Spooky Season Reads

Edgar Allan Poe has had a busy afterlife.

The author of "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" might have died back in 1849, but some claim that did not stop him from composing poetry for another four decades. Others say he still makes appearances in no fewer than five cities, and that his ghost is a regular at a couple of different taverns, one of which saves a seat for him. Like a character from one of his short stories, Poe refuses to stay buried.

Author Christopher Semtner explores the ghost stories and hauntings associated with his life--from the supernatural legends that inspired his writing to the alleged paranormal activity inspired by those terror tales.

Pry into the secrets of the stunning mountains of Virginia.

A nineteenth century cache of gold is buried in the hills. Nine-foot giants once walked the ridges of the Shenandoah, pre-Columbian explorers built homes on isolated mountaintops and a ghost town lies deep in the Jefferson National Forest. Virginia’s mountains conceal canines that walk upright, black panthers and a resurgent mountain lion population. The hide-and-seek champion of the world, Bigfoot, lurks in the dark hollows, phantom dogs pace the backroads and aggressive monkeys swing through the trees. UFOs crisscross the skies and ghosts haunt the caverns below.

Join Denver Michaels, local author and expert in the unexplained, as he explores these mysteries and many more.

Virginia's long history and many beauties attract millions of visitors each year--and some never leave.

With some of the oldest inns in the country, Virginia has a multitude of options for travelers to sleep among the spirits. The historic Cavalier Hotel is haunted by the ghost of Adolph Coors, the beer magnate. Market Square Tavern is one of the original buildings in Williamsburg, and has some of the oldest haunts--including, possibly, Thomas Jefferson. The spirit of Mary Hooker still watches over her beloved home at King George's Bell Grove Plantation. The family of the former owner of Natural Bridge Hotel are said to still walk the halls of historic building--after he killed them.

Plan a ghostly journey along Virginia's byways with author and paranormal expert Susan Schwartz.

While the Salem witch trials get the most notoriety, Virginia's witchcraft history dates back many years before that.

Colonial Virginians shared a common belief in the supernatural with their northern neighbors. While the witchcraft mania that swept through Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 was significant, fascination with it has tended to overshadow the historical records of other persecutions throughout early America. The 1626 case of Joan Wright, the first woman to be accused of witchcraft in British North America, began Virginia's own witch craze. Utilizing surviving records, author, local historian and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Carson Hudson narrates these fascinating stories.

Historic, haunted, chilling tales of the town of Richmond as told by one of Virginia's most respected paranormal investigators!

With over four hundred years of history, Richmond abounds with ghostly tales and ghastly deeds from the past. Step into the shadows and take a tour of thirteen of Richmond's most haunted sites. Visit Church Hill, home of the famous St. John's Church, and discover the events that led to the tragic tunnel collapse of 1925.

Discover the long-forgotten Civil Warhospitals of Shockoe Bottom, where hundreds of wounded soldiers met their end. Feel the icy chill at the bottom of a staircase where a young apprentice was murdered in cold blood by his jealous master in 1826.

These stories and more await as you discover the mysterious, tragic and terrifying events of Richmond's dark past.""

Ghost stories from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The haunted history of the highlands comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Visit the Bolling Wilson Hotel in Wytheville to meet its charming elderly ghost. Or head to the Inn at Wise to play with the fun-loving boys whose spirits linger in the halls. Perhaps you’ll spot the ghost horse in Abington as it gallops across the grounds of the Martha Washington Inn! Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Roanoke, VIrginia is a town with a hidden haunted history and many unique and chilling tales are revealed here.

Roanoke, in the heart of southwestern Virginia, is one of the most haunted cities in the commonwealth. The Star City is brimming with eerie and unexplainable stories, such as the legendary ""Woman in Black,"" who appeared several times in 1902 but only to married men on their way home at night. There are also macabre stories in many of Roanoke's famous landmarks, such as the majestic Grandin Theatre, where a homeless family is said to have lived and the cries of their deceased children can still be heard. Travel beyond the realm of reality with author L.B. Taylor Jr. as he traces the history of Roanoke's most unique and chilling tales.

Replete with the bizarre behavior of elevators, the numerous deaths of inhabitants and paranormal sightings by a writer in residence.

""Mayflower Apartments,"" represents just one of the extraordinary tales that Al Chewning documents in his latest book. By delving into the creepy, unexplored avenues of Virginia Beach's past, Chewning entrances the reader with the spectral details of Blackbeard's buried treasure, a deadly stretch of road inexplicably responsible for eighty-nine fatalities in the past thirty years and the untimely death of a military wife, devilishly titled ""Don't Make Mom Mad""--just to name a few.

In a collection of forty stories gleaned from newspapers and personal interviews, Chewning sheds an eerie light on the prosperous tourist hot spot that is welcoming by day, otherworldly by night. A long-time resident of the Virginia Beach area and the owner of Ghost Tours of Virginia Beach, the author tells not only of reported sightings but also of his own spectral encounters.

From a ""wailing woman"" in the old Coast Guard Station to supernatural activity provoked by the association of two friends, Chewning offers up spine-tingling apparitional tales that will shock and delight visitors and locals alike.

In Clarke County, the spirits of the past bring history to life.

The ghost of a brokenhearted Confederate soldier stares out a window waiting in vain for the return of the love of his life. Victims of a plane crash still linger at the scene of the tragedy forty-five years later. Union troops are still crossing the Shenandoah River through a hail of musket balls and cannon fire. From the legendary phantom coach of Carter Hall to lesser-known haunts along the county's back roads, a rock-throwing poltergeist, a smoky figure in a bedroom and strange creatures lurking in the woods, Michael Hess brings you the very best in Clarke County ghost lore.

A hair-raising ride through Alexandria's greatest ghostly past. A must-read for fans of the supernatural and Virginia history!

The ghost of a Revolutionary Warspy that fosters a centuries-old grudge against the British, two young lovers parted by fire but reunited in death and Union and Confederate soldiers who still battle at the Hotel Monacoare among the haunts of Alexandria, Virginia.

Beside the Potomacand the twice-blooming wisteria, local author Michael Lee Pope takes readers on a thrilling journey with his collection of historic ghost lore. Join him as he searches for the identity of the Female Stranger of Gadsby's Tavernand wanders the lonely halls of Woodlawn Plantationto encounter Alexandria's restless souls.

Join award-winning journalist Michael Lee Pope as he takes you on a fascinating journey through this community's supernatural legends, lore, and history. Includes archival and contemporary images.

In Historic Haunts of Winchester, author Mac Rutherford presents Winchester's haunted past as never before.

From the ghost of Tillie Russell--frequently seen running through the streets in search of a wounded captain--to ghostly echoes of artillery fire, Rutherford relates a spine-tingling record of spirits and specters. Along the way he chronicles Winchester's most shocking and unusual spirits, such as the legendary Giant Indiansoften glimpsed at the corner of Indian Alleyand Piccadilly Street.

Read Historic Haunts of Winchesterand immerse yourself in Winchester's incredible history of hauntings.

Shiver at the stories of the numerous ghosts, wraiths, spirits and spectral wanderers of Virginia's Blue Ridge Highlands.

A Confederate soldier forever lost at Cumberland Gap, the wispy woman of Roanoke College and the spectral horse that runs the streets of Abingdon are among the restless spirits of southwestern Virginia. Join local author Joe Tennis as he takes readers on both sides of the Blue Ridge to explore the ghostly tales of Appalachia and the Crooked Road. Peer over the rim of the New Castle Murder Hole, dive into the mysteries of Mountain Lake and wander among the lost graves of Wise County to discover the haunted lore of Virginia's Blue Ridge Highlands.