The Darkives: Serious history. Told not so seriously

Leo Eaton and Jamie Tavenner
  • 4.7 (14)
  • History
  • Updated Weekly

The Darkives is a history podcast where Jamie and Leo dive headfirst into the strangest, creepiest, and most disturbing stories the past tried to bury (and somehow manage to laugh along the way). Each week, we unravel forgotten voyages, infamous historical figures, bizarre disasters, and centuries-old true crime, breaking it all down the way you would with friends - curious, slightly horrified, and occasionally cracking jokes when things get too dark. Nothing is treated like a lecture, and nothing is off the table. If you like weird history, eerie true stories, and conversations that balance “that’s awful” with “how is this real?”, you’ll feel right at home here. Serious history. Told not so seriously.

  1. 6d ago

    The Hammersmith Ghost: The Haunting That Ended in Murder

    support the show https://patreon.com In 1803, reports of a ghost haunting the streets of Hammersmith, London, sparked fear throughout the community. When Francis Smith went looking for the Hammersmith Ghost, he shot and killed Thomas Millwood, mistaking the bricklayer's white work clothes for a ghostly apparition. We'll explore the infamous Hammersmith Ghost murder case of 1804, the reported haunting, the ghost hoax. We also cover landmark legal questions surrounding fear, mistaken belief, and criminal responsibility. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Sources: https://hamunitedcharities.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Download-File-2.pdfhttps://digitalcommons.onu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=iljhttps://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/the-hammersmith-ghost-londons-paranormal-murder/https://colonialbrewer.com/2022/10/31/the-hammersmith-ghost/https://historyandimagination.com/2025/09/24/the-hammersmith-ghost/Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    The Hammersmith Ghost: The Haunting That Ended in Murder

  2. Oct 9

    Vampires! The Stories of Alnwick Castle, Jure Grando & Mercy Brown

    support the show https://patreon.com Long before Dracula became the world's most famous vampire, stories of the undead were terrifying communities across Europe and America. We cover the 12th-century Alnwick Vampire in England, Jure Grando in 17th-century Croatia, and Mercy Brown, the suspected vampire of 1892 Rhode Island. These stories reveal how people tried to explain illness, death, and supposedly the dead returning to haunt the living. Three tales in the history of vampires, the folklore surrounding them, and real events that helped create the lore behind the vampires we know today. Welcome back to the Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Like the show? leave a rating and a comment and help us grow. Sources: https://www.alnwickcastle.com/blog/the-secrets-of-alnwick-castles-haunting-pasthttps://croatia.hr/en-gb/culture-and-arts/legends/jure-grando-the-first-real-person-described-as-a-vampire-in-europehttps://medium.com/@hsumra/the-legend-of-jure-grando-the-first-person-described-as-a-vampire-13a0e879d6b5https://www.rihs.org/mssinv/MSS197.htmhttps://newengland.com/yankee/history/vampire-mercy-brown-rhode-island/https://www.rihs.org/have-mercy/Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    Vampires! The Stories of Alnwick Castle, Jure Grando & Mercy Brown

  3. Oct 2

    Cheesman Park & The Stanley Hotel: Colorado’s Haunted History

    support the show https://patreon.com This week on The Darkives, the history of Cheesman Park, from the Indigenous land to the old cemetery that became one of the city's most famous parks. When the graves were ordered removed in the 1890s, the job turned into a gruesome disaster, leaving behind stories of disturbed graves, scattered remains, and a park that some say is still haunted. Then we head into the mountains to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, where Freelan Oscar Stanley built a luxury resort after coming to Colorado seeking relief from tuberculosis, only for the hotel to later become famous for its connection to Stephen King and The Shining. A cemetery beneath one of Denver's favorite parks & a mountain hotel with a reputation for ghosts, this is the strange history behind two of Colorado's most famous haunted places. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/treaty-fort-wisehttps://ictnews.org/archive/native-history-the-birth-of-denver-from-boom-to-bust-to-boom/https://www.legendsofamerica.com/co-cheesemanpark/https://visitdenver.com/blog/post/haunted-cheesman-park/https://www.visitestespark.com/plan/about/history/https://www.visitestespark.com/search/?q=stanley%20hotel%20historyhttps://ghostcitytours.com/denver/haunted-denver/stanley-hotel/https://www.uncovercolorado.com/stanley-hotel-haunted-history/Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    Cheesman Park & The Stanley Hotel: Colorado’s Haunted History

  4. Sep 25

    Bog Bodies: Murder, Sacrifice, and Ancient Mysteries

    support the show https://patreon.com This week, we travel back thousands of years ago where people across Iron Age Europe were laid to rest in peat bogs. The unusual conditions preserved bodies for centuries. From Tollund Man and Grauballe Man in Denmark to Clonycavan Man and Old Croghan Man in Ireland, these ancient bog bodies hold clues to their lives, violent deaths, and the mysterious rituals of the past. Let's dig deep into the history of Europe's bog bodies, ancient human sacrifice, and the secrets buried beneath the peat. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://moesgaardmuseum.dk/en/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/iron-age-exhibition/the-grauballe-manhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/tollund-man-bog-body-life-deathhttps://scalar.usc.edu/works/humanity-on-display/the-old-croghan-manhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/ireland-ancient-bog-men-sciencehttps://irishheritagenews.ie/irish-iron-age-bog-body-clonycavan-man-wore-exotic-hair-gel/https://archive.archaeology.org/1005/bogbodies/clonycavan_croghan.htmlhttps://www.museum.ie/collections/collection/antiquity-18641/Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    Bog Bodies: Murder, Sacrifice, and Ancient Mysteries

  5. Sep 18

    Lizzie Borden: The True Story of the 1892 Axe Murders

    support the show https://patreon.com This week, We cover the Lizzie Borden murder case of 1892, one of the most famous unsolved crimes in American history. Lizzie was accused of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet in their Fall River, Massachusetts home and tried for the axe murders. Jamie and Leo cover the murders, the trial, the evidence that never made it to court, a Wild Man theory that suggests the real killer may have walked away entirely and some theories of their own. Come with us as we hack into this Darkive together . Also check out the now streaming Netflix original Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://famous-trials.com/lizzieborden/1441-chronologyhttps://www.biography.com/crime/a73581416/lizzie-borden-trialhttps://lizzie-borden.com/blog/the-fascinating-truth-behind-lizzie-bordens-high-stakes-acquittal/https://crimearchives.net/1893_borden/html/trial.htmlhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Lizzie-Borden-American-murder-suspecthttps://lizzie-borden.com/blog/after-the-axe-lizzie-bordens-post-trial-life/https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/articles/wild-man-theory-lizzie-bordenTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    Lizzie Borden: The True Story of the 1892 Axe Murders

  6. Sep 11

    The Real Mowgli and Other Feral Children From History

    support the show https://patreon.com This week Jamie and Leo tell three true stories of history's feral children. Cases that inspired literature and raised questions about what it actually means to be human. In 1725, Peter the Wild Boy was a feral boy found living wild and alone in the forests of Germany. He was brought to the court of King George I, and treated as a royal novelty. In 1828, a teenage boy Kaspar Hauser appeared in Nuremberg unable to speak, claiming to have been held in a dark cell his entire life. By the end of his tale he would be attacked twice, found dead, and his true origins were never confirmed. And In 1867, hunters in the jungles of India found a six-year-old boy living among wolves. Dina Sanichar, the real-life Mowgli whose story is believed to have inspired Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. The Wild Boy of Hanover, the Wolf Boy of India , and the boy with no past, all will be uncovered in this episode of The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: “ A Pet For the Princess - The Tragic Story of Peter The Wild Boy.” YouTube, Accessed 6 Sept. 2026.https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14215171“Kasper Hauser: The Mystery of the Boy with No Past” YouTube, Accessed 6 Sept. 2026https://www.historydefined.net/life-of-dina-sanichar/https://allthatsinteresting.com/dina-sanicharhttps://www.mentalfloss.com/history/mystery/mysterious-life-and-death-kaspar-hauserhttps://allthatsinteresting.com/feral-childrenTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    The Real Mowgli and Other Feral Children From History

