The Real Ghosts Of...

The Real Ghosts of...

Welcome to The Real Ghosts of... podcast! We're Nicole Riccardo and Damian Schillaci and we're here to bring you true ghost stories of the haunted places of Austin, Texas, and beyond. Whether you're here for a paranormal investigation or one of our Wine & Spirits episodes, we welcome you to kick back, have a drink, and explore the "other side" with us!

  1. 59. The Real Ghosts Of... Centreville, MS: Part 3

    07/14/2025

    59. The Real Ghosts Of... Centreville, MS: Part 3

    In Part 3 of our Centreville, Mississippi series, we take you with us — literally — as we dive into one of the weirdest experiments we've ever done.   After uncovering the chilling history of Camp Van Dorn and running into a town full of silence and dead ends, we knew a typical paranormal investigation wouldn't cut it. So we turned to ritual, intention, chaos magic, and... the Randonautica app.   In this immersive, vlog-style episode, you'll come along as we pull cards from the Memento Mori oracle deck, activate a sigil, set our intention, and let Randonautica guide us to whatever — or whoever — might help us uncover the truth. What unfolds includes a long forest drive, a mysterious path through dense trees, and a random clearing that seems too intentional to be coincidence.   The deeper we go, the more surreal it becomes. From our Estes session the night before, where the main message was a repeated, urgent plea to "get the book," to the uncanny alignment of our oracle pulls and destination, something is clearly trying to communicate with us.   But what?   This episode is less polished investigation and more raw spiritual scavenger hunt. And while we didn't find the book… we're pretty sure it's still waiting to be discovered.   Follow along as we try to decode the breadcrumbs. And stay tuned for Part 4, where we reveal what came through during our Estes session... and the séance that ended everything with, of course, even more high strangeness.   👻 Got a theory or noticed something we missed? Email us: therealghostsof@gmail.com   Find Moonshadow Manor on Instagram and book your stay at this beautiful home here!   ----------------------------------------------- SEND US SNAIL MAIL! PO Box 242 1450 US 290 Dripping Springs, TX 78620   EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + LIVE HANGOUTS: https://www.patreon.com/ParaPeculiar   MEDIUMSHIP MENTORSHIP WITH NICOLE: https://www.therealghostsof.com/mentorship    LURK: https://www.instagram.com/therealghostsof/    WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/@ndparahouse      Do you have any stories you'd like to share for a Wine & Spirits episode or somewhere you'd like us to investigate? Send us a message and let us know! therealghostsof@gmail.com

