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Haunted Places in the American South
by Alan BrownBefore Alan Brown wrote Haunted Places in the American South, only the locals knew what was lurking in these locations. Slamming doors, eerie lights, and Confederate soldiers' ghosts kept some folks too scared to talk with outsiders. Above Peavey Melody Music in Meridian, Mississippi, children may be heard giggling and running down an abandoned hallway that turns icy cold. At the Jameson Inn in Crestview, Florida, an apparition appears on surveillance tapes after filling the lobby with sweet-smelling cigar smoke. Seldom told and rarely—if ever—printed stories such as these join tales from haunted inns, mansions, forests, ravines, and prisons to create Haunted Places in the American South. The book collects ghost stories from fifty-five historically haunted sites in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Alan Brown gathered these stories from newspapers, magazines, museum directors, archaeologists, hotel managers, and many others who shared their disturbing experiences. Most of these stories have never appeared in book form, and some, such as the haunting of Peavey Melody Music, have never been published at all. Haunted Places in the American South differs from most other collections of southern ghost stories, for the featured sites include more than just haunted houses. Bridges, forts, governors' mansions, prisons, hotels, woods, theaters, cemeteries, and even a large rock are included as focal points for these tales. The book provides directions to the sites, notes, and a bibliography that will be useful to folklore scholars and to travelers seeking that cold and creepy brush with the supernatural.
Haunted Plano, Texas (Haunted America)
by Mary JacobsFrom goat men to witch ladies and spooky little girls, dive into the haunted history of Plano, Texas. Plano's old homes and businesses are rife with haunted history. Explore eerie urban legends like the Goat Man, the Clown Threat, and Ranch 111, where devil worshipers performed their rituals. The Evaporating Apparition spooked the staff at the Art Centre Theatre, while the grumpy spirit of an old rancher stalks the Masonic Lodge. Some specters are harmless, such as the Giggling Ghost, a little girl in the Cox Building with a penchant for peanut butter and pranks. Other figures own a more sinister reputation. The Witch Lady of Plano was feared by city youth and monitored by the FBI. Mary Jacobs examines the ghostly fallout of Plano's darkest moments, from the smallpox epidemic to the gruesome Muncey family murders.
Haunted Portsmouth: Spirits and Shadows of the Past (Haunted America)
by Roxie J. ZwickerNew Hampshire&’s historic port town is no stranger to ghostly goings-on—from the local TV personality and author of Massachusetts Book of the Dead. A tour of Portsmouth&’s back alleys and docksides, filled with the lingering whispers and memories of generations long dead. Venture through the haunted past and present of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, if you dare. Before Portsmouth was a charming seaside community, it was a rough-and-tumble seaport. Hear phantom footsteps in the Point of Pines Burial Ground and mysterious voices at the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, haunted by the ghost of its former keeper. Tour guide and hauntings expert Roxie Zwicker takes readers on a tour of the nation&’s third-oldest city, where buildings and street corners teem with ghostly stories and legends. Includes photos!
Haunted Providence: Strange Tales from the Smallest State (Haunted America Ser.)
by Rory RavenThe Ocean State&’s capital city is awash in ghostly tales told by &“mentalist, mindbender, and professional skeptic, the always entertaining Rory Raven&” (Providence Daily Dose). Author Rory Raven has collected stories and tales drawn from the history and folklore of one of the oldest cities in the nation. From restless spirits and mysterious deaths, to vampires and shadowy strangers—including H. P. Lovecraft, one of the most influential horror writers of the twentieth century—Haunted Providence explores the events and untold tales that have made this capital city strangely unique . . . and uniquely strange. Includes photos!
Haunted Pubs of New England: Raising Spirits of the Past (Haunted America Ser.)
by Roxie ZwickerThis ghost guide explores pubs and taverns from Rhode Island to Maine that serve up spirits of all kinds—includes photos! The taverns of colonial New England were gathering places for Revolutionary Patriots, nerve centers for spreading vital news and sanctuaries for outlawed organizations. Perhaps inevitably, certain pubs bore witness to ghastly deeds and sorrowful tragedies. Some of them became tinged with the aura of the supernatural. Through firsthand interviews with dozens of pub owners and employees, author Roxie J. Zwicker has discovered tales of hauntings in which bartenders have their drinks mysteriously upended, waitresses find dining room objects scattered about bizarrely and other staff and patrons catch sudden glimpses of ghostly figures. Haunted Pubs of New England reveals the spine-tingling lore lurking within New England's oldest taverns.
