Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

Black Hope Cemetery: Graves Beneath Newport

Episode Summary

In 1983, Sam and Judith Haney were preparing to install a swimming pool behind their home in the Newport subdivision of Crosby, Texas, when they uncovered two human graves. The discovery led them to the Black Hope Addition Graveyard, a largely forgotten African American cemetery whose boundaries and burial records had faded from public view. Court records later confirmed that Purcell Company, Inc.'s field superintendent had been warned about a possible grave during construction and had ordered the marked area cleared. After the graves were found, the Haneys and other Newport residents began sharing unsettling accounts of unexplained noises, flickering appliances, shadows, and an overwhelming feeling that something was wrong in their homes. Those reports remain personal accounts, not independently verifiable findings. We follow the documented discovery, the neighborhood's haunting stories, and the legal battle that reached the Texas Supreme Court, while considering what it means when a community's lost burial ground is rediscovered beneath a new neighborhood. Thank you to this week's sponsors! Get 20% off all IQBAR products, plus free shipping: text MOMS to 64000. That’s MOMS to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Find the fall pieces you’ll reach for most at Quince. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. When Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Moms and Mysteries. Discover Uresta, trusted by more than 70,000 women, at uresta.com. Join Wayfair Rewards today to get 5% back on every purchase. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. Go to https://kachava.com and use code MOMS for 15% off your first order. https://blog.hmns.org/2016/10/dead-things-that-might-be-under-your-house-part-3-the-black-hope-horror/ https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19910703-1991-07-03-9107020204-story.html https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Black-Hope-horror-doesn-t-haunt-this-hood-9565799.php https://www.newspapers.com/image/6328483/?terms=black%20hope%20cemetery&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/432137176/?terms=black%20hope%20cemetery&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/587255480/?terms=%22Judith%20Haney%22&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/587810697/?terms=black%20hope%20cemetery&match=1 https://unsolved.com/gallery/black-hope-curse/ https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/unsolved-mysteries/6560804523973069112/seasons/12/episodes/episode-7-episode-7/3bd5e703-4112-364d-966c-6e5d08627632 https://aaregistry.org/story/black-slave-cemeteries-in-america-a-story/ http://www.virginiaplaces.org/population/enslavedgrave.html http://www.virginiaplaces.org/population/africanamericancemetery.html https://www.sciway.net/hist/chicora/gravematters-1.html https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/africanamerican-grave-markers https://forum.savingplaces.org/blogs/special-contributor/2016/06/02/recovering-and-preserving-african-american-cemeteries https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/growing-movement-black-cemeteries-rcna15566 https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/african-american-cemeteries-destruction/ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-landrights-race-trfn/the-race-to-save-african-american-cemeteries-from-being-erased-idUSKCN2DW01A https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/why-do-people-believe-in-ghosts/379072/ https://www.livescience.com/52641-science-of-paranormal-ghosts.html https://today.yougov.com/topics/society/articles-reports/2022/10/20/americans-describe-paranormal-encounters-poll https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/ghosts https://casetext.com/case/haney-v-purcell-co-inc https://casetext.com/case/haney-v-purcell-co-inc- https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/supreme-court/1989/c-7949.html https://www.casem https://blog.hmns.org/2016/10/dead-things-that-might-be-under-your-house-part-3-the-black-hope-horror/ https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19910703-1991-07-03-9107020204-story.html https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Black-Hope-horror-doesn-t-haunt-this-hood-9565799.php https://www.newspapers.com/image/6328483/?terms=black%20hope%20cemetery&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/432137176/?terms=black%20hope%20cemetery&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/587255480/?terms=%22Judith%20Haney%22&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/587810697/?terms=black%20hope%20cemetery&match=1 https://unsolved.com/gallery/black-hope-curse/ https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/unsolved-mysteries/6560804523973069112/seasons/12/episodes/episode-7-episode-7/3bd5e703-4112-364d-966c-6e5d08627632 https://aaregistry.org/story/black-slave-cemeteries-in-america-a-story/ http://www.virginiaplaces.org/population/enslavedgrave.html http://www.virginiaplaces.org/population/africanamericancemetery.html https://www.sciway.net/hist/chicora/gravematters-1.html https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/africanamerican-grave-markers https://forum.savingplaces.org/blogs/special-contributor/2016/06/02/recovering-and-preserving-african-american-cemeteries https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/growing-movement-black-cemeteries-rcna15566 https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/african-american-cemeteries-destruction/ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-landrights-race-trfn/the-race-to-save-african-american-cemeteries-from-being-erased-idUSKCN2DW01A https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/why-do-people-believe-in-ghosts/379072/ https://www.livescience.com/52641-science-of-paranormal-ghosts.html https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/44143-americans-describe-paranormal-encounters-poll https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/ghosts https://casetext.com/case/haney-v-purcell-co-inc https://casetext.com/case/haney-v-purcell-co-inc- https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/supreme-court/1989/c-7949.html https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/59148956add7b049345010db https://www.newspapers.com/image/1207164572/?match=1&terms=%22Black%20Hope%20Horror%22%20williams https://www.newspapers.com/image/112488089/?match=1&terms=Grave%20Secrets%3A%20The%20Legacy%20of%20Hilltop%20Drive https://www.newspapers.com/image/528141740/?match=1&terms=%22Black%20Hope%20Horror%22%20williams https://www.newspapers.com/image/1204728502/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/1205424778/?match=1&terms=%22Black%20Hope%22%20cemetery%20sam%20judy%20haney%20supreme%20court https://www.newspapers.com/image/350766163/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/1204705228/?match=1&terms=%22Black%20Hope%20Horror%22%20williams https://search.worldcat.org/title/The-black-hope-horror-%3A-the-true-story-of-a-haunting/oclc/760946601 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Black_Hope_Horror.html?id=7W1WAAAAYAAJ https://www.davidselby.com/photos/grave_secrets.htm https://www.mountvernon.org/preservation/archaeology/african-american-burial-ground https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/building-an-african-american-community-at-hot-springs.htm https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/03/14/how-the-uss-black-cemeteries-are-being-made-visible-once-more https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/chronicles/2023/antoinette-jackson-featured-on-60-minutes.aspx https://blackcemeterynetwork.org/leadership https://savingplaces.org/press-center/media-resources/african-american-burial-grounds-preservation-act-passes-congress

Episode Notes

After the graves were found, the Haneys and other Newport residents began sharing unsettling accounts of unexplained noises, flickering appliances, shadows, and an overwhelming feeling that something was wrong in their homes. Those reports remain personal accounts, not independently verifiable findings. We follow the documented discovery, the neighborhood's haunting stories, and the legal battle that reached the Texas Supreme Court, while considering what it means when a community's lost burial ground is rediscovered beneath a new neighborhood.

Thank you to this week's sponsors!

Get 20% off all IQBAR products, plus free shipping: text MOMS to 64000. That’s MOMS to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.

Find the fall pieces you’ll reach for most at Quince. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. When Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Moms and Mysteries.

Discover Uresta, trusted by more than 70,000 women, at uresta.com.

Join Wayfair Rewards today to get 5% back on every purchase. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home.

Go to https://kachava.com and use code MOMS for 15% off your first order.