    47 min
  2. 58. The Real Ghosts Of... Centreville, MS: Part 2

    06/30/2025

    58. The Real Ghosts Of... Centreville, MS: Part 2

    In this second installment of our Centreville investigation, we step beyond the quiet decay of Moonshadow Manor and into a far more unsettling shadow: the alleged mass killing of Black soldiers at Camp Van Dorn.   Join us as we walk the place where the camp gates once loomed...an unremarkable roadside clearing today, but a site tangled in decades of rumor, grief, and contested memory. We trace the history of the camp, sift through research, and explore the story that has circulated.   This episode is an honest conversation about difficult history. We approach this topic with deep respect for those whose lives and legacies may be bound to this story, while also questioning how folklore, fear, and conspiracy sometimes entwine with fact.   You can view all the sources we referenced in our own research listed below. If you find other resources you'd like to share, please email them our way!   African American Registry: Black Soldiers Die on Mississippi Army Base https://aaregistry.org/story/black-soldiers-die-on-mississippi-army-base/  Van Dorn Museum – History (Web Archive from Oct 14th 2010) https://web.archive.org/web/20101014183935/http://www.vandornmuseum.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=37  Town of Centreville – About Us https://townofcentrevillems.org/about-us Washington University St. Louis – Oral Histories Project, Centreville, MS page – Collection of data and articles about local history, including Carroll Case's accounts of Bill Martzall and Luther Williams recollections of the alleged slaughter: https://libguides.wustl.edu/c.php?g=1312985&p=9653828 Wikipedia page on Camp Van Dorn Slaughter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Van_Dorn_Slaughter#cite_note-clifford-3 Were Blacks in Troubled WWII Regiment Sent to Front as Punishment? By James O. Clifford, LA Times Archive, February 14th 1999 (Anthony Snively is quoted in this article; a quote from a letter he wrote in the early '40's to the Philadelphia Tribune is printed on the back of Case's book on the alleged slaughter): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-14-me-7949-story.html#:~:text=The%20all%2Dblack%20364th%20regiment,and%20even%20taking%20on%20civilians.&text=Meanwhile%2C%20the%20rest%20of%20their,already%20beaten%20back%20the%20Japanese. Carroll Case's Book, Slaughter: An American Atrocity: (there are used copies for way cheaper, and some in online libraries) https://www.amazon.com/Slaughter-American-Atrocity-Carroll-Case/dp/0966649907   Wikipedia Page on Major General Earl Van Dorn, after whom Camp Van Dorn was named: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Van_Dorn American Battlefield Trust – Earl Van Dorn Biography https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/earl-van-dorn Mississippi Encyclopedia entry on Camp Van Dorn: https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/camp-van-dorn/#:~:text=On%2030%20May%201943%20Private,the%20rest%20of%20the%20war. BlackPast, They Mystery of the 364th Regiment: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/the-mystery-of-the-364th-infantry-regiment-1943-1945/ Camp Van Dorn Museum webpage, current day: https://www.vandornmuseum.org/index.php?option=com_easyfaq&task=cat&catid=16&Itemid=53 Camp Van Dorn Historical Marker web page: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=96276 Army website on Camp Van Dorn – Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites: https://www.sas.usace.army.mil/Portals/61/docs/FUDS/A04MS002402%20Camp%20Van%20Dorn%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf?ver=5JJVKdDcCOe-CQt6bxM6Fw%3D%3D#:~:text=The%20Corps%20found%20three%20potentially,2037%20and%20be%20monitored%20indefinitely. Mississippi Massacre, or Myth? Army Tries to Put to Rest Allegations of 1943 Slaughter of Black Troops https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/12/23/mississippi-massacre-or-myth-army-tries-to-put-to-rest-allegations-of-1943-slaughter-of-black-troops/2f11afc2-4b4c-4488-ac04-71722b7aa58e/? Interview records with Congressman Benny Thompson who investigated this case alongside the Army, Justice Department, NAACP, and more https://www.unexplainedcases.com/2001/08/camp-van-dorn-new-developments.html?     Find Moonshadow Manor on Instagram and book your stay at this beautiful home here!   ----------------------------------------------- SEND US SNAIL MAIL! PO Box 242 1450 US 290 Dripping Springs, TX 78620   EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + LIVE HANGOUTS: https://www.patreon.com/ParaPeculiar   MEDIUMSHIP MENTORSHIP WITH NICOLE: https://www.therealghostsof.com/mentorship    LURK: https://www.instagram.com/therealghostsof/    WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/@ndparahouse      Do you have any stories you'd like to share for a Wine & Spirits episode or somewhere you'd like us to investigate? Send us a message and let us know! therealghostsof@gmail.com

    1h 33m
  3. 57. The Real Ghosts Of... Centreville, MS: Part 1

    06/09/2025

    57. The Real Ghosts Of... Centreville, MS: Part 1

    What we thought was a haunted house investigation turned out to be something much bigger. In this first chapter of our Centreville, Mississippi series, we invite you into Moonshadow Manor—an eerie, forgotten home frozen in time, filled with personal items left behind and a palpable energy that seemed to know we were coming. Nicole walks the house while channeling impressions from the former occupants, and we begin to uncover breadcrumbs that hint at a much larger story.   But as the spirits stirred, so did the whispers of the town's buried past.   This isn't just a haunting. It's a haunting introduction.   Join us for this atmospheric prelude... and stay tuned for Episode 2, where the real mystery unfolds: a controversial military history, a missing regiment, and the lingering question—what really happened at Camp Van Dorn?     Find Moonshadow Manor on Instagram and book your stay at this beautiful home here!   ----------------------------------------------- SEND US SNAIL MAIL! PO Box 242 1450 US 290 Dripping Springs, TX 78620   EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + LIVE HANGOUTS: https://www.patreon.com/ParaPeculiar   MEDIUMSHIP MENTORSHIP WITH NICOLE: https://www.therealghostsof.com/mentorship    LURK: https://www.instagram.com/therealghostsof/    WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/@ndparahouse      Do you have any stories you'd like to share for a Wine & Spirits episode or somewhere you'd like us to investigate? Send us a message and let us know! therealghostsof@gmail.com