Haunted Puget Sound (Haunted America)
by Ira Wesley KitmacherThe Puget Sound region is known for its idyllic scenery--and for harboring the paranormal. From the spirits of frontiersmen and adventurers to specters of soldiers and sailors, chilling tales abound. Ghostly full body apparitions are said to endlessly travel the Oregon Trail, and the doomed 17-man crew of the Andelana, drowned in Tacoma's Commencement Bay, have been spotted still sailing. In Olympia, a ghostly boy wanders the Governor's Mansion, and the spirit of Tacoma Hotel mascot Jack, an 800-pound brown bear, haunts the streets nearby. Author and historian Ira Wesley Kitmacher reveals the fascinating history of Puget Sound's resident spirits.
Haunted Put-in-Bay (Haunted America)
by William G Krejci&“Tells the stories of more than fifteen locations on South Bass Island in Lake Erie that are attached to some rather hair-raising ghostly tales.&” —Visit Put-in-Bay Behind Put-in-Bay&’s breathtaking scenery and wild nightlife is a side of the island that will make your hair stand on end. Passersby claim to see the ghost of assistant lighthouse keeper Sam Anderson, who jumped to his death in the turbulent water of Lake Erie during an 1898 smallpox outbreak. Doors open and close of their own accord, and some say a spirit named Benny tosses things around at the Put-in-Bay Brewery and Distillery. Stage actor T. B. Alexander married the granddaughter of famous abolitionist John Brown and became one of the island&’s most noted mayors. His ghost is said to linger in the historic barroom of T&J&’s Smokehouse. Author William G. Krejci hosts this tour of the darker aspects of island life.
Haunted Reno (Haunted America)
by Janice OberdingA historian offers a ghoulish and ghostly tour of this legendary Nevada city—includes photos. The flashing neon lights of Reno harbor a ghastly past. With its wide-open gambling, divorce laws, and around-the-clock casinos and bars, the Biggest Little City in the World was a rough and wild town with a turbulent history. Victims of Priscilla Ford&’s Thanksgiving Day massacre haunt a downtown street. After a disappearance and death shrouded in mystery, the spirit of Roy Frisch still lingers near the location of George Wingfield's home. Lynched by a mob for a death that never happened, the angry ghost of Luis Ortiz still walks the bridge at night. In this book, Janice Oberding unearths the haunting history that put the &“sin&” in Nevada&’s original Sin City.
Haunted Rockford, Illinois (Haunted America)
by Kathi KresolFollow local historian and &“Ghost Lady&” Kathi Kresol as she researches the spirits, curses, and curiosities from the Forest City&’s shadowy past. Just beneath the glossy surface of Rockford&’s rich heritage lies a dark history of tragedy, a troubled and turbulent past leaving scars that still resonate today. Geraldine Bourbon&’s final struggle echoes throughout the farmhouse where her estranged husband pursued her with a pistol from room to room before gently laying her corpse on the bed. The sobs of society darling Carrie Spafford still keep vigil over the family plot of the cemetery where she sowed the heartbreak of her twilight years. From the vengeance of Chief Big Thunder to the Witch of McGregor Road, author Kathi Kresol shares the legends and lore of Rockford&’s haunted history. Includes photos! &“There are reasons why Kathi Kresol believes Rockford is so haunted. The tour guide said there are good &‘conductors&’ for the supernatural in the city&’s downtown area. These factors include being near a body of water, having limestone in the area and the area having a Native American influence.&” —Beloit Daily News
Haunted Route 66: Ghosts of America's Legendary Highway
by Richard SouthallPack your bags, hop in the car, and head out on a haunted adventure across legendary Route 66Embrace the spirit of adventure and freedom with an exciting journey of spine-tingling paranormal activity and American history along Route 66. This travel companion transports you from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, exploring over one hundred ghostly hot spots filled with fascinating facts and lingering spirits.From ghost hunters to avid fans of the Mother Road, everyone can take their own haunted road trip on Route 66 with this essential, easy-to-read guide. Explore the famous highway through historic locations and gripping ghost stories about the St. Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago, the restless spirit of Charlie Chaplin that still haunts the Venice Beach Boardwalk in Los Angeles, and many more. This one-of-a-kind collection, with chapters organized by state, paves the way for your grand tour into the unknown.
