I know, I know, it's kind of weird to be doing an "extra" Lights Out episode, when Episode 100 is in view. But I had ... a request? Sort of? Just listen to the episode. You'll see what I mean. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas.
The mausoleum at Queen of Heaven Cemetery is a massive collection of marble, art, and dead people. Join me for a stroll through the beauty of this exquisite resting place.
On December 1, 1958, one of the worst tragedies in Chicago's history took the lives of 93 children and three nuns. The fire at Our Lady of the Angels grade school is still remembered today as one of the darkest days of Chicago's past. Join me for a visit to the Shrine of the Holy Innocents, a memorial to those lost in the fire.
Want to take a stroll in beautiful Wisconsin Dells and hear some ghost stories? You're in luck! Sit back and enjoy some spooky tales, including stories of a haunted pinball machine, a Confederate spy, and a hungry spirit that likes sandwiches.
Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in Wisconsin Dells is a treasure trove of the delightfully bizarre. With all the oddities contained in the museum's collection -- a sculpture of a python made of fingernails, a West African "hate doll", a picture made of toaster crumbs -- it's no surprise that the museum is, in fact, haunted. Come along with me as we explore the treasures within this fascinating place.
The U-505, housed at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, is the only German submarine captured during World War II. Secrecy around the capture was paramount. But how do you hide something that's a city block long? We'll take a deep dive into the history and hauntings on this magnificent boat.
The U-505, housed at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, is the only German submarine captured during World War II. Secrecy around the capture was paramount. But how do you hide something that's a city block long? We'll take a deep dive into the history and hauntings on this magnificent boat.
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is home to several spirits. One of their lightly haunted exhibits is the Art Deco-inspired Pioneer Zephyr, one of the very first high-speed trains to serve the travelers of the Midwest in the 1930s. Join us for tales of the rails.
The Dana House in Springfield, Illinois, is one of Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpieces. It's haunted by the melancholy spirit of Susie Laurence Dana, the woman who commissioned it. Join me for a peek inside, and listen to a few of the encounters people have had in this gracious home.
Since we're all cooped up at home, let me bring a bit of ghost hunting to you! I went out for some fresh air, and visited the fine folks at the Peoria State Hospital. (Don't worry -- I did stay six feet away. They're all in the cemetery.) Enjoy the "cootie edition" of Lights Out!
Glore Psychiatric Museum is unique. Begun as a simple display for Mental Health Awareness Week in 1966, the museum now has over 10,000 artifacts of life in the St. Joseph State Hospital. And it has ghosts! Join me as we look for them.
St. Joseph is known for two things: the beginning of the Pony Express, and the end of Jesse James. And the Patee House has connections to both of these historical events. Come explore this unique museum, and meet its resident ghost, Henry Corbett.
What better way to spend a sunny summer morning than wandering through a peaceful, gorgeous cemetery? Join me as we spend a few pleasant hours at Mount Mora Cemetery in St. Joseph, MO.
The Sallie House is considered one of the most haunted houses in the country. Is it haunted by the spirit of an innocent young girl? Or is there something much more malevolent here? I learned a harsh lesson with my visit to this place.
If you knew about a church and cemetery out in the middle of nowhere, that was supposed to be haunted because of Satanic activity ... would you go check it out? I did, and you can come along with me.
Malvern Manor, in Malvern, Iowa, was once a grand, gracious hotel, the pride of the town. Through the years it played host to a very different clientele: it became a nursing home, then a home for transients, closing in 2005. Do some of these lost souls still roam Malvern Manor's halls and curl up on the mattresses in the abandoned rooms? Join me and find out!
Over a century ago, 508 E 2nd Street in the small town of Villisca, Iowa, was the scene of a horrifying tragedy. On June 10, 1912, two adults and six children were hacked to death with an axe -- an axe that belonged to the father of the family, Josiah Moore. This deplorable act left its mark on the small white house in the sleepy Iowa town. Are you brave enough to sleep here overnight?