  7. Sep 4

    Twelve days of Terror: The Real Life Jaws Story

    support the show https://patreon.com This week it's shark week, we dip our toes in the waters of the Jersey Shore, summer of 1916. Twelve days changed how we felt about sharks permanently. Five people were attacked, four of them fatalities, Two of those deaths were miles inland in brackish water. Nobody had seen anything like it. Nobody knew what to do about it. These are the real life stories of shark attacks that inspired Jaws and made many Americans afraid to go back in the water. we cover the attacks, the stats, and even talk a little smack in this file of The Darkives. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://www.britannica.com/story/the-1916-shark-attacks-that-gave-sharks-a-bad-raphttps://www.gilisharkconservation.com/whats-more-likely-to-kill-you-than-a-shark/https://sharkallies.org/the-media-landscape/our-irrational-fear-of-shark-attacksFernicola, R. G. (2016). Twelve Days of Terror. Simon and SchusterTheme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    Twelve days of Terror: The Real Life Jaws Story

  8. Aug 28

    Viktor Frankl: Surviving the Holocaust to Redefine Psychology

    support the show https://patreon.com This week Jamie and Leo dig into the life of Viktor Frankl, his career before the war, the four camps he survived, and the book he wrote in nine days when it was all over. Man's Search for Meaning was published anonymously in 1946 because Frankl didn't think anyone would care. It has since sold over 16 million copies and was listed by the Library of Congress as one of the ten most influential books in the United States. Viktor Frankl was a respected psychiatrist deported to Theresienstadt in September 1942. He had corresponded with Sigmund Freud as a teen and treated more than 3,000 suicidal patients a year at Vienna's Steinhof Psychiatric Hospital. He developed Logotherapy (his own school of psychotherapy). Viktor had a visa out of Vienna that he chose not to use because he couldn't leave his aging parents behind. Next came four camps in three years: Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Kaufering, and Türkheim. He was the witness to many horrors of the concentration camps and left with the understanding that through suffering one finds ones reason to live. Serious history. Told not so seriously. Check out our website: darkivespodcast.com Email us: thedarkivescommunity@gmail.com Follow us on: instagram Enjoy the show? Consider leaving a rating and a comment or share us to a fellow history lover. Sources: https://www.auschwitz.org/en/history/kl-auschwitz-birkenau/https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/theresienstadt-concentration-camphttps://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/dachauhttps://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kauferinghttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Viktor-Franklhttps://viktorfranklamerica.com/viktor-frankl-bio/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8763215/Frankl, V. E. (1946). Man’s Search For Meaning. Beacon Press.Theme music: Ways of the Wizard-geoffharvey Used with permission, Thank you Geoff! licensed through: Pixabay Other music used: licensed through Pixabay-used under the Pixabay Content License

    Viktor Frankl: Surviving the Holocaust to Redefine Psychology
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About

The Darkives is a history podcast where Jamie and Leo dive headfirst into the strangest, creepiest, and most disturbing stories the past tried to bury (and somehow manage to laugh along the way). Each week, we unravel forgotten voyages, infamous historical figures, bizarre disasters, and centuries-old true crime, breaking it all down the way you would with friends - curious, slightly horrified, and occasionally cracking jokes when things get too dark. Nothing is treated like a lecture, and nothing is off the table. If you like weird history, eerie true stories, and conversations that balance “that’s awful” with “how is this real?”, you’ll feel right at home here. Serious history. Told not so seriously.

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