Haunted Salem, Oregon (Haunted America)
by Tim King&“Offers a glimpse into Salem&’s complex, haunted history—murders, hangings, corruption—and provides a handful of ghostly tales.&” —Statesman Journal Salem&’s haunted tales date back to the 1830s, when indigenous tribes, trappers and homesteaders shared the lush Willamette Valley. Murders, hangings and dark underground passageways defined the city&’s early days as the Willamette River moved old stern-wheelers up to the city&’s docks. Today, the sounds of those phantom vessels can be heard plying along the river late at night. Oregon&’s capital city has long been the site of mental hospitals, prisons and other notorious institutions, famously depicted in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo&’s Nest. The residual effects of decades of torture and depravity cling to the old facilities in both sight and sound. Author Tim King examines many of these chilling encounters along with eyewitness accounts of spirits that refuse to be quiet. &“Tim King&’s new book takes readers to the far west, investigating the hauntings and other supernatural and inexplicable occurrences still going on in Salem, Oregon, putting that city in the same category as old Salem, Mass. . . . A good read for Halloween or, for that matter, any other time of year when one is tempted to learn more about those strange occurrences that defy the laws of science and nature, and challenge our inner complacency.&” —Salem-News.com
Haunted Salt Lake City (Haunted America)
by Laurie Allen Cassie Ashton Nannette Watts Kristen Lynne Clay“Haunted mansions, phantom nuns and a poltergeist wedding crasher . . . The book’s pages are filled with accounts of ghostly sightings.” —Deseret NewsUncovering ghost stories in Salt Lake City leads to a spooky mixture of legend, lore and local history. A young female apparition likes to surprise guests of the McCune Mansion by leaping from a mirror. Believed to be stationed at Fort Douglas, a Civil War vet named Clem still teases female visitors. Staff at the historic Devereaux Mansion, once a major social center, relented in their vain nightly attempts to keep the lights off and let the spirits continue their eternal party. And nuns of the Sisters of the Holy Cross still visit patients in the hospital they established. The guides of Story Tours’ Salt Lake City Ghost Tour reveal characters who just can’t seem to leave the valley.
Haunted San Pedro (Haunted America)
by Brian CluneDiscover the paranormal secrets behind this bustling Los Angeles port—includes photos! Home to one of the busiest ports in the country, San Pedro plays host to visitors from all walks of life—and death. Locals swap supernatural stories of shipwrecked ghosts, lost lighthouse keepers, suicidal lovers, and more. The spirit of a native Gabrieleno man wanders the grounds of the Wayfarers Chapel. The phantom smell of a Civil War officer&’s cigar smoke wafts through the halls of the Drum Barracks. A dedicated employee of the historic Warner Brothers Theatre still fixes jammed film reels and tests equipment in the projection room. In this spine-chilling account, historian and paranormal investigator Brian Clune delves into the history and mysteries of these spooky seaside haunts.
Haunted Santa Cruz, California (Haunted America)
by Maryanne PorterFrom inspiring Alfred Hitchcock&’s Psycho to being the stalking ground of serial killers, Surf City, USA, has a spooky history with a West Coast twist. Though generally a peaceful coastal city, the dark stains from Santa Cruz&’s past still linger. A former Spanish Mission, Holy Cross Catholic Church harbors a dark history of a brutal revolt of native Ohlone people that killed the cruel Fr. Andres Quintana. Frequented by mobsters and celebrities in its heyday, the famous Brookdale Lodge&’s most talked-about guest is the ghost of a little girl who died nearby in 1892 after nearly drowning. Terrorized by three different serial killers during the 1970s, the city earned the nickname of &“the Murder Capital of the World.&” Local resident Alfred Hitchcock derived inspiration for his iconic film Psycho from the haunted mid-nineteenth-century Hotel McCray. Tracing the city&’s eeriest incidents back to their roots, historical researcher and paranormal investigator Maryanne Porter details these and many more stories of local legend and lore. Includes photos! &“[Porter] vividly retells the darker aspects of Santa Cruz history, and shares recorded experiences, including some of her own, at popular local haunted sites like the Brookdale Lodge and Sunshine Villa.&” —GoodTimes
Haunted Schools of Arizona (Haunted America)
by Debe BranningBuilt on top of ancient burial grounds or over forgotten cemeteries, schools like the Lee Williams High School seem to attract spirits who wander the halls long after the final bell. In Ruby and Vulture City, the old wooden schoolhouses where the town's children used to gather are said to be haunted by the shades of those unaware their lessons have ended. Even Old Main at the University of Arizona, with its beautiful stone facades, is plagued by whispers of ghostly professors gliding across the marble floors. Join author and paranormal historian Debe Branning as she explores the spooky side of Arizona's schools.
Haunted Scranton: After Dark in the Electric City (Haunted America)
by A.C. BernardiA tour of the spookiest spots in this Pennsylvania city, filled with local history and legends . . . Includes photos! At the heart of the Lackawanna Valley, Scranton is haunted by those who once walked its streets and worked its mines and rail lines. From the woman in white who lingers in Courthouse Square to the passenger of trolley car #46 who never reached her destination, the specters of Scranton make their presence known. Supernatural investigator A.C. Bernardi chronicles chilling tales of the city&’s landmarks, from the mysterious happenings on the sixth floor of the Lackawanna Station Hotel to stories of the angry spirits of victims of the Spanish influenza epidemic who lurk in the basement of the Banshee Pub. Join him as he traverses the dark side of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Haunted Snohomish (Haunted America)
by Deborah CuyleTake a paranormal tour of this Pacific Northwest town . . . photos included! Historic Snohomish has enough ghostly tales for a town twice its size. A policeman named Henry, who died on the floor of the Oxford Tavern, haunts the popular watering hole alongside nearly twenty other impish spirits. Incarcerated for everything from public drunkenness to coldblooded murder, former inmates still crowd the cells of the old county jail on First Street, banging against the metal confines. Locals attribute the faint lilt of a fiddle heard near the railroad tracks to the spirit of the sad, sullen man who committed suicide on the nearby bluff. In this spooky guide to Snohomish, Washington, Deborah Cuyle reveals the chilling history, strange stories, and wandering souls that refuse to leave their lovely town.
Haunted Southern California (Haunted America)
by Brian CluneUnderneath a façade of sunshine and beaches lies a darker side of Southern California.From the Vallecito Stage Stop deep in the desert where a phantom bride eternally seeks her lost love to the town of Lone Pine where the shades of US Cavalry and Paiute natives still battle for land rights, Southern California is haunted by its sordid past. Ghosts relive their days of fun at Universal Studios and Disneyland and remember their days sailing on the majestic RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach. Even her Missions host the spirits of the long-departed. Join author Brian Clune as he uncovers the spooky side of Southern California.
Haunted Southern Nevada Ghost Towns (Haunted America)
by Heather LeighDiscover what life was like in the heyday of the abandoned mines that dot the Nevada landscape, now host to the spirits of those who lost their lives in pursuit of gold, silver, and salt.Step into the Silver State's past, where the echoes of once-thriving boomtowns and mining operations reverberate through the desert to this day. Explore the remnants of a drowned town exposed by the receding waters of Lake Mead, and an abandoned pet cemetery sure to send chills down your spine. The bones of prehistoric creatures lie beside the former residents of Berlin, and in Goodsprings, reports of ghostly celebrity sightings stir up excitement.Join author Heather Leigh on a journey through the eerie history of Nevada's ghost towns.
Haunted Southwest (Haunted America)
by Alan BrownTour the supernatural sites of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah . . . with photos included! Throughout the Southwest, ghostly fiends and tragic figures creep in the shadows of some of the most popular and historic spots. Phantom battle cries ring across the wide prairie, spectral forms mark mountain passages, and the chilled desert night is made even colder by the ghostly visits of those lost on the wild and unpredictable frontier. Departed inmates of Yuma&’s territorial prison carry on their eternal incarceration, and the unnerving laughter of children echoes through the vacant halls of White Sanitarium in Wichita Falls. The languid spirit of a former owner wanders the winding corridors of the Albuquerque Press Club. Glasses float past waiters at the Melting Pot in Littleton, and passengers at Union Station in Ogden encounter the victims of the Bagley Train Disaster of 1944. Join author Alan Brown as he recounts these and more supernatural stories of the southwestern states.
