Let me say—I DO love a good ghost story
My first introduction to ghosts was Washington Irving’s classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Who couldn’t be sucked into the story of poor Ichabod Crane and his wild ride to nowhere? My next favorite memory is Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. I could well imagine mysterious doings behind that creaking door! So is it any wonder that I like to inject a ghost into many of my stories?
Book Two of the Penelope Pembroke Cozy Mystery Series, The Stubborn Schoolhouse Spirit has a whole raft of them! And, of course, all three books of The Dreamland Series weave the spooky tunnels beneath the town of Dreamland and Al Capone’s ghost into their plots.
However, I think it’s my fascination with history more than ghosts which leads me to seek out ghost tours when I travel. I’ve enjoyed a fascinating tour of the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, AR, reputed to be America’s most haunted hotel”. In Vicksburg MS, literally on a dark and stormy night, I rode and walked through a city remembered for its pivotal place in Civil War history. In February, while visiting Charleston SC, I plodded over uneven ground and through old cemeteries in the dead of night. No, I never saw a ghost, but I loved the historical tidbits picked up from the guide. Last March, I signed up for Shelley Tucker’s “Ghosts of Denton” tour, Denton being the north Texas town where I spent four years attending college. She’s a master storyteller and a fount of the area’s history. Last month I spent two nights in Branson MO but missed this tour beginning at 10 PM because an old lady was tired!
Recently I stumbled on this site touting the 10 most frightening ghost tours in America. Not having taken any of the tours, I can’t vouch for their authenticity, but the site makes an interesting reference point if you’re traveling to any of the places mentioned. I tend to steer clear of anything seriously paranormal and certainly anything remotely connected with the occult. Hey—I want to enjoy myself and learn something, not be scared out of my wits!
I also like to provide readers with a list of resources for further investigation, so here is a list of books and websites I’ve compiled over the years. They’re only the tip of the iceberg, but they’ll do for a start.
Books
1. Ghosts: True Encounters with the World Beyond (Hans Holzer)
2. Haunted Places: The National Directory: Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, UFO Landings, and Other Supernatural Locations (Dennis William Hauck)
3. Haunted Inns of the Southeast (Sheila Turnage)
4. The Field Guide to Ghosts and Other Apparitions (Field Guilds to the Unknown) (Hilary Evans)
5. The Ghostly Gazetteer: America’s Most Fascinating Haunted Landmarks (Arthur Myers)
6. Haints, Witches, and Boogers: Tales from Upper East Tennessee (Charles Edwin Price)
7. Oldest Ghosts: St. Augustine Haunts (Karen G. Harvey)
8. The Granny Curse and Other Ghosts and Legends from East Tennessee (Janet Barnet)
9. Ghostly Encounters: True Stories of America’s Haunted Inns and Hotels (Frances Kermeen)
10. Haunt Hunters Guide to Florida (Joyce Elson Moore)
11. Coast to Coast Ghosts: True Stories of Hauntings Across America (Leslie Rule)
12. Ghosts of St. Augustine (Dave Lapham)
13. Haunted Jonesborough (Charles Edwin Price)
14. Savannah Spectres and Other Strange Tales (Margaret Wayt DeBolt)
15. Mountain Ghost Stories and Curious Tales of Western North Carolina (Randy Russell)
16. Ghost Stories of Texas (Jo-Anne Christensen)
17. Haunted Theatres (Barbara Smith)
18. The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits (Rosemary Ellen Guiley)
19. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings (Tom Ogden)
20. Encyclopedia of Haunted Places: Ghostly Locales from Around the World (Jeff Belanger)
Do an internet search of whatever place you’re headed, and you’re bound to find someone has written a small volume usually entitled Haunted_________. I’ve found these books good starting points.
Links to Websites
1. http://www.whitechapelpress.com/ White Chapel Press/ Books on American History and Hauntings Since 1993
2. http://www.moneymaker.com/ghosts/ghstbk1.htm Books about Nevada Ghost towns and mining camps
3. http://www.hauntedhouses.com/
4. http://paranormal.about.com/od/hauntedplaces/ig/World-s-Most-Haunted-Place/
I don’t have television service—no, really I don’t!—but when I travel, I usually turn on the TV in my hotel room. Of course, The Twilight Zone is long gone, and Casper the Friendly Ghost is too tame for even our sophisticated children any more. (I miss Casper myself.) But there are plenty of ‘reality’ shows detailing investigations into supposedly haunted places. Sometimes they’re pretty good. (I have yet to see real evidence of a ghost in one of them.)
Meanwhile, if you’re going to go ghost-hunting outside of an arm chair, invest in a pair of good walking shoes and a flashlight. Uneven terrain can be hazardous to your health—and I’m pretty sure Casper’s not going to be around to pick you up if you take a tumble!
©Judy Nickles 2014