This week we’re diving into the controversial story of Chief Jack Walker — one of the most debated figures in early Southeast Tennessee history. Known for his complicated role during the growing tensions between Cherokee leaders and white settlers, Walker’s life and violent death left behind rumors, resentment, and questions that still linger around present day Cleveland, Tennessee. Inspired by Joe Guy’s book The Hidden History of Southeast Tennessee, this episode explores the politics, power struggles, and betrayals surrounding Walker’s murder and the uneasy time leading up to Cherokee removal in our region.

In this episode, we’re covering the strange disappearance of George Owens, a 79-year-old minister from Nolensville who vanished in July 1985 after failing to pick up his wife from the bus station. Later sightings described him as confused and disoriented, and his car was eventually found abandoned more than 100 miles away with odd details inside, including stacks of wood as if a fire had been planned. With no signs of a struggle and no trace of George ever found, his case remains one of Tennessee’s most unsettling unsolved mysteries.

Fast forward about three minutes in if you want to skip our chatter.

On September 23, 2012, a fire destroyed a home in rural Bedford County, Tennessee, where Leon and Molly McClaran lived with their grandchildren, 9-year-old Chloie Leverette and 7-year-old Gage Daniel. The grandparents were found inside but the children were not. With no trace of them in the debris and investigators later stating they don’t believe the kids were in the fire, an Amber Alert was issued that remains active to this day. In this episode, we break down the timeline and the details that turned a house fire into an ongoing mystery.

In this episode of we head to Dayton to explore the infamous Scopes Trial—a courtroom battle that turned a small Tennessee town into the center of a national debate. When teacher John T. Scopes was charged with violating the Butler Act by teaching evolution, the case quickly exploded into a media spectacle featuring legendary attorneys Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. We break down how the trial started, what really happened inside the courtroom, and how this famous “Monkey Trial” forever changed the conversation about science, religion, and education in America.

In this episode, we’re covering the disturbing history of the Good Ol’ Boy Roundup, an annual off duty gathering of law enforcement officers held along the Ocoee River in Tennessee from 1980 through the mid-1990s. What began as a simple rafting and cookout retreat grew into a large, alcohol fueled event that later drew national attention after reports surfaced of racist skits, offensive displays, and a hostile environment for minority officers and women. A federal investigation ultimately uncovered a culture of extreme misconduct and permissive behavior, raising serious questions about accountability, ethics, and how off duty conduct can impact public trust in law enforcement.

This week, we’re covering the bizarre true crime case of the Phantom Barber of Pascagoula, an unidentified intruder who broke into homes in 1942 and cut chunks of hair from sleeping victims, mostly young girls, without ever physically harming them. As fear spread through the small Mississippi town, families locked down their homes and police scrambled for answers.
A local man was arrested and convicted on circumstantial evidence, but many still question whether the real culprit was ever caught. Strange, unsettling, and completely real... this one’s a Southern mystery that feels almost too weird to believe.