Podcast:Southern Gothic Published On: Mon Sep 28 2026 Description: On the bluffs above the James River, Richmond’s historic Hollywood Cemetery is the final resting place of presidents, governors, generals, and thousands of Civil War soldiers. But tucked into a hillside on the eastern side of the cemetery is a far less imposing mausoleum that has become the center of one of the city’s strangest legends. For generations, locals have claimed that the tomb marked with the name W. W. Pool is the resting place of something far more sinister—the Richmond Vampire. The legend stretches beyond the gates of Hollywood Cemetery to the catastrophic collapse of the Church Hill Tunnel in 1925, when witnesses supposedly encountered a grotesque, blood-covered figure emerging from the disaster before fleeing toward the cemetery. But behind the story of the Richmond Vampire is a very real tragedy, and the deeper you dig into the history of W. W. Pool and the men trapped beneath Church Hill, the stranger the origins of this enduring Richmond legend become. This episode is made possible through the support of our sponsor: Elevate your summer bedding with Quince. Go to quince.com/sogo for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Free? Patreon: Ad-Free Episodes, Premium Releases, Bonus Content & More Southern Gothic Premium on Spotify Southern Gothic Premium on Apple Podcasts Into History: History Without Interruption Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia X: @SoGoPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices