Body, Mind & Spirit

Explore the origins of Wood County lore .

Ghostly tales abound from fallen war heroes of Bowling Green State University to the darkened woods of Holcomb Road. The spirit of Frank Simonds, a venerated World War I veteran who nearly got away with murder, may linger around Main Street in Bowling Green. A soldier who died in a desperate attempt to save hundreds still guards Fort Meigs. Though nothing stands there now, the spot of the infamous Woodbury House remains a terror—just as it was for the earliest settlers in the area./

Wonder-seeker and amateur folklorist Melissa Davies reveals the stranger side of local history./

Discover school spirits and downtown haunts of Bloomington, Indiana

For many, the most terrifying sight in Bloomington is the bathroom in a freshman dorm, but even more disturbing things lurk in the dark corners of this college town. Two haunted portraits hang in the Indiana Memorial Union Building, and the ghosts of suicides roam the stairwell in Ballantine Hall. At the end of every night, bartenders at a downtown pub pour a shot of whiskey for a not-so-dearly-departed spirit. At a nearby old manor, two ghost children stir up trouble. Farther out of town, in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest lies Stepp Cemetery, a remote and desolate graveyard that is one of the most haunted locations in Indiana.

Join Bloomington native Klara Lee Sweet on a spine-tingling tour of the city's spectral history.

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.

At the close of the nineteenth century, Chicago offered the world a glimpse of humanity’s most breathtaking possibilities and its most jaw-dropping horrors.

Even as the White City emerged from the ashes of the Great Fire, serial killers like H.H. Holmes stalked the sparkling new boulevards and tragic accidents plagued the factories, slums and railroads that powered the churn of industrial innovation. Ship captains spoke to the dead, while undertakers discovered reanimated corpses no longer requiring services. From posh mansions built on massacre grounds to the drowned quarries of a forest preserve, Ursula Bielski follows the dark undercurrents beneath the electric lights of the World’s Fair.

New Orleans has a reputation as a home for creatures of the night. Popular books, movies and television shows have cemented the city's connection to vampires in public imagination.

Rumors swirled about the fate of the Casket Girls, a group of mysterious maidens traveling to the New World from France with peculiar casket-shaped boxes. A charismatic man who moved to the French Quarter in the early 1900s eerily resembled a European aristocrat of one hundred years prior bearing the same name. A pair of brothers terrorized the town with their desire to feed on living human blood during the Great Depression. Marita Woywod Crandle investigates the origins of these legends so intricately woven through New Orleans's rich history.

Beneath the calm and bucolic appearance of Ross County, dark things await.

Chillicothe’s iconic Majestic Theater is a veritable haunted hotspot. Numerous homes in Huntington Hills report strange occurrences, and ghostly shadows appear nightly at Mound City. Unbeknownst to many, a Frankfort apartment complex stands on the hallowed ground of a family cemetery, leaving the spirits beneath the earth far from peaceful. Deftly weaving together elements of murder, mystery, suspense, and horror into a captivating blend of the supernatural and the unknown, award-winning author Neal Parks leads a haunting journey through local haunted lore.

Springfield has launched a lot of history, from the career of Abraham Lincoln to the wagon train that bore the doomed Donner party. But some pieces of that history stubbornly linger to haunt the present. Meet the Gibson Girl who introduced her society circle to séances and the vengeful actor who held down a leading role as mischief maker after death. From the shadows in Oak Ridge Cemetery’s Receiving Vault to specters at the Vinegar Hill Mall, Garret Moffett offers an expanded tour of the eerie corners of Springfield’s past.

Find stories of magic and witches, sailors, pirates and shipwrecks and more in this book filled with folks with great stories and interesting lives.

Author and Marblehead Museum & Historical Society director Pam Peterson recounts the oral and written accounts that Marbleheaders have handed down over the past 400 years. Compiled with meticulous care, Marblehead Myths, Legends and Lore offers a diverse sampling of tales from one of New England's maritime treasures.

A plunge into Georgia history offers no shortage of bewilderment. UFOs, haunted bridges, ghost lights and monsters are just a smattering of the unexplained.

At the Jekyll Island Club, a bellhop from the Roaring Twenties does his best to stay busy. A bright golden light hovers above the tracks of Macon and Brunswick Railroad, floating toward spectators before it just…turns off.  From the obligatory mountain road squatch sighting to Jimmy Carter’s eerie encounter in a stand of Leary pines, Sherman Carmichael leads adventurous readers on a quest through baffling Georgia legends. Dig into this miscellany of Peach State enigma.

Residents of Kernersville have spent lifetimes looking after each other--and sometimes they continue after death.

Nestled between Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point, Kernersville transformed from a sleepy little village stop on the Great Wagon Road into a thriving community in the nineteenth century--one with its share of ghost tales. Does a young soldier haunt the Kernersville Museum, flirting with the women who work there? Learn the truth of the ghost of the old McCuiston House. Local institutions like the P&N Store and Snow's Diner also claim their share of spooky stories.

Kernersville Museum director Kelly Hargett and local theater founder Scott Icenhower tell ghost tales that are sometimes comical, sometimes heartwarming, and sometimes a little hair raising.

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.

Just beneath the glossy surface of Rockford's rich heritage lies a dark history of tragedy.

The city's troubled and turbulent past left scars that still resonate today. Geraldine Bourbon's final struggle still echoes throughout the farmhouse where her estranged husband pursued her with a pistol from room to room before gently laying her corpse on the bed. The sobs of society darling Carrie Spafford still keep vigil over the family plot of the cemetery where she sowed the heartbreak of her twilight years. From the vengeance of Chief Big Thunder to the Witch of McGregor Road, author Kathi Kresol shares the legends and lore of Rockford's haunted history.

Wisconsin’s capital city is haunted!

From restless spirits roaming the University of Wisconsin to ghostly Confederate soldiers lingering at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison is filled with otherworldly entities. Spirits do not rest in peace at Taliesin, and the tragedies that occurred on the Capitol grounds shed light on the building’s numerous paranormal reports. The city’s outskirts are just as eerie. From the prowling Beast of Bray Road to what is thought to be Wisconsin’s most haunted bar, a spinetingling location is never far away.

Join author Anna Lardinois to discover some of Madison’s most macabre tales.

Take a journey to the dark side of Southern Maryland, one of the most haunted spots in America, and visit with the ghosts and otherworldly specters of the area.

Southern Maryland is one of the most haunted spots in America. From pre-colonial settlements to modern times, the tales of every era of its history are often dark and sometimes bloody. Brave readers will meet the many otherworldly specters that loved the area too much to leave, like the spirit of the witch Moll Dyer or the nun reclaiming her ancestral home. Learn the haunted history of Sotterley Plantation and the stories of the ghosts that remained after the Civil War. Author David W. Thompson takes the reader on a spooky journey through Southern Maryland’s long history.

North Central Indiana is rich in farmlands, wind turbines, and small towns. It is also thick with ghosts.

Ghastly apparitions roam the town of Battle Ground, where the infamous Battle of Tippecanoe occurred. A woman trying to put her life back together soon found herself disturbed by inexplicable events in a Fountain County apartment. Roads in Newton, Clinton, and Grant counties are but a few such roads where strange things suddenly appear—and often just as quickly disappear. The Rotary Jail Museum in Crawfordsville is said to have a pair of resident spirits. Purdue University and Indiana Beach harbor their own eerie tales.

Join authors and paranormal investigators W.C. Madden and Maria Salvo Benson on a spine-tingling journey of the haunts of North Central Indiana.

Supernatural Lore of Ohio offers a blood-curdling exploration of the witches, werewolves, wraiths and other dastardly beings of the Buckeye State.

