Spooky Season Reads

Discover the ghostly lore of Glass City

The city of Toledo is rich in tradition and history, including a lively collection of spooky tales and odd occurrences. A murdered maid and a bashful child are but two of numerous restless spirits roaming the notoriously haunted Oliver House. The nuns of St. Ursula's Academy, now the Collingwood Arts Center, tend the campus in death as they did in life. Supernatural events at the Toledo Yacht Club may be explained by its little-known history. Employees of the Toledo Zoo have reported strange things after hours, and the Franklin Park Mall, the airport, and even a Rite-Aid have their own chilling stories.

Pinpointing fifty locations across the city, paranormal expert Chris Bores uncovers Toledo's haunted history.

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.

Founded amidst the bloodshed of the French and Indian War, Pittsburgh is haunted by the ghosts of its gritty and sometimes violent past.

Many believe American industrialist Henry Clay Frick still inhabits Clayton, one of the last surviving homes on Millionaires' Row. The spirit of Kate Soffel lingers at the Allegheny County Jail, where she helped plot the escape of the Biddle brothers and fell in love in the process. The Duquesne Incline in 1877 employed teens disguised as ghosts to boost business. However, an authentic sinister entity is said to haunt the nearby Monongahela Incline without compensation. Join the Haunted Pittsburgh team as it explores ghostly encounters in the Steel City.

Sailing on the Chesapeake Bay's myriad inlets in summer, it is hard to imagine that come January icebreakers might be plowing the waters you cruised in July.

When portions of the Great Shellfish Bay are iced up the flow of commerce is impeded. At the turn of the 19th century, with the center of the new nation's government established in its arms, a frozen Bay meant that the United States' emergence to a status on par with the foremost nations of the world might be painfully slow. Throughout the 20th century years of extreme cold continued to halt navigation and fishing.

James Foster chronicles the disasters, large and small, which come with the coldest of winters.

Did her rival for a man's love get away with murder? It was a story of violence, bigamy, race and a quest for justice. The strange but true story of James and Susan Watkins.

A drama played out in the mountains of southwestern Virginia in 1891 that attracted nationwide attention and held the citizens of the Roanoke Valley spellbound. The tale of the trial of Charles Watkins for the murder of his wife was marked by threats of lynching, a fugitive manhunt, a disappearing witness, mistaken identities, claims of insanity and finally a secret letter to break the case wide open. In its day, the story was as closely followed as a modern televised murder trial. Despite the rapt attention of the public then, it has entirely faded from the history books - until now. Historian John Long resurrects the truth of who killed Susan Watkins.

Author Heather Leigh Carroll-Landon guides readers on a spine-tingling tour through Florida’s haunted lighthouses. Lighthouses dot the Florida coast, there to help seafarers navigate their way to shore. But when tragedy comes for Florida, it often blows in from the sea, giving the lighthouses and the cursed men and women inside a first look at horror. The lively spirits of teenage sisters inhabit the St. Augustine Lighthouse, where an accident claimed their lives, suspending them in their playful youth. A storm wiped out the Sand Key Lighthouse in 1846, claiming the lives of 16 whose spirits now chatter away—generally in contented tones but sometimes straying into anger. A Civil War casualty roams near the Amelia Island Lighthouses, holding to a promise to see his love one last time before departure.

Leave embellishment by the wayside and let these ghastly and sometimes dreadful stories of the historic streets of Charleston tell themselves!

Combing through the oft-forgotten enclaves of the Holy City, where true life is stranger than fiction, authors Ed Macy and Geordie Buxton bring readers face to face with a group of orphans who haunt a College of Charleston dorm, a Citadel cadet who haunts a local hotel and the specter of William Drayton at Drayton Hall Plantation - just to name a few. Based on historic events and specific details that are often lost in most ghost stories, this collection of haunting tales sparks curiosity about what figure might still be lurking in the alleyways of Charleston's storied streets.

Discover the spooky history of New York's central region

From the edge of the Adirondacks, to the heart of Syracuse and everything in between, central New York boasts some of the most haunted history in the state. Utica, Rome and Cazenovia all have historic tales of ghostly moments and unexplained aparations. Join author Dennis Webster as he reveals the hidden haunted history of central New York.

Butler County has a long and storied history with some spooky twists.

When European settlers arrived, they found not only Native settlements but also earthworks that remain a mystery--as are the strange lights still seen near them. The disturbed spirit of a frontier soldier roams the basement of the Soldiers, Sailors, and Pioneers Monument, and Busenbark is haunted by the Hatchet Man, who committed his crimes 175 years ago. At Miami University, the ghost of Helen Peabody wanders the building that bears her name. Just outside of town, many drive to see the Oxford Ghost Light, and a weekend visit to the Screaming Bridge of Maud-Hughes Road is a high school rite of passage.

Hamilton native and owner of an actual haunted house Daniel D. Schneider explores the terrifying train tracks, creepy canals, scary streets, and bewitched bridges of Butler County.

The breathtaking scenery of the Pacific Northwest hides a myriad of dark secrets.

From sightings of the Columbia River Sea Serpent, nicknamed "Colossal Claude," to tales of Bigfoot encounters dating back to 1865, strange creatures lurk both on land and at sea. Shipwrecks, drownings, shanghaiing, and nautical superstitions abound. The restless settler spirits of those who lived and died on the Oregon Trail are said to linger alongside apparitions of adventurers and soldiers, while others, including the 1920's-era ghost of a woman in white and a man in top hat haunt places like the Columbia Gorge Hotel.

Join author Ira Wesley Kitmacher as he takes you on a journey through one of the most haunted regions in America.