The little town of New Salem, Illinois, only existed from 1829 to 1840. But in those eleven years, the town played host, for a time, to a young Abraham Lincoln. Travel back in time and visit the spirits of this flash-in-the-pan community.
Antique stores can be very haunted places, just by being the repositories of bunches upon bunches of family heirlooms. Come visit an extraordinarily haunted store with me; the Volo Antique Mall. Featured on Discovery Channel's Ghost Lab, this sprawling complex houses over 400 classic cars, thousands of antiques -- and a few spirits.
Zion Cemetery is a little graveyard hidden away among the cornfields of Illinois. It has a reputation among local paranormal investigators as a place to chase ghosts. As it happens, the reputation is well-deserved. Join me and investigator James Brija for a peek behind the iron gates of Zion Cemetery.
Hotels can be hotspots for hauntings, because of their transient nature. All sorts of things can happen in an anonymous hotel room, and each of these things leave a tiny trace of emotion. Listen to a quick exploration of a haunted hotel in Dubuque, Iowa.
Galena, Illinois, is a pretty little touristy town, that is loaded with ghost lore. Come along with me for a tour of this haunted place. We'll join Steve Repp for his All About A Ghost tour.
Northern Illinois, a peaceful, rural part of the state, has its share of haunted locations. One of these is a church in the suburbs north of Chicago. Come with me to explore it.
The Peoria State Hospital closed in 1973, but it is still a very active place. The Peoria State Hospital Museum is getting ready to move into its new, permanent home -- one of the few remaining cottages on the grounds. This building is rich in history, and it's even got its own ghost story.
Starved Rock State Park, about ninety minutes south and west of Chicago, is one of the most beautiful natural spots in Illinois. But the park's gorgeous scenery hides a ghostly and tragic past. Join me as we explore the secrets in the woods and trails of St. Louis Canyon.
Join me and psychic medium Diane Lockhart as we return to the basement of the Pollak Hospital for another conversation with Chris, the young ghost from 1905. Hear how this young man celebrated the fourth of July back before the turn of the century. Plus, you'll get to listen to me stumble through a ragtime dance, which ought to be entertaining.
Edinburgh Manor, in Scotch Grove, Iowa, is an abandoned mental asylum known for its paranormal activity. Join me, Supernatural Investigation Crew, and US Paranormal Research as we investigate this beautiful old building.
Lights Out #69: Haunted Naperville. Naperville, a western suburb of Chicago, is home to decades of history -- and where you have history, you're likely to have ghost stories as well. Join Kevin Frantz, host of Naperville Ghost Tour, for a peek into the past.
Tucked away near one of Chicago's forest preserves is Archer Woods Cemetery. There's plenty of ghost lore beyond these iron gates ... as well as a mystery. Join me for a stroll through haunted Archer Woods Cemetery.
The resting place of many of Chicago's elite, Mount Carmel Cemetery was the end of the line for the gangster Al Capone. The Italian Bride, Julia Petta, is also buried here. Join me for a quick tour of a place where gangsters rest, and where young women are slow to decompose.
Welcome to Bonnie Springs Ranch, a tourist destination outside Las Vegas. Come for the petting zoo -- stay for the ghosts! The place has been featured on Ghost Adventures, and now, on Lights Out. Enjoy!
Let's do a Lights Out episode, shall we? This is a bite-sized one. Skinwalkers are creepy monsters of the American Southwest. Join me on a trail ride at Bonnie Springs Ranch, as the trail boss shares his true skinwalker story with me.
Welcome to the Christmas 2018 edition of Lights Out, your virtual campfire! Enjoy stories of haunted Clet Hall in New York, the story of a poltergeist from 1867, and the eerie tale of the Veiled Ghost of Highgate in 18th century London.
It's time for the Halloween episode of Lights Out! Join me as I listen to James Brija, of Ghostbusters Peoria, spin tales of the haunted farmhouse where his grandparents lived for a time. These stories are sure to send a shiver or two down your spine, so settle in for a delightfully creepy time.
Here's a quick little Lights Out episode for you. Ghosts are everywhere. And where there are ghosts, there are people willing to tell ghost stories. Please enjoy this report from a bookstore in northern Illinois.
