1800s American history

Ghosts are everywhere… if you know how to look.

Originally published in 1864, Spectropia is a science-based, time-honored guide to seeing ghosts, ghouls, spirits, skeletons, and witches—no graveyard loitering necessary.

Simply stare at the sixteen color plates inside this book for twenty seconds and you will see colorful spooky specters, life-sized or colossal. Whether a true believer or a skeptic, anyone can experience the paranormal with Spectropia.

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.

Journey to the burial places of the people who lived in Poe’s world.

Edgar Allan Poe considered himself a Virginian. Credited with originating the modern detective story, developing Gothic horror tales, and writing the precursor to science fiction, Poe worked to elevate Southern literature. He lived in the South most of his life, died in Baltimore and made his final home in Richmond. His family and many of his closest associates were southerners. Visit the graves of the people with whom he worked and socialized, who he loved and at times loathed and gain a fuller understanding of Poe’s life. These were individuals who supported, inspired, and challenged him, and even a few who attempted to foil his plans. Professor and cemetery historian Sharon Pajka tells their stories.

Central New Mexico remains a vault of long-buried secrets and restless ghosts. Bloodcurdling tales from a haunted Civil War battlefield at Val Verde mingle with the whispers of unsettled spirits in Socorro. The notorious Luna mansion and the cursed rooms of Mountainair’s Shaffer Hotel gather in the otherworldly apparitions of a shadowy past. Cody Polston, a local ghost hunter, skeptic, and collector of the macabre offers a spine-tingling selection of stories from Central New Mexico’s haunted heritage. 

Phantoms and Local Lore

Southwest of Tulsa on Historic Route 66 sits Sapulpa, where Lower Creek Native American James Sapulpa established a trading post around 1850. With the railroad arriving in 1866, enterprise brought ill-fated characters, oil booms, bootlegging and bordellos. And like most Western towns, mystery, murder and turmoil followed. And so too did the ghosts—born of vigilante justice, racial strife, natural disasters and one of America’s deadliest train wrecks. Authors Tanya McCoy and Stacey Price hunt the paranormal in the historic haunts and catastrophic calamities throughout Sapulpa’s history.

Explore the haunted lore and inexplicable tragedies of North Central Texas. North Central Texas is home to some former residents who just won’t leave. Encounter spirits of affluent families lingering in their mansions and the specters of notorious outlaws still trapped in their jail cells. Uncover the mysterious demise of Garland’s Smiley family and the grisly secrets of a Grayson County slaughterhouse. Track down the stone angel who flaps her wings when no one is watching. Learn why the elevators at the Adolphus Hotel frighten guests and plumb the ghostly currents that flow through the town of Mineral Wells. Author Teresa Nordheim ventures into the past of a region with more unnerving shadows than a North Texas Thunderstorm.

What goes bump in Boise?



Searching the darkness of the City of Trees reveals what lurks in the liminal spaces. Idaho’s capital city is dotted with haunted residences, hotels and penitentiaries where many still reside in death. Two youngsters lives were cut short, but their spirits never left their childhood homes. Strange specters prowl the foothills, including hooded figures seeking sacrifices. Strange objects patrol the skies. Spooks haunt local prison cells and frighten at a historic fort. Authors Mark Iverson and Jeff Wade collect ghoulish tales that have become local folklore, while setting the record straight. 

A phantom stagecoach materializes on Weatherford’s Main Street, the galloping hooves of invisible horses tugging witnesses back towards the nineteenth century. A stroll through the enchanting Chandor Gardens might lead to an encounter with its creator, renowned English portrait artist Douglas Chandor. The apparition of a former judge lingers around Parker County Courthouse, while the Old Jail Museum’s corridors are filled with disembodied voices and echoing footsteps. Visitors to Old Greenwood Cemetery might hear the quiet sobbing of the woman who was murdered by a jealous lover or feel a cold nudge against their hands when they pass by a canine buried alongside his owner. Author Teal Gray walks through miles of Weatherford's history to unwind years of its haunted lore.