Ghostly

Is Mary King’s Close Edinburgh’s Most Haunted Street?

Beneath a grand 18th-century stone building on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile — one that gives no hint of what’s underneath — sits an entire street frozen in time. Rooms, staircases, even fireplaces, sealed beneath the foundations when the Royal Exchange went up in 1753. Mary King’s Close was home to merchants, tradespeople, and, in 1645, some of the city’s worst plague victims. Today it’s one of the most investigated haunted sites in the UK, and almost every tour still ends in the same small stone room, in front of a pile of children’s toys.

This week, Rebecca walks through Wee Annie, the EVP session at Andrew Chesney’s house, the Coltheart family’s disembodied limbs, a namesake ghost caught on infrared, and a real University of Edinburgh study that found something genuinely hard to explain — while Pat digs into who Mary King actually was, what Edinburgh’s Old Town was really like, and why the close’s most famous “true story” doesn’t hold up to the historical record. Is Mary King’s Close genuinely haunted, or is four centuries of plague, poverty, and marketing doing a very convincing impression of one? You decide.

What We Cover in This Episode

The History (with Pat):

Who Mary King really was — a 1630s textile merchant and one of the few women in 17th-century Scotland to hold full burgess rights

What Edinburgh’s Old Town actually looked like: 8-to-12-story tenements, no sanitation, and a city crammed onto one narrow ridge

The 1645 plague outbreak that devastated the close — and why the popular “300 people sealed in with a named plague doctor” story doesn’t hold up against the historical record

How the Royal Exchange was built directly on top of the close in 1753, sealing it underground for 250 years

Andrew Chesney, the close’s last documented resident, forced out between 1897 and 1902

The Real Mary King’s Close opening to the public in 2003 after years of restoration

The Hauntings (with Rebecca):

Evidence #1 — Wee Annie: Japanese psychic Aiko Gibo’s 1990s encounter that turned one small room into the close’s signature haunting — and its ever-growing pile of donated dolls

Evidence #2 — Andrew Chesney’s House: an EVP session that allegedly caught his voice telling investigators to “just get out”

Evidence #3 — The Coltheart Family: a 17th-century lawyer’s household terrorized by a disembodied arm, a phantom child, and a vanishing dog

Evidence #4 — Mary King Herself: an infrared photograph said to show the close’s own namesake still walking her old street

Evidence #5 — The University of Edinburgh’s Haunting Experiment: a real 2001 academic study that found a statistically significant gap between “haunted” and “ordinary” sections of the close

Weigh the Evidence

As always, it’s not up to us, it’s up to YOU. After listening, text us the episode title, add YES if you’re a believer or NO if you’re a skeptic, and give it a haunting score from 1 to 10.

(312) 869-9929

Or head to our social pages and tell us which piece of evidence convinced you — and which one Pat managed to talk you out of.

Music Credits

Music for this episode was performed by Michael Rivers.

“Pat Facts” and “Ghost Story” themes by Mondo.

“Time for a Debate” theme by Gail Gallagher — gailgallaghermusic.com

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Sources for This Week’s Episode

Mary King (merchant) — Wikipedia

Mary King’s Close — Wikipedia

Edinburgh City Chambers — Wikipedia

Edinburgh: The Old Town — Britannica

The Eerily Abandoned 17th-Century Streets of Edinburgh — History Skills

Lost Edinburgh: The Great Plague of 1645 — The Scotsman

Eerily Fascinating Mary King’s Close in Line for Tourism Award — Edinburgh News

The Plague in Scotland — National Library of Scotland

The Real Mary King’s Close — Official Site

Who Was Mary King? — Real Mary King’s Close Blog

Edinburgh’s Plague Doctor: The True Story — Real Mary King’s Close Blog

Mary King’s Close — Atlas Obscura

400 Years of History, Previously Buried — Traveling Boy

Mary King’s Close — Exploring GB

Mary King’s Close — Introducing Edinburgh

Haunted Edinburgh: The Ghostly Spectres That Still Walk Mary King’s Close Today — Edinburgh News

The Ghosts of Mary King’s Close — Spooky Isles

The Ghosts of Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh — Haunted Rooms

Ghost Finders Scotland Investigation — Ghost Club

The Ghosts of Mary King’s Close — The Scotsman

The Haunting Experiment of Edinburgh Castle (Wiseman/Watt study) — Association of Paranormal Study

Mary King’s Close — Ghostwatch

Is Preston Castle Haunted?

In this episode of Ghostly, we head to the tiny Gold Rush town of Ione, California, to explore Preston Castle — a red-brick, Romanesque Revival reform school with a dark past and a reputation as one of the West Coast’s most active haunted locations. Built to correct troubled boys, the castle instead became the site of beatings, escapes, and at least one unsolved murder. Decades after it closed, staff, tour guides, and paranormal investigators all say the same thing: it never really emptied out.

History of Preston Castle

Established in 1890 by the California State Legislature as a progressive reform school for juvenile offenders; the cornerstone was laid December 23, 1890, in front of roughly 2,500 spectators

Built in the Romanesque Revival style — considered the finest example of that style in the Mother Lode — using bricks manufactured at San Quentin and Folsom prisons from locally quarried sandstone

The first wards were accepted June 13, 1894, and the school officially opened July 1, 1894; electricity arrived the following year via a water-wheel-powered Pelton dynamo

At its peak, the school held around 800 wards, employed 200 staff, and worked roughly 1,000 acres of surrounding farmland across some 50 buildings

Discipline behind the scenes was harsh: public lashings, isolation, military-style drills, and “dunking baths” meant to treat lice were all part of daily life for the boys sent here

The school closed in 1960 when the state opened newer facilities, and the castle sat vacant and deteriorating for more than 40 years

Local preservationists fought off demolition; the nonprofit Preston Castle Foundation leased the property in 2001 and took full ownership in 2014

Today it’s a California Historical Landmark (#867) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the Foundation running public tours and events on-site

Reported Paranormal Activity

Visitors, staff, and investigators have reported disembodied footsteps and voices, sudden temperature drops, physical touches ranging from a light brush to a hard poke, and cameras or recorders draining batteries or glitching with no explanation. It’s earned Preston Castle a spot on nearly every “most haunted place in California” list out there.

The Ghost of Anna Corbin

The castle’s most well-known haunting centers on Anna Corbin, the head housekeeper who was like a mother figure to the boys at Preston. In February 1950, she was beaten and strangled in a basement storeroom. Three separate trials followed — and nobody was ever convicted. Locals believe her spirit still can’t leave, and that she’s the one still walking the basement, and the halls, checking on “her boys.”

The Infirmary

Widely considered the most consistently active room in the building. The infirmary treated wards who fell ill, and some — including 8-year-old Grant Walker and 20-year-old Nicholas Hamilton — never left. Visitors report figures standing at the infirmary windows that vanish the moment they’re noticed, along with faint voices and movement in a room that should be empty.

The Basement

Beyond Anna’s room, the basement as a whole has a reputation as the heaviest, most unsettling part of the castle — cold spots with no source, shadow figures along the walls, and a dread so strong some investigators refuse to go down at all.

On Camera: The Ghost Adventures Investigation

When the Ghost Adventures crew investigated Preston Castle, they captured EVPs including “I don’t know,” “talk,” and “get out of here,” along with mist and orbs moving near their own heads on camera. More than one crew member came out of the basement with fresh, unexplained scratches — and Zak Bagans reportedly behaved so differently down there that the rest of the crew wondered if he’d been influenced by Anna herself.

Spirits of the Wards

Some of the castle’s activity is tied to the boys who lived — and in some cases died — here. Reports include child-like laughter with no children around, faint crying, and small shadow figures darting through the halls. Two names recur often in the lore: Sam Goins and Herman Huber, both shot by guards during separate escape attempts in the early 1900s.

Listen now: GhostlyPodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Vote on the Evidence: Do you think Preston Castle is truly haunted? Cast your vote at GhostlyPodcast.com/polls

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And tell us – do you believe?

#GhostlyPodcast #PrestonCastle #IoneCalifornia #CaliforniaGhosts #Paranormal #HauntedHistory #HauntedReformSchool #SpookyTravel

Patreon and GhostlyX

Join our Patreon for all sorts of great extra Ghostly, including early, commercial-free episodes. Join today: ghostlypodcast.com/support/

We want to hear from you with your ghost stories! Email us at info@ghostlypodcast.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at GhostlyPodcast.

Music for this episode was performed by Michael Rivers

“Pat Facts” and “Ghost Story” themes by Mondo

“Time for a Debate” theme by Gail Gallagher gailgallaghermusic.com

Sources for this week’s episode

Preston Castle Foundation — History

Preston Castle Foundation — Tours

The Harsh, Eerie History of Preston Castle — Merced County Times

The Preston Castle: A Tragic Blend of Mystery, History, and Horror — Calexplornia

Historic Haunt — San Joaquin Magazine

Preston Castle — Haunted US

Preston Castle Ghost Stories and History — BeyondHaunted.com

The History of Preston Castle — Paranormal Legacy

Preston Castle (episode) — Ghost Adventures Wiki

Preston Castle: A Paranormal Investigator’s Paradise — 209 Magazine

Preston Castle — Haunted Reform School — Hauntpedia

Ghost Hunt: Preston Castle in Ione, California — Ghostly Activities

Is Wrigley Field Haunted?

Welcome to the final episode of the Ghostly Summer Rewind! We’re closing out our summer trip through the vault with a hometown favorite – and our milestone 100th episode.

