In this episode, local storyteller, historian, and author Heather Leah shares how she began writing online more than a decade ago, grew a large following by blending deep research with engaging “hidden history,” and why preserving local stories matters as places vanish. She discusses mysteries like the Village Subway beneath Cameron Village, underwater communities beneath Jordan Lake such as Seaforth, and how towns can be erased from maps and memory. Heather explains balancing fun, shocking history with heavier subjects, her approach to ghost stories as cultural history, and why the Dorothea Dix property feels especially haunted. She also describes her research process, how followers contribute leads, and how she turned her work into her first book, “Lost Towns of North Carolina,” built through travel, photos, and interviews with people connected to lost communities.

00:00 Meet Heather Leah

03:15 How It All Started

04:56 From Community to History

06:21 Vanishing Places

09:03 Jordan Lake Ghost Towns

13:00 Towns Wiped Off Maps

14:00 Balancing Light and Heavy

16:29 Ghost Stories as Culture

18:18 Dorothy Dix Haunted History

20:11 Crybaby Lane Investigation

21:49 Paranormal Tours

24:13 Story Idea System

25:15 Follower Submitted History

27:50 From Posts to Book

31:37 Researching Lost Towns

35:19 Book Launch Emotions

37:47 Time Travel Raleigh

40:41 Where to Find Heather

41:35 Final Thanks