    50 min
  4. 56. Wine & Spirits: Shadow Spiders

    06/02/2025

    56. Wine & Spirits: Shadow Spiders

    In this episode, we're crawling into the void with a listener-submitted story that gave us full-body chills: shadow spiders. Yes, you read that right—spidery forms made of darkness, darting along walls and ceilings, skittering just out of reach of the light. We share the tale, then spin our own web of theories as we unravel the possible meanings behind these eerie entities. Are they spirit? Thoughtform? Interdimensional bleed-through? Grab your cleansing spray (and maybe a fly swatter) as we descend into the tangled threads of this strange and sinister phenomenon.   🔗 Check out the ParaPeculiar interview with Heidi Hollis that sparked this conversation here!   ----------------------------------------------- SEND US SNAIL MAIL! PO Box 242 1450 US 290 Dripping Springs, TX 78620   EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + LIVE HANGOUTS: https://www.patreon.com/ParaPeculiar   MEDIUMSHIP MENTORSHIP WITH NICOLE: https://www.therealghostsof.com/mentorship    LURK: https://www.instagram.com/therealghostsof/    WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/@ndparahouse      Do you have any stories you'd like to share for a Wine & Spirits episode or somewhere you'd like us to investigate? Send us a message and let us know! therealghostsof@gmail.com

    1h 4m
  5. 55. Wine & Spirits: Oops, I did it again...

    05/26/2025

    55. Wine & Spirits: Oops, I did it again...

    We swear we were just trying to take a little pleasure trip. Just a casual getaway to New Orleans—eat some beignets, drink some cocktails, maybe talk to a few ghosts if they asked nicely. But surprise! High strangeness had other plans. In true "us" fashion, we accidentally booked a haunted location (because of course we did), and things got... weird.   In this Wine & Spirits episode, we're pouring a drink and recapping the whole New Orleans adventure,. We're sharing what happened, what we felt, and diving into some deeper philosophical musings on what makes New Orleans so uniquely, deliciously haunted.   There's history. There's hauntings. There's us, mid-sip, spiraling into yet another paranormal theory. Just how we like it. 👻   So grab your favorite potion (wine, whiskey, or witchy tea), and settle in for ghost stories, giggles, and a good ol' metaphysical meander through the French Quarter!

    51 min
  6. 54. Down The Rabbit Hole: The Kate Shepard House

    05/19/2025

    54. Down The Rabbit Hole: The Kate Shepard House

    We've walked the halls, talked to the ghosts, and spoke to the woman who lived it, but now it's time to really get into it. In this final installment of our Kate Shepard House series, we're going down the rabbit hole. This is the episode where we roll up our sleeves, light the metaphorical (or literal) candles, and unpack everything that went down—from the strange synchronicities to the most unexplainable moments.   We're diving into our personal theories, weaving together history, intuition, and straight-up bizarre evidence. This is less "just the facts" and more "what the hell is really going on here?" Think of it as our post-investigation debrief… if that debrief happened in a haunted speakeasy filled with weird relics, questionable portals, and a healthy dose of sarcasm.   If you've been following this haunted house journey with us, this is the episode where it all comes together...and maybe unravels a little, too. Grab your potion of choice and get comfy, friend. It's time to go deeper!   ----------------------------------------------- SEND US SNAIL MAIL! PO Box 242 1450 US 290 Dripping Springs, TX 78620   EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + LIVE HANGOUTS: https://www.patreon.com/ParaPeculiar   MEDIUMSHIP MENTORSHIP WITH NICOLE: https://www.therealghostsof.com/mentorship    LURK: https://www.instagram.com/therealghostsof/    WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/@ndparahouse      Do you have any stories you'd like to share for a Wine & Spirits episode or somewhere you'd like us to investigate? Send us a message and let us know! therealghostsof@gmail.com