This one originally aired in the summer of 2022. We saved it for last on purpose: it’s dropping during Cubs–White Sox Crosstown weekend at Wrigley, which felt like the perfect note to end the summer on. Thanks for riding out the Rewind with us! New episodes return this fall!

It’s Ghostly’s 100th episode! Wrigley Field is an iconic building in Chicago and the home of the Cubs baseball team. But it’s also filled with ghost stories of past managers, announcers, and fans. Is it haunted? Listen and vote!

Questions Explored in this Episode

Where is Wrigley Field located in Chicago? What was the neighborhood like before and now? Who built it and why? How did the Cubs end up playing there? Who named it Wrigley? How has it changed over the years? What was the curse of the Billy Goat? Who are Charles Grimm, Steve Goodman, and Harry Caray and do they haunt the park?

Listener Mail

This week’s listener mail is about a helpful ghost. Have a spooky story or question of your own (or someone you know)? Send your story or question to info@ghostlypodcast.com and we might read it on the podcast. You could be on a future episode of Ghostly!

History of Wrigley Field

Pat explores the history of Wrigley and how it came to be built where the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary was located. He tells us about the Federal League, the Chi-Feds (Chicago Whales), and Charles Weeghman. Learn how the field came to be the home of the Chicago Cubs and also how the Chicago Bears once played there.

The Debate

Pat and Rebecca debate if the field is haunted. The three famous ghosts are Charles Grimm, Steve Goodman, and Harry Caray. All have been seen around the park and Grimm is said to call the bullpen phones in the middle of the night.

Visit our website, www.ghostlypodcast.com, to learn more about Ghostly, and, of course, give us your opinion on our polls.

Support Ghostly

How can you help support Ghostly?

Leave us a rating and a review.

Support us on Patreon! Check out all the rewards of becoming a Patreon supporter of Ghostly, including our new show, GhostlyX!

Ghostly Gear right on our website at ghostlypodcast.com/store! T-shirts, Hoodies, Masks and more.

Sources for this Week’s Episode

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrigley_Field and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Billy_Goat

MLB.com– https://www.mlb.com/cubs/ballpark

Ballparks.com: https://ballparks.com/baseball/national/wrigle.htm

Last Word On Sports: https://lastwordonsports.com/baseball/2020/10/14/haunted-wrigley-field-a-tale-of-its-haunts/

America’s Haunted Road Trip: http://americashauntedroadtrip.com/wrigley-field-is-the-ballpark-haunted/

Windy City Ghosts: https://windycityghosts.com/wrigley-field/

Waymarking: https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMTX7T_Wrigley_Field_Chicago_Illinois

Mysterious Universe: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/04/haunted-wrigley-field-and-the-curse-of-the-billy-goat/

Huff Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-ghost-of-wrigley-fiel_b_12692296

Music for this episode was performed by Michael Rivers

Intro: “III. Allegro moderato from Gargoyles”by Lowell Liebermann

Outro: “Dream Images (Love-Death Music)” by George Crumb

Bumper: “Ghost Waltz” by Lowell Liebermann

“Pat Facts” and “Ghost Story” themes by Mondo

“Time for a Debate” theme by Gail Gallagher gailgallaghermusic.com

Is the Terrace Inn in Petosky, MI haunted?

Welcome to the Ghostly Summer Rewind! While we take a short break from new episodes this summer, we’re reaching back into the vault to re-release five of our favorite episodes.

This one originally aired in spring 2023. There’s no more fitting Rewind for a warm August night than a haunted summer inn on the shores of Lake Michigan. Whether you’re hearing it for the first time or revisiting an old favorite, thanks for spending part of your summer with us. New episodes return this fall!

In this episode Pat and Rebecca discuss and debate the history and paranormal stories at one of Michigan’s most haunted hotels. Or is it?

Patreon and GhostlyX

Join our Patreon for all sorts of great extra Ghostly, including our bonus show, GhostlyX, which comes out on the opposite weeks of Ghostly. We talk about listener comments, share paranormal news, and talk to interesting guests, and cover extra ghostly stories. You can also get early access to Ghostly episodes, and a monthly AMA with Pat and Rebecca! Join today: ghostlypodcast.com/support/

Visit our website, www.ghostlypodcast.com, to learn more about Ghostly, and, of course, give us your opinion on our polls.

We want to hear from you! We want your ghost stories! Email us at info@ghostlypodcast.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at GhostlyPodcast.

Sources for this Week’s Episode

Terrace Inn Is Haunted Hotel In Petoskey, Michigan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petoskey,_Michigan

Wonderfully charming and haunted – Review of Terrace Inn and 1911 Restaurant, Petoskey, MI – Tripadvisor

HAUNTED MICHIGAN: Are You Brave Enough to Spend the Night at the Terrace Inn in Petoskey?

