Ep. 184 - Delta Bessborough Hotel

Our listener Celia hails from South Africa and she wrote us about an experience she had at a historic museum located in the capital city of Pretoria. It's an awesome ghost story and we wondered if there were other haunted locations in Pretoria and sure enough, we found some! South Africa has only come up on the podcast one other time in all these years, so it was definitely time to revisit this country that has a history marked with turmoil because of apartheid and the ensuing massacres and uprisings and the struggle to transition to independence and Democracy. Ongoing challenges continue, but this is also a country of natural beauty in the landscape and its varied wildlife. The architecture is also diverse, represented with indigenous styles and contemporary styles, but also the historic styles of Victorian and Colonial. Join us for the history and hauntings of Pretoria, South Africa! Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Show notes can be found here: https://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2025/08/hgb-ep-601-haunted-pretoria.html     Become an Executive Producer: http://patreon.com/historygoesbump Music used in this episode:  Main Theme: Creepy Carnival Theme  Created and produced by History Goes Bump Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

28 Aug 42min

The Victorian Era in Britain was a tough time for women, particularly if they were single mothers. Desperate women would find themselves pregnant after giving themselves to a man hoping he would take care of them. Or many times they would fall into sex work and end up pregnant. The fix of an opium laden tincture to cause a miscarriage was incredibly dangerous, so there were not many options and most didn't have the means to care for a child. But they also didn't have time to care for their child because they needed to work. Thus, they would need to find someone to care for their child. And along came this angel named Amelia Dyer. She was willing to take on any child and care for them. But Dyer was anything but an angel. Her nickname became the "Baby Butcher" for good reason as it is possible that she murdered 400 babies. Eventually she was tried, convicted, sentenced to death and executed. Her end came at Newgate Prison and now her spirit seems to be haunting a couple of locations. Intro and Outro music: Bad Players - Licensed under a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-assignable, single-site, worldwide, royalty-free license agreement with Muse Music c/o Groove Studios.

26 Aug 24min

The plan was named Operation Cone of Power. Sounds militaristic. Possibly some kind of intelligence operation. Certainly had to be official. It was the summer of 1940 and Britain was bracing itself for a full-on invasion from German forces. A team of witches came together, lead by the Father of Witchcraft, Gerald Gardner, and worked their magick to push back against the Nazis. And as history documented, the Nazis never were able to invade Britain. Some may say it was the Luftwaffe's failure to defeat the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain that kept the Germans from taking Britain, but one really has to wonder, was it the witches? And what in the world did James Bond creator Ian Fleming have to do with all of this? Join us for this fascinating journey into a little known piece of World War II history!   Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Show notes can be found here: https://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2025/08/hgb-ep-600-magick-vs-nazis.html     Become an Executive Producer: http://patreon.com/historygoesbump Music used in this episode:  Main Theme: Creepy Carnival Theme  Created and produced by History Goes Bump Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Other music used in this episode: Title: "Tomb Tensions" Artist: Tim Kulig (timkulig.com) Licensed under Creative Commons By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0997280/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

21 Aug 45min

The Ben Lomond Hotel is now known as the Bigelow Hotel and Residences and is located in the historic downtown of Ogden, Utah. When we did our original episode in 2016, this was one of the last three “Grand Hotels” in Utah that still operated as a hotel. That ended in 2019 when the building was reopened as apartments. Built in the latter part of the Victorian Era, the hotel has changed over time. Ogden was a major railroad junction and brought people from all over. And while a hotel that is now residences is meant to be a place of comfort, the Bigelow-Ben Lomond seems to be a place of death and this has lead to stories of strange happenings. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel. Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Music used in this episode: Main Theme: Lurking in the Dark by Muse Music with Groove Studios Outro Music: Happy Fun Punk by Muse Music with Groove Studios Other music in this episode: Title: "Fractured Waltz" Artist: Tim Kulig (timkulig.com) Licensed under Creative Commons By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0997280/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

19 Aug 22min

The Tower of Babel was built after Noah’s Great Flood. Yahweh had told Noah and his sons to go out and multiply on the Earth and they did have children and multiply, but they disobeyed when it came to dispersing. They stayed in one area and shared one language and they decided to build themselves a city with a great tower to the heavens. What exactly was this tower and why did Yahweh decide to spread many languages and confuse their efforts? What were these men creating? Clearly, this stone tower didn’t rise to the heights of our modern-day skyscrapers. And who exactly was Nimrod who seems to have led these efforts? Did the men of Babel create a portal for the gods to come through? Main theme: Crazy For Thrills by Muse Music with Groove Studios

17 Aug 13min

Oswego, New York was a bustling port in the 1800s, but long before that, there was Fort Ontario. The Fort represents over 260 years of history from its beginnings as an earthworks fort to a brick and mortar one and it has had a significant role in several conflicts. The structure was destroyed and rebuilt four times. There was a time that it was a huge general hospital as well as a safe haven for refugee Jews fleeing Europe during World War II. Today, the Fort is a living museum with costumed guides that lead all varieties of tours, including the ghost ones because there are several spirits here. Join us for the history and hauntings of Fort Ontario! The Moment in Oddity features Megaflash and This Month in History features the Double Eagle II Balloon. Our location was suggested by Katherine McManus.   Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Show notes can be found here:      Become an Executive Producer: http://patreon.com/historygoesbump Music used in this episode:  Main Theme: Lurking in the Dark by Muse Music with Groove Studios (Moment in Oddity) "Vanishing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (This Month in History) "In Your Arms" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro Music: Happy Fun Punk by Muse Music with Groove Studios Other music used in this episode: Music: Battlefield 6 Streaming Music Vol. 3 by Sascha Ende Link: https://ende.app/en/song/13077-battlefield-6-streaming-music-vol-3

14 Aug 38min

Mausoleums are the stars of cemeteries, but if there is anything that ranks closely with mausoleums as being eye catching in a cemetery, it is the obelisk. And very close to that are the columns. There is a lot of symbolism behind them, and history. Join us on this Stones and Bones for, of obelisks and columns!  Intro and Outro music "Stones and Bones" was written and produced by History Goes Bump and any use is strictly prohibited. Check us out at: https://historygoesbump.com

12 Aug 38min

The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa is an iconic landmark in Downtown Denver. The hotel has stood for over 130 years and was one of the first atrium-style hotels ever built and was fire-proof. She was affectionately nicknamed The Grand Dame of Denver and she has stood as a sentinel in the downtown area, watching over the history that has unfolded here. The Brown hosted celebrities, Molly Brown, several Presidents and even the Beatles. And rumors claim that she hosts spirits as well. Several of them. Join us for the history and hauntings of the Brown Palace Hotel. The Moment in Oddity features Diesel the Donkey and This Month in History features the storming of the Bastille. Our location was suggested by David Law, Vicki Luther and Tim Kemble.   Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Show notes can be found here: https://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2025/08/hgb-ep-598-brown-palace-hotel.html     Become an Executive Producer: http://patreon.com/historygoesbump Music used in this episode:  Main Theme: Lurking in the Dark by Muse Music with Groove Studios (Moment in Oddity) "Vanishing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (This Month in History) "In Your Arms" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro Music: Happy Fun Punk by Muse Music with Groove Studios Other music used in this episode: Title: "Camp Nowhere" Artist: Tim Kulig (timkulig.com) Licensed under Creative Commons By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0997280/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

7 Aug 37min