Ozarks Haints N Hooch Season 8 Episode 4 - The Headless Cobbler

In this episode of *Ozarks Haints and Hooch*, sisters Dawn and Dina dive into the eerie legend of the Headless Cobbler of Smollett Cave in Missouri, a small unincorporated community in Douglas County. The story centers on a Union sympathizer during the Civil War who allegedly took refuge in the cave, where he was beheaded by Confederate forces. Over time, the tale evolved into a haunting local legend: a ghostly cobbler seen with a pile of shoes for a head, accompanied by red lights, hoofbeats, and mysterious apparitions. The hosts explore multiple accounts, including oral histories passed down through generations, interviews with descendants like Jerry and Stephen Sellers, and a 1940s eyewitness account from Mary Pratt. They also examine conflicting names—George Evans versus Wesley Evans—and highlight how storytelling preserves history when written records fade. The episode ends with a passionate call to value oral traditions, lamenting how modern life has eroded the sharing of such stories, and celebrates the work of historians like Brooks Blevins and Trish Trimble, who keep these tales alive.