About Us – Petoskey, Michigan | The Terrace Inn and 1911 Restaurant

Inside the Haunted Terrace Inn in Petoskey – 9&10 News

Haunted History – Petoskey, Michigan | The Terrace Inn and 1911 Restaurant

Things That Go Bump in the Night | Features | Northern Express

(283) HAUNTED PLACES IN MICHIGAN, SEE THE DOOR CLOSE! The Terrace Inn Petoskey MI,Tyler Selph Oct 2020 – YouTube

Terrace Inn and 1911 Restaurant | Haunted Places | Petoskey, MI 49770

Ghosts of Northern Michigan’s Past | 106 KHQ

A Taste of the Past – Issuu

Music for this episode was performed by Michael Rivers

“Pat Facts” and “Ghost Story” themes by Mondo

“Time for a Debate” theme by Gail Gallagher gailgallaghermusic.com

Was the Movie Poltergeist Cursed?

Welcome to the Ghostly Summer Rewind! While we take a short break from new episodes this summer, we’re reaching back into the vault to re-release five of our favorite episodes.

This episode originally aired back in the summer of 2019. Quick heads-up: you may notice the sound quality and formatting aren’t quite up to our current standards — we’ve learned a lot since then! We hope you’ll excuse the rougher edges and just enjoy the story. Whether you’re hearing it for the first time or revisiting an old favorite, thanks for spending part of your summer with us. New episodes return this fall!

In Ghostly’s seventeenth episode, Pat and Rebecca explore the curse of Poltergeist, the 1982 movie by Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper and its sequels. Legend says that the movie was cursed because of its dark subject matter and use of real skeletons in the original movie. Several actors suffered untimely deaths, including two of its main stars, Dominque Dunne and Heather O’Rourke. Other paranormal claims include lightening strikes, mechanical clowns attacking children, and an exorcism. Do all these events add up to a curse? As always, you the listener get to decide.

Questions explored in this episode:

What happened on the set of the Poltergeist movies that led people to believe it was cursed? What happened to Dominique Dunne? How did Heather O’Rourke die? What claims did JoBeth Williams, who played the mother make about the film? Did she and others experience poltergeist activity? What is a poltergeist? Why was there an exorcism performed on the set of the second movie? Is there a Poltergeist curse?

Listen to hear Pat give a basic plot overview along with a brief history of the movie and the details of the deaths of two of the main stars, Dominque Dunne and Heather O’Rouke.

WARNING: There are some graphic details of domestic abuse when discussing Dominque Dunne’s tragic death. If you or anyone you know is suffering from domestic abuse, please call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit https://www.thehotline.org/

After the history, listen to Rebecca tell the ghost story of what it was like to work on the film. It is a terrifying tale that would be a nightmare for any actor – or anyone.

Then listen to the Great Debate! Rebecca and Pat go through all the stories and evidence of the curse of Poltergeist, including the deaths, the almost deaths, and just all-around potential paranormal activity, and debate what’s true and what’s just folklore. Listen to all sides and decide what you believe.

Be sure to stay for the whole episode to hear the “Closing Arguments” to help you make your choice before voting.

Also included in this episode are, as always, poll results from our previous episode on Waverly Hills Sanatorium. (Check out the episode here if you haven’t had a chance to listen yet).

Done listening to the episode? Please subscribe to Ghostly and give us a rating on iTunes or any podcast app where they let you J. Tell your friends! Then you can debate the truth yourselves! Word of mouth is one of the best ways to grow our audience, so we can do all the amazing things we have planned for this year. And be sure to find us on all social media at Ghostly Podcast.

Then visit our website, www.ghostlypodcast.com, to see the pictures talked about in the episode, learn more about Ghostly, and, of course, give us your opinion on our polls on Facebook.

We want to hear from you! We want your ghost stories or even your non-stories if you later realized you saw nothing paranormal. We would also love your suggestions for stories to cover in the future. Email us both at info@ghostlypodcast.com or individually at pat@ghostlypodcast.com or rebecca@ghostlypodcast.com Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at GhostlyPodcast

Sources for this week’s episode:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/poltergeist-curse

https://www.ranker.com/list/victims-of-the-poltergeist-curse/melissa-brinks?page=3

https://www.biography.com/news/the-poltergeist-curse-its-heeere

http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2015/12/22/the-shocking-history-of-the-poltergeist-curse/

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Poltergeist-Curse-True-Story-37392582

https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/05/poltergeist-curse-continues-to-haunt-people-in-real-life

Music for this episode was performed by Michael Rivers

Intro: III. Allegro moderato from Gargoyles by Lowell Liebermann

Outro: Dream Images (Love-Death Music) by George Crumb

Bumper: Ghost Waltz by Lowell Liebermann