Ghostly travelers are said to wander the lonely roads of western Pennsylvania. Is it the angry spirit of a jealous husband or a gypsy king who stalks Erie County's Axe Murder Hollow?

A creeping fog rises from Blue Mist Road, and stories of car crashes, lynchings and even strange beasts haunt this isolated stretch outside Pittsburgh. Shades of Death Road in Washington County may be host to phantom coal miners killed during a deadly labor dispute. With firsthand accounts and historical research, authors Thomas White and Tony Lavorgne travel the backcountry roads and byways of western Pennsylvania to discover their ghost tales and mysterious legends.

The truth is out there, hidden in remote, tucked-away corners of the Hudson River Valley…Are you ready to uncover it?

In Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley, author Vin Dacquino strives to discover the true story behind three enigmatic folk legends: Sybil Ludington, Chief Daniel Nimham, and George Denny. Each was the central figure in a dramatic series of events; each became enshrined in local lore for their actions; each has had their true story obscured; and each may have left behind a spiritual residue. Follow Dacquino as he interviews local experts, explores areas where hauntings may have occurred--such as Carmel's legendary Smalley's Inn--and digs deep into historical archives to open new windows into the lives and possible afterlives of these three mysterious characters.

A haunting collection of the ghostly lore and stories of Maryland's Mid-Shore, from full-bodied apparitions to spectral shadows.

There is an otherworldly quality to the Mid-Shore—ghosts seem to rise up from the Chesapeake, and quaint towns hold the spirits of their historic pasts. Oxford's Robert Morris Inn is still home to its colonial namesake, while the Kemp House in St. Michael's is host to the restless specter of Robert E. Lee. Murdered actress Marguerite rides the elevator of the Avalon Theater, and Wish Sheppard stalks the halls of the Denton Jail. Near the witching hour, the eerie sound of the swinging body of Bloody Henny Insley can be heard on the grounds of the Dorchester Courthouse. Author and ghost tour guide Mindie Burgoyne takes a chilling journey into the supernatural lore of Maryland's Mid-Shore.

This chronicle of ghastly frights from the Motor City is not for the faint of heart.

Founded on the legend of the Nain Rouge, Detroit has haunted hotspots aplenty, each with its own blood-curdling tale. Music from pianos that play by themselves and crying apparitions echo throughout The Whitney mansion. Beginning at the time of its construction, the Leland Hotel has been the site of an unusually high number of murders, suicides, and freak accidents. It has even been described as Detroit's portal to Hell. Various shadowy figures have been spotted darting throughout the former Detroit Police 6th Precinct building, including a mysterious boy.

Join Michigan-based author and paranormal investigator Nicole Beauchamp as she leads you down some of Detroit's darkest corridors and into its tragic past.

Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state, with more than 120 dotting its expansive Great Lakes shoreline. Many of these lighthouses lay claim to haunted happenings.

Former keepers like Captain Townshend at Seul Choix Point and prankster John Herman at Waugoshance Shoal maintain their watch long after death. At White River Light Station in Whitehall, Sarah Robinson still keeps a clean and tidy house, and a mysterious young girl at the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse seeks out other companions. Countless spirits remain between Whitefish Point and Point Iroquois in an area well known for its many tragic shipwrecks. Join author and Promote Michigan founder Dianna Stampfler as she recounts the tales from Michigan's ghostly beacons.

Visitors and New England natives alike will see a new side of the region through Thomas D'Agostino's eerie road trip guidebook.

He captures the reader's imagination with folklore and anecdotes, plus recommendations useful for any traveler. This guide uncovers lingering spirits across all six states in the region, from the victims of alchemy gone awry in the White Mountains, to wraiths in the Berkshires, to the ghosts of drowned sailors in Mystic, Connecticut. Enjoy these retellings of classic New England ghost stories and discover obscure ones, and then go visit the spooky sights for yourself.

Go behind the scenes with never before reported stories of intrigue from some of the most colorful characters in Virginia politics over the last half century.

Read about the changes that political figures have brought to the Old Dominion, from Henry Howell's legendary gubernatorial run in the 1970s through 2020's successful battle for Richmond Public Schools against the Dominion Coliseum. Along the way, see how visionaries challenged Virginia to overcome her legacy of segregation and how that history still affects our destiny today.

Hailed by the New York Times as part of "a major revolution in racial politics in America'? for running the groundbreaking campaigns of Governor Doug Wilder, author Paul Goldman has spent decades on the leading edge of Virginia politics.

DC Represent!

There's a party over here, there's a party over there! In go-go the party never stops, and neither does the beat. The bands, the stars, the clubs, the spots, the sweat, the late nights and the passion are the sound of the city--all photographically captured and preserved right here. For those who know go-go this book is a documentary celebration. Shout yourself out with a special photographic section dedicated to the fans. For those who don't know, this book is a peek into that world through the lens of photographer Chip Py. Once Chuck Brown's official photographer, his go-go collection is now part of the People's Archive at the DC Public Library. Discover the district's distinctive music, its artists, its culture, and why it has become The Official Music of Washington, D.C.

Assemble a composite portrait of the Texas plains through these historic tales.

Many thousands of years ago, Clovis Man hunted huge mammoths here. More recently, Waylon Jennings drew his musical inspiration here. In the intervening time, the Texas prairie has been the backdrop for the wildest of Wild West shootouts, landmark legal battles and epic achievements in sports, music and medicine. Familiar icons like Roy Orbison and Dan Blocker, as well as forgotten characters like Charlie "Squirrel-Eye" Emory and John "the Catfish Kid" Gough all helped shape the colorful history of the Texas Plains. Who shot the sheriff? Who was the earliest American? Who invented the slam dunk? Author Chuck Lanehart answers these questions and many more in a wide-ranging collection of stories.