Most of us are used to investigating in nice, quiet environments. But what happens when you try to hunt for evidence of the paranormal in big, noisy cities? Let's talk a little bit about that in this episode.
Las Vegas: Sin City. Home to glittering neon, flashing lights, spinning roulette wheels, and clattering slot machines. But Las Vegas hides many secrets underneath the glamour and glitz. From Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo Hotel to the Rat Pack to Howard Hughes, the spooks of Sin City are varied and plentiful. Let's go on a tour of the Las Vegas strip, and discover what's hiding in the shadows.
Sugar Tree Grove Cemetery, nestled in the farmland outside Monmouth, Illinois, is the final resting place of two players in a drama that took place over 180 years ago. William Martin was killed by a Native American brave, who was in turn killed by whites in retribution for Martin's death. The two men are buried directly across from each other, in opposite corners of the cemetery. What happens when a ghost hunting team comes to the cemetery to help the two work towards reconciliation? Find out in this episode of Lights Out.
Historic homes can be homes to spirits as well as paying visitors. Dole Mansion, in Crystal Lake, Illinois, is a gracious showplace that also boasts a few ghosts lurking in the odd corner. Join our guide, Joe Diamond, for a flashlight tour of this beautiful home.
Stephen Lancaster is a paranormal investigator and the author of three books of nonfiction. His latest, Norman, The Doll Who Needed To Be Locked Away, is published by Llewellyn Press. In this episode, I chat with Stephen about his experiences with haunted objects, and we discuss what it means to be a magnet for spiritual activity.
In this episode, I share the story of my growing friendship with Chris, a spirit of the Pollak Hospital. Chris died in the early part of the twentieth century, but his spirit is still very much alive -- and still very much that of a healthy, red-blooded young man. Join us for an evening of touching the Other Side. We may even get to dance!
Haunted objects hold a fascination for us. The idea that a common household item -- say, a mirror -- can be a conduit for supernatural energy is a concept both terrifying and intriguing. Join me as I examine the Dark Mirror, a tool used for divination that can have some disturbing attributes. What will we see when we look into the Dark Mirror? Find out in this episode of Lights Out.
A couple of years ago, we learned of a haunted house in Davenport, Iowa (see Lights Out #29). In this episode, we get to go inside. What secrets does the house on Dixwell hold?
Here's another Christmas episode of Lights Out. I sit down for a conversation with paranormal author Holly Nadler, an expert on the ghosts of New England. Pour a cup of eggnog and settle back for a tale of ghosts, betrayal, and Edgar Allan Poe.
Enjoy this Christmas 2017 special episode of Lights Out! Return to Plymouth with us as we explore the haunted courthouse and hear the tragic story of the wreck of the General Arnold in 1778 in White Flats Harbor. This tale has led to the residual and intelligent haunting of the courthouse where the bodies of the sailors lost were stored.
Celebrate the 50th episode of Lights Out with a trip down Archer Avenue to visit Chicago's Resurrection Mary.
It's time for another visit to the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult. Come with me on a visit to Greg and Dana Newkirk's lair, and meet Simon, the haunted doll, give the Fetid Face the side-eye, and keep your hands off the voodoo drum.
Come along on an investigation of the Borden House, in Fall River, Massachusetts. On August 4, 1892, Abby and Andrew Borden were brutally murdered in their own home, by someone wielding a hatchet. That someone may have been Lizzie Borden, Andrew’s younger daughter. Let’s see what the spirits have to say about it!
Enjoy a visit with Luke Naliborski, author of Spooky With a Chance of Ghosts, Ghosts Never Say Boo, and other collections of true ghost stories. Join him as he shares stories of his experiences as a tour guide for Haunted Alton tours.
Join me for a walking tour of Plymouth, Massachusetts, with Janice Williams of Dead of Night Ghost Tours.
A conversation with the horror writing team of Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross. We talk about their books Ghosts of Ravencrest and The Cliffhouse Haunting, and chat about what’s coming up next.