    1h 2m
  7. 53. The Real Ghosts Of... The Kate Shepard House: Part 3

    05/12/2025

    53. The Real Ghosts Of... The Kate Shepard House: Part 3

    We've explored the house. We've uncovered the evidence. Now, it's time to talk to the one person who knows this haunted beauty better than anyone: former owner Wendy James. In this final chapter of our Kate Shepard House series, we sit down with Wendy herself to hear the wild, weird, and honestly way too validating stories from her time living in this house full-time.    Wendy doesn't just dish out ghost stories, she drops receipts. We're talking uncovered heirlooms, hidden photographs, and personal experiences that lined up just a little too well with what we encountered on our own investigation. Spoiler: she had no clue what we captured when we walked in her front door. But by the time we walked out? Our dots were connecting and the goosebumps were goosebumping.   This episode is a cozy (virtual) chat with a side of spectral intrigue...a true full-circle moment in our paranormal puzzle. So grab a cup of tea (or wine, we don't judge), and settle in as we get the inside scoop from the woman who once called the Kate Shepard House home!!   ----------------------------------------------- SEND US SNAIL MAIL! PO Box 242 1450 US 290 Dripping Springs, TX 78620   EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + LIVE HANGOUTS: https://www.patreon.com/ParaPeculiar   MEDIUMSHIP MENTORSHIP WITH NICOLE: https://www.therealghostsof.com/mentorship    LURK: https://www.instagram.com/therealghostsof/    WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/@ndparahouse      Do you have any stories you'd like to share for a Wine & Spirits episode or somewhere you'd like us to investigate? Send us a message and let us know! therealghostsof@gmail.com

    55 min
  8. 52. The Real Ghosts Of... The Kate Shepard House: Part 2

    05/05/2025

    52. The Real Ghosts Of... The Kate Shepard House: Part 2

    We're back at the gorgeously haunted Kate Shepard House for Part 2, and this time, it's go time. You've already walked the halls with me in Part 1 and heard Damian drop some serious history tea. Now, we're taking you along for the actual investigation—yes, the real ghost hunt. No reenactments. No dramatic voiceovers. Just us, our gear, our questions, and a whole lot of strange activity we did not expect.   In this episode, we're peeling back the veil in real-time. We set up multiple mics overnight, left them rolling in different parts of the house, and let's just say... we caught some things. Weird things.  But don't worry, it's not all bumps in the night and weird whispers. There are laughs, there are theories, there are moments where one of us may or may not yell "nope!" and leave a room entirely. (Hurricane 👀🤣)   Think of this episode as if we rented a haunted B&B and actually brought you with us. It's haunted hospitality at its finest, with ghosts, giggles, and just the right amount of existential dread. Let's dive back in, ghoulies!!   ----------------------------------------------- SEND US SNAIL MAIL! PO Box 242 1450 US 290 Dripping Springs, TX 78620   EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + LIVE HANGOUTS: https://www.patreon.com/ParaPeculiar   MEDIUMSHIP MENTORSHIP WITH NICOLE: https://www.therealghostsof.com/mentorship    LURK: https://www.instagram.com/therealghostsof/    WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/@ndparahouse      Do you have any stories you'd like to share for a Wine & Spirits episode or somewhere you'd like us to investigate? Send us a message and let us know! therealghostsof@gmail.com

    1h 36m
See All (59)

4.2
out of 5
96 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Real Ghosts of... podcast! We're Nicole Riccardo and Damian Schillaci and we're here to bring you true ghost stories of the haunted places of Austin, Texas, and beyond. Whether you're here for a paranormal investigation or one of our Wine & Spirits episodes, we welcome you to kick back, have a drink, and explore the "other side" with us!

Information

  • Creator
    The Real Ghosts of...
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    The Real Ghosts Of...

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