Haunted America

The abolitionist John Brown still roams the West Virginia panhandle--and beyond. In Lexington, a statue sheds real tears, mourning Virginians killed in battle. Decades of abuse at a sanatorium unleashed malevolent entities in Staunton. Spirits of Native Americans, Civil War soldiers and children frequent natural springs in Frederick County and caves near Strasburg. Ghosts stay free of charge at the nation's oldest inn in Middletown, and at the Natural Bridge Hotel, phantom children play in the halls. Visitors from beyond the grave enjoy live performances at several theaters in the region, while spectral soldiers gather for combat in the battlefields scattered throughout the area. Join Denver Michaels as he delves into folklore, eyewitness accounts and urban legends to bring you the best ghost stories from the Shenandoah Valley.

In this comprehensive compilation of ghost stories and local legends, Shelley Wygant explores the history and horrors of a village that somehow lives on.

Beginning with its founding in 1772, Ellicott City endured an endless procession of tragic deaths. As a result, this eighteenth-century mill town is packed with restless spirits and unexplained supernatural occurrences. A mysterious artist haunts Castle Angelo and threatens to throw residents into the river below. Many of the temporary occupants of the former Easton and Sons Funeral Home seem to have remained, and the ghost of Annie Van Derlot still inhabits the ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute.

A haunted history of one of Western Michigan's oldest cities

Once a booming lumber town, Muskegon today harbors not just ghosts of long-gone industry but maybe actual ghosts, too. An apparition in Victorian clothing walks past Hackley Library patrons and disappears into a wall. Some believe him to be none other than philanthropist and lumber baron Charles Hackley. In the Hume House, the ghost of a young woman gloomily peers down at visitors from an upstairs window. Visitors to the museum on LST 393 often see a shadowy figure or hear someone walking behind them as they walk through the hallways, but when they turned around to look, no one's there.

Join author Marie Helena Cisneros delves into thirteen spine-tingling supernatural tales from Muskegon's past.

The historic region between the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers has formed the basis for countless accounts of apparitions, hauntings and unexplained phenomena. For more than one hundred years, reports have circulated that the ghost of merciless slave master Lewis Morris can be seen scouring Passage Point Plantation in Rumson, with a gaping hole where his heart should be. The frozen waters of the Navesink were a popular destination for iceboat sailing, and many still claim to see the face of a drowned teen in the ice after a tragic incident in 1906. The native Lenapes and colonial Dutch told eerie tales of the ancient forest of Ole Balm Hollow in Middletown, including phantom riders and the echoes of crying children. Local author Patricia Heyer recounts haunted tales of the two rivers peninsula.

Home to numerous tribal reservations that survived the land run that swept around them, Shawnee stands at an intersection of worlds. For travelers of the Wild West, crossing over into Oklahoma Territory meant more than crossing a state line. "Stop for twenty minutes and see a man killed," stagecoach drivers warned visitors to Shawnee's treacherous saloons. The oil boom of the 1920s brought a wave of wealth that only encouraged nefarious activity. Shawnee's quiet present may belie its fevered past, but the spirits of former gunslingers, prostitutes and everyday folk still live on. From strange sounds at the old Sacred Heart Mission to specters roaming the halls of the luxurious Aldridge Hotel, Tanya McCoy and Jeff Provine provide an introduction to Shawnee's haunted past.

Posey County is a place where neighbors are friendly, the BBQ is good, and the blue skies are plentiful above checkerboard fields. It's also a place where the dead roam freely.

Ghosts linger in the basement of the Sheriff's Department, ready to jump out at unsuspecting correctional officers. Misty apparitions wander around a town once devastated by a tornado and can even be found in the brand-new Dollar General. The public library in Poseyville also has several librarian ghosts still hard at work keeping the library orderly.

Follow paranormal investigator Joni Mayhan as she delves into the darker side of this vibrant community and unearths its peculiar hauntings.

Haunted Cheyenne author Jill Pope shares the lighter side of the paranormal spectrum with stories of departed loved ones, spirit guides and angels. Homeowners of a quaint West First Avenue home continually find bright-red lipstick prints throughout the house. The owner of a flagstone house on East Twenty-Third Street awoke to the apparition of a weathered, elderly man leaving a loving kiss on her forehead while whispering "Good morning, granddaughter.'? A caller to a Cheyenne radio station recounted the tragic story of the death of her two sisters before she was born and their childhood tea party visitations. From the lingering smell of roses to phantasms in family photos, these local stories remind us that the deceased can give reassuring touches and guidance through struggles and share in our important moments and milestones.