Haunted Southwest Montana (Haunted America)
by Ms. Deb CuylePhantoms in Paradise! Southwestern Montana boasts a bloody past that produces a persistent paranormal presence. In 1899, drunken Charles Sheppard murdered John Benson with a fence post in Deer Lodge and threw his body into the river. Some still witness the bloody apparition of a man on the water's edge. The spirit of Doctor John Singleton Meade still roams his Hotel Meade in the renowned Ghost Town of Bannack. The old Montana State Prison, now a museum, is tormented with residual energy from multiple executions, riots and violent deaths. Beset by an unsolved murder, a famous ghost town and a haunted bed & breakfast, Gunslinger Gulch attracts thousands each year to Anaconda. Author Deborah Cuyle collects tales of haunted hotels, ghostly residents and gruesome events from Dillion, Philipsburg, Garnet and more.
Haunted St. Augustine and St. John's County (Haunted America)
by Elizabeth RandallSt. Johns County and St. Augustine are some of the earliest settled areas in the United States, and both are home to fascinating history. The area's story is filled with tales from Native Americans, early European settlers and modern-day Floridians. In some places, the habitants of those historical moments have remained. From the Castillo de San Marcos to the Huguenot Cemetery and the authentic old drugstore, the city and the county are filled with fascinating and terrifying stories of lingering spirits. Join photojournalist couple Elizabeth and Bob Randall as they recount the stories of the things that haunt one of America's oldest regions.
Haunted Summerwind: A Ghostly History of a Wisconsin Mansion (Haunted America)
by Devon BellThe true story of the Lamont Mansion, which was meant to host a president—but instead become a home to the paranormal . . . includes photos! Buried deep in the Wisconsin Northwoods, the ruined splendor of the mansion known as Summerwind bares the bones of its legendary past. Robert Patterson Lamont purchased the property in 1916 as a country retreat where he could entertain such guests as President Warren G. Harding. Unfortunately, the house played host to visitors of an entirely different sort, and Lamont reportedly fled the property after discharging a pistol at a ghoul in the basement pantry. Raymond Bober abandoned his attempt to convert the house into a hotel in the 1970s, describing rooms that changed size and the mysterious presence of an eighteenth-century explorer in his famous book The Carver Effect. Join Devon Bell for a glimpse through the shattered windows of the most specter-laden spot in the Badger State.
Haunted Tampa: Spirits of the Bay (Haunted America)
by Deborah FrethemExplore the spirited history and haunted sites of Tampa with this guide from a local historian. Tampa may be known for sunshine and good times, but it has a scary side. When dusk settles down over the Hillsborough River, spirits begin to stir. Strange things happen in old hotels, theaters and public buildings, and an old cemetery becomes surprisingly lively. Some have seen an old crime boss walking the street. Some have encountered ancient spirits in a public parking garage. Still others have met a long-dead soul in a downtown shop. Join local author and historian Deborah Frethem as she navigates the twists and turns of the more macabre side of Tampa Bay.
Haunted Tombstone (Haunted America)
by Cody PolstonThe founder of the Southwest Ghost Hunter&’s Association guides readers through the supernatural history of the legendary Arizona town. Once the rowdiest town in the Old West, Tombstone still holds echoes from those wild days of thieves, outlaws and gamblers. The ghost of the Swamper is said to stalk Big Nose Kate's Saloon, afraid someone might find his stolen hoard of silver. The Brunckow Cabin played host to a string of mysterious murders in the late 1800s, and some say that a menacing specter remains. Pictures of cowboy Billy Clanton's headstone in the infamous Boot Hill Graveyard are frequently reported to have unexplainable apparitions. From the ghosts of the O.K. Corral to the feuding prostitutes lingering in the Bird Cage Theatre, eerie wraiths live again in these stories.