This week we were joined by Zach Auld who hosts Cast Junkie and chose the topic of “paranormal” (which Tiffany deliberately misinterpreted as “ghost” but that’s fine). We had so much fun recording and want to thank Zach again for joining us.
CastJunkie is a tool for podcasts listeners of all genres who are searching for their next listen. Host Zach reviews a different podcast series or season each week, helping discerning listeners discover new shows and connect with their creators. Each episode lasts 4 to 15 minutes and gives listeners a quick overview of that week’s selection, what to expect from the show, and why he thinks it should be added to your queue.
Rebecca’s Notes
In the same city of the notorious tree that owns itself sits a building that’s part of an inexplicably popular college.
The school was founded on January 27, 1785 and would become a major part of a national pastime in 1892
In 1821, Waddell Hall was completed on North Campus near Jackson St and is currently the second to oldest building on campus
In 1918, Waddel Hall was known as the Road Laboratory Building while also serving as a dormitory for students (research indicates Wadell Hall was renamed after World War II to give credit to Dr. Moses Waddel who became president of the college in 1819-1929)
One young man, after serving in World War I, was looking forward to returning to campus and his girlfriend
Upon his return, he had found that his girlfriend had taken up another lover
This young man was distraught, understandably, and three of his friends loaned the couple a room to work things out
Around 2 – 3am other students reported hearing gunshots, after investigating it was found that the young man, assuming that he didn’t get the answer he wanted from his girlfriend, had committed a murder-suicide
Faculty minutes from 1918 do indicate that two bodies were found and, while a brief story ran in the local paper the day after the bodies were found, the university swept this whole thing under the rug pretty quickly
These same meeting minutes indicate that both bodies were found stripped of their clothes, which would obviously sensationalize the story
Another source indicated that it wasn’t an affair that triggered the sequence of events, saying that one night a male student was caught while he had a girl in his room (scandalous)
The male student was so disgraced that he decided the best way course of action was to kill the woman and then himself
The only thing that can be confirmed was yes, there was a murder-suicide the year of 1918, but due to limited information (and a $20 book from Amazon that wouldn’t have come in time so Rebecca didn’t purchase it for this story) it’s murky why this happened
Today, the Waddel House is still used by campus and is relatively unchanged since its initial construction in 1821
The house is a part of of a walking tour during which the first version of this story is told and you can see the outside of the house fo $15
However, to this day there are reports of lights flickering and strange sounds (reportedly sounds of arguing and, sometimes, gunshots), presumably the couple returning to the room to resume their lovers quarrel
Sources
https://www.uga.edu/a-z/location/waddel-hall.html
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/haunted-places-athens-ga