A rich vein of bizarre and uncanny tales snakes through Ohio’s cornfields and cityscapes. In the earliest days of statehood, dark reports spoke of witches causing feathers to form a deadly ring in one’s bed, magically strangling its sleeping victims. For years, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train rolled through Urbana, a small town in the center of the state, and caused clocks and watches to stop in its wake. A vampiric entity was said to haunt a strange cabin in the Black Swamp, and a werewolf reportedly roamed a Defiance train yard. Join Cincinnati historian Steven J. Rolfes on a tour of Ohio’s strangest supernatural lore, from wailing banshees to the devil himself.

Join Author and guide Mindie Burgoyne as she takes a chilling journey through the haunted history and lore of Ocean City and Berlin.

A ghostly sea captain, an ill-fated lover and jazz musicians who go on playing long after their last songs--these are the spirits that make their presence known from Ocean City's Boardwalk to the picturesque town square of Berlin. The phantom scent of a woman's perfume floats from Trimper's carousel while the Ocean City Life-Saving Station is haunted by the ghost of a drowned sailor. In Berlin, some guests never check out of the Atlantic Hotel, and strange happenings have been reported at the Rackliffe House, where legend has it that a cruel plantation owner was murdered by his slaves.

Millions of people flock to Florida for its beaches and tourist attractions. Most never learn about the strange locations just off the beaten path.

In the beautiful Florida Caverns, a second Rip Van Winkle was woken from one hundred years of sleep. The Green Swamp is home to murders, monsters and mysteries galore. A shining castle made of recycled material, built by an artist like no other, gleams within a Florida swamp. A spectral horse heralds tragedy and caused a notorious scandal in a central Florida city. Join Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz as they share tales of Florida's myths, monsters, massacres and legends and the hidden history behind them.

Uncanny stories, local legends and ghostly encounters from the First State.

Delaware may be small, but every corner of it is filled with strange and unusual history. Horrifying tales of ghosts haunt places both old and new. The Castle contains many stories of mysterious specters, but the mystery of the house’s first owners is the truly creepy tale. The legend of the Devil’s Road, called a myth by some, will chill your bones and make your spine tingle. In a state so close to the sea, stories of murder and mayhem include tales of piracy and maybe even cannibalism.

Delaware native and paranormal historian Josh Hitchens invites you to join him on a journey through the spooky side of the First State.

Haunted Bay City, Michigan takes you on a bone-chilling journey through the city’s most haunted locales.

At the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron lies historic Bay City, a gorgeous town with a dark past. In its early days, a six-block strip known as Hell’s Half Mile was an epicenter of debauchery and brutality. This tumultuous history has left a deep paranormal imprint on the area. A sinister Victorian lady terrorizes those who visit the upper level of the Bay City Antiques Center. The ghost of a disfigured little girl roams Sage Library. And the former caretaker of the USS Edson lovingly tends the ship after death as he did in life. Join local author and paranormal investigator Nicole Beauchamp as she mines the history of Bay City’s infamous haunts.

The rolling hills, picturesque farms and lush highlands of northwestern New Jersey exemplify the often-overlooked natural beauty of the Garden State. But among its historic towns and scenic vistas lurk haunting mysteries and unexplained apparitions...

A recluse who practiced witchcraft generations ago is said to be still spinning misdeeds as the Sussex Sorcerer on Sunrise Mountain. The ghost of Reverend O’Malley walks the woods around Mount Allamuchy as the Purple Bishop, seeking vengeance against those who betrayed him. The sinisterly named Shades of Death Road along the sod farms and meadows of the Pequest River Valley has a bloody reputation of bandit killings and supernatural encounters.  

Author Robert Oakes leads readers on a spirited journey through the historic ghost lore of Northwestern New Jersey.

Many things go bump in the night in Licking County, and not all of them are rowdy undergraduates. Some are the restless spirits of the dead.

