A young woman murdered inside a tavern and a body hidden within its walls. A ghost is said to haunt the building, more than two centuries later. King’s Tavern has stood in Natchez, Mississippi, since the early days of the historic Natchez Trace. Over the years, the legend of a woman named Madeline has become inseparable from its haunted reputation.

In the final episode of The Devil's Road, Southern Mysteries explores the history of the tavern and the mysterious discoveries linked to Madeline's alleged murder.

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Episode Sources

• The Tensas Gazette (Louisiana), 1932. Historical account of King's Tavern and its early origins.
• Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Daily News, December 1970. Jeanenette Harrod's reporting on Annabel Young Maxie, the property's family history, and its sale to the Pilgrimage Garden Club.
• Natchez Democrat, February 23, 1974. Thomas E. Young's recollection of a reported apparition in the family home.
• Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Daily News, July 3, 1977. Sandra Bell's reporting on King's Tavern, the Madeline legend, alleged discoveries, and experiences described by restaurant employees.
• The Vicksburg Post, July 5, 1977. Reprint of Sandra Bell's King's Tavern story.
• Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1938. Historic architectural photographs of King's Tavern, Library of Congress.
• Natchez Area Paranormal Society. Research into the reported skeleton discoveries, the dagger, and the historical evidence surrounding Madeline.
• Rick Garner, November 3, 2000. Paranormal investigation report documenting reported experiences at King's Tavern.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2016. Feature on King's Tavern and its reported hauntings.
• Business Insider, September 2022. Feature identifying haunted locations in each state, including King's Tavern in Mississippi.
• Natchez (2025), directed by Suzannah Herbert. Documentary examining historic preservation, tourism, and representations of the antebellum past in Natchez.
• Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Historical background on Micajah and Wiley Harpe.
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. History of the original Natchez Trace and the development of the modern parkway.
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. Historical information about Witch Dance.
• Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Historical resources on Natchez, the Natchez Pilgrimage, and preservation efforts.
• Natchez Trace Association historical materials. Roane Fleming Byrnes and the campaign to establish the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

Today, the Natchez Trace Parkway is a peaceful road through Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. But the old Trace was once known as the Devil’s Backbone, a dangerous route marked by robbery, murder and stories that became legend. In The Devil’s Road, a four-part October series, Southern Mysteries explores the darker history and folklore of the Natchez Trace. Part One begins at ancient Native American mound sites along the route and at Pharr Mounds in northern Mississippi, where a brutal murder in 1992 brought a much more recent story to this ancient landscape.

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Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

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Episode Sources

• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “History & Culture.”
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “American Indian Mounds Along the Natchez Trace Parkway.”
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “Pharr Mounds, Milepost 286.7.”
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “Bynum Mounds, Milepost 232.4.”
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “Emerald Mound.”
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “Historic Places.”
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “Old Natchez Trace Sections.”
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “Trade From Afar,” Pharr Mounds interpretive exhibit and transcript.
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. “Objects and Ideas,” Pharr Mounds interpretive exhibit and transcript.
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. Natchez Trace mound-site interpretive exhibits and archaeological timeline.
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. United States of America v. Danny McGee, No. 93-7503, July 8, 1994.
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Federal proceedings arising from the murder of Thomas Alan Byram at Pharr Mounds.
• Tishomingo County News/The Vidette and Belmont News. “One Arrested in Murder of Iuka Man,” September 10, 1992.
• Tishomingo County News/The Vidette and Belmont News. Coverage of the federal indictments of Danny McGee and Greg Dingler, October 8, 1992.
• Tishomingo County News/The Vidette and Belmont News. Coverage of the upcoming federal murder trials and preliminary-hearing testimony, November 5, 1992.
• Tishomingo County News/The Vidette and Belmont News. Coverage of Danny McGee’s conviction and sentencing, 1993.
• Tishomingo County News/The Vidette and Belmont News. Coverage of Greg Dingler’s second-degree murder conviction, August 5, 1993.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines and Burial Grounds, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

In the early 1800s, travelers carrying money north from Natchez became targets for highway robbers along the isolated Natchez Trace.In Part Two of The Devil’s Road, Southern Mysteries follows Samuel Mason and Joseph Thompson Hare, two notorious land pirates whose robberies, violence and encounters with the law helped shape the road’s dangerous reputation. Mason’s story ends in mystery, while Hare’s own confession reveals how he preyed on unsuspecting travelers.

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Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

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Episode Sources

• Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Samuel Mason Trial Records, Z/0273.000, 1803.
• Mississippi Department of Archives and History. English translation of the Samuel Mason Trial Records, Z/0273.000.
• Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Territorial Records, Administration Papers, records concerning Samuel Mason and his accomplices, 1803–1804.
• Claiborne, William C. C. Letter Books of W. C. C. Claiborne, correspondence concerning Samuel Mason, highway robbery, the Mississippi River and roads between the Mississippi Territory and Tennessee, 1802–1804.
• Claiborne, William C. C. Letter to James Madison concerning Samuel Mason, robberies and protection of travelers, July 1803.
• Vidal, Nicholas Maria. Correspondence to Governor William C. C. Claiborne concerning Samuel Mason and his accomplices, their prosecution by Spanish authorities and transfer to American custody, 1803.
• Rothert, Otto A. The Outlaws of Cave-in-Rock: Historical Accounts of the Famous Highwaymen and River Pirates Who Operated in Pioneer Days upon the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and over the Natchez Trace.
• Hare, Joseph Thompson. Dying Confession of Joseph Hare, Alias Joseph T. Hare, One of the Mail Robbers. 1818.
• Hare, Joseph Thompson. The Life and Dying Confession of Joseph T. Hare: The Noted Robber Who Was Executed at Baltimore in September Last for Robbing the Mail. 1818.
• United States v. Hare, Circuit Court, District of Maryland, May 1818.
• Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser. “Joseph Thompson Hare,” September 19, 1818.
• Daily National Intelligencer. Report of the executions of Joseph Thompson Hare and John Alexander, September 14, 1818.
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. Historical interpretation of the Old Natchez Trace, early travel and transportation.
• National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway. Historical interpretation concerning boatmen, travelers and the development of the Natchez Trace.
• Tennessee Encyclopedia. “Natchez Trace.”
• Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Territorial records concerning highway robbery, piracy and law enforcement in the Mississippi Territory during the early nineteenth century.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.