Linda was a seasoned paranormal investigator. Also a committed Christian, she prayed to be able to hear the lost souls with whom she was trying to communicate. In this special episode of Lights Out, you’ll hear Linda’s terrifying true story of demonic oppression. Based on the book Hunting Demons by Sylvia Shults, available from Whitechapel Press
Haunted Prisons, Asylums, and Sanitoriums. Sit down for a visit with Jamie Davis, who writes about haunted places. And take a peek at Ashmore Estates.
In this episode, we’ll travel to India — no passport needed. We’ll explore the incredibly haunted Bhangarh Fort
Go ghost hunting with acclaimed paranormal author Troy Taylor. Explore the Great River Road Opry and a haunted pioneer cemetery. Then sit around a campfire and swap ghost stories with Troy and other ghost hunters.
Join me as I chat with author Kathi Kresol about her newest book, Murder and Mayhem in Rockford, Illinois. She’ll share stories from her years as a tour guide for haunted Rockford.
Ghost hunters take vacations too. Come and sit by the campfire at ZombieCon and listen to people share true ghost stories.
Happy Halloween 2016 from Lights Out! Enjoy this tale of a haunted house in Davenport, Iowa.
Ever wondered what it’s like to live in a haunted house? These people know — and they tell us their experiences of sharing their home with the spirits.
Horror writers Thorne & Cross share their stories of a five-night stay in a haunted cabin in the woods. Are you brave enough to join them?
A look at the hauntings at The Cantina, a former bar in Pekin. The bar is no longer open, but perhaps the spirits are still there...
Let’s return for a second look at Planet Weird’s traveling museum of haunted oddities. Hear tales of haunted graveyard dust and a lonely doll.
Ghost hunter and sensitive David Youngquist shares some of his experiences with the paranormal.
An evening around the campfire with friends, sharing personal experiences of the ghostly and strange.
A look at a couple of haunted sites in Galesburg, Illinois, including the Cherry Street Bar.
Listen in on a conversation with Aaron G. Thompson and Nick Simons, members of the paranormal investigating team Ghost Crier. Find out why Aaron likes the Spiritus app so much!
Haunted Objects (First Half). Join me as I talk with Greg and Dana Newkirk, who have been collecting haunted objects for years
Native American Spirits. The peoples of the First Nations have a rich tradition of folklore and the supernatural. Come explore it in this episode, and find out what happens when you lock a display case that's full of kachina dolls.
Think your home might be in need of a little more “spring cleaning” than Mr. Clean can handle by himself? Listen to this episode of Lights Out for a few handy hints for ridding your home of unwanted entities.
I catch up with Nick Sarlo, lead investigator of Shadow Hunters. We chat about haunted places, returning spirits, and baseballs that fly out of nowhere!
Join me for a conversation with YA paranormal fiction author Ophelia Julien. We’ll hear stories of growing up in a haunted house, and we’ll learn why you shouldn’t ask an architect to take too close a look at the floor plan of your home.
I sit down for a talk with Brian Sheppard, of The Brian and Sherri Show. He’ll tell us all about witches’ graveyards and disappearing road signs.
Meet the paranormal group Ghost Head Soup at their lab, at an undisclosed location in northern Illinois.
I talk to more paranormal investigators, to see what made them believe in the supernatural.
Listen in on my conversation with Alexandra Holzer, daughter of famed paranormal investigator Hans Holzer. We'll tell you what it was like to grow up haunted, and how to enjoy conversations with loved ones who are no longer with you.
When is a demon not a demon? Listen to this terrifying tale of a Cambodian revenge spirit.
Ever met someone who’s been possessed by a demon? Perhaps you have. What is it like to be possessed? Find out in this episode of Lights Out.
Think demons don't exist? Think again! A ghost hunter tells of his encounter with a dark entity -- at the age of seven.
Take a tour of this haunted cemetery, tucked into the rolling farmland around Monmouth, Illinois.
A conversation with the funny and talented Luke Naliborski, author, ghost hunter, and Haunted Alton tour guide.