The Strange South Podcast

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Episode 27: Thomas Jefferson & the Louisiana UFO / That Poltergeist Stole Your Biscuits

Patrice and Marleah drink Chilton County peach bourbon lemonade and talk flying, flaming, and vanishing pigs, portals, and kitchen-hating poltergeists.

Thomas Jefferson & the Louisiana UFO //

In 1800, William Dunbar, a friend of Thomas Jefferson, saw and very carefully described a bright, unidentifiable object shooting through the skies and crashing the woods of Baton Rouge, LA. Jefferson put enough stock in Dunbar’s claim that he retold his story to the American Philosophical Society later that year. America’s First UFO Sighting by Christopher KleinTransactions of the American Philosophical Society: (Bill Thayer Notes): Description of a singular Phenomenon seen at Baton Rouge, by William Dunbar, Esq., communicated by Thomas Jefferson, President A. P. S.TRUE: Thomas Jefferson Once Reported Claims of a UFO Sighting in Baton Rouge by Lamar White, Jr. 

That Poltergeist Stole Your Biscuits //

On Oct 17, 1872, the Surrency family of Surrency, GA, began experiencing what would become one of the most widely witnessed and well-documented hauntings in U.S. history. The entity broke dishes, threw things, blasted out windows, played jokes - and it was all seen and written about not just by the Surrencys but by neighbors, preachers, reporters, and visitors from out of town. The entity’s harassment went on for five years and even followed the family when they moved to a new house.A Terrifying Haunting in Georgia The True Story of the Surrency Haunting Jeffrey Introduces 13 More Southern Ghosts by Kathryn Tucker Windham The Surrency Spook Light 

EPISODE DRINK:

Bourbon Peach Lemonade Punch

from Love & Olive Oil (we doubled their version because we lushes)
INGREDIENTS
  • 6 cups water
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced (we used Chilton County peaches - the best!)
  • 2 C bourbon (we used Jim Beam)
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint, plus more for garnish (Or leave this accidentally at Chad's house. I'm sure it would have been great.)
PREPARATION
  1. Combine water and sugar in a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until water is hot. Stir until sugar is dissolved. You can also heat the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved.
  2. Pour sugar water into a pitcher along with lemon juice. Add sliced peaches, bourbon, and mint (but clearly it's really good even without the mint). Cover and refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve.
  3. To serve, scoop out a slice or two of peaches with a slotted spoon and place in glass with ice. Fill with punch and garnish with fresh mint. (These drunk peaches are your best friends now.)