With specters plaguing the chapel, the library, and a dorm room, Granville's Denison University is one of the most haunted campuses in the country. Nearby at the historic Buxton Inn, previous owners look after the property in death as they did in life. The grave of a Johnstown witch is said to emit an eerie green mist every Halloween night. A young boy's ghost floats on the water of Hell Lake, and a mysterious woman in white haunts the bridge on Swamp Road.

Author and paranormal investigator with the Tri-C Ghost Hunters Nova Stiles leads a bone-chilling tour through the haunted history of Licking County.

The booming, modern metropolis of Phoenix is a city filled with the ghosts of its past.

Discover the legend of the mysterious Hohokam tribe, whose people once inhabited the Pueblo Grande Ruins and later vanished. Learn about the spirits of the Smurthwaite House, which sits on the grounds of Phoenix’s oldest cemetery. Hear the tales of the Pioneer Living Museum, a collection of historic buildings relocated from every corner of Arizona—and the spirits of the former residents that came along too. Take a peek inside the Mystery Castle, old train depots and eerie historic mansions. Author and paranormal historian Debe Branning delves into the history and mysteries of these desert tales.

Divided by state lines and the Mississippi River, the Quad Cities share a common haunted heritage.

If anything, the seam that runs through the region is especially rife with spirits, from the Black Angel of Moline’s Riverside Cemetery to the spectral Confederate POWs of Arsenal Island. Of course, the city centers have their own illustrious supernatural residents - the Hanging Ghost occupies Davenport’s City Hall, while the Phantom Washwoman wanders Bettendorf’s Central Avenue. At Igor’s Bistro in Rock Island, every day is Halloween. Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin hunt down the haunted lore of this vibrant midwestern community.

The historic mill town of Everett, abutting the deep, dark waters of Puget Sound, has been haunted since its founding. The Rucker family’s spirits are said to linger near both their distinctive pyramid-shaped mausoleum and mansion by the bay, and the shadowy figures of former patrons and entertainers are purported to roam inside the Historic Everett Theater. Many believe the angry shades of laborers still riot, demanding freedom of speech just like on that horrible November night in 1916 when several lost their lives. Even the Everett Community College library is rumored to house ghosts reading their favorite books. Author Deborah Cuyle reveals the spooky history of the City of Smokestacks and the spirits that refuse to leave.

From the jail cell that once held John Dillinger to quaint shops with dark beginnings, the restless spirits of Crown Point purportedly result from a century-old hex.

Legend had it that a caravan of gypsies found themselves unfairly exiled from town. Forced to leave their beloved dead behind in unmarked graves, they invoked a venomous curse on the townspeople and vowed that no ancestor would be allowed eternal peace. Paranormal researcher Judith Tometczak exposes evidence of this deceptively quiet town's dark side.

Beneath Milwaukee's calm façade, its ghastly past awaits.

The overbearing spirit of Frederick Pabst keeps persistent watch over the mansion that shares his name. The remains of the Newhall House Fire, the city's deadliest disaster, may lie beneath a new building, but those who lost their lives that night refuse to rest in peace. Even the suburbs hold their share of ghoulish secrets, including the furtive dwarves of Haunchyville, the fabled Bray Road Beast and the stubborn spirits lurking in Deacon West's house. Tour guide and founder of Gothic Milwaukee Anna Lardinois shares the spine-tingling tales of the Beer City's famous, and not so famous, specters and legends.

Authors Patrick and Patricia Mesmer navigate through spooky tales of vanished sailors, wandering phantoms and lost treasure scattered across the ocean floor.

The Treasure Coast is such a popular destination that some choose to never leave. From the spirits of ancient Indians who once inhabited the beaches to the pirates who spied for passing victims from the safety of the inlets and coves, the region is infused with eerie, tragic history. A phantom widow keeps watch from the Boston House window for men long ago lost at sea. Spirits of the victims of a murderous cop linger at the Devil's Tree, where their bodies were found. The dreaded pirate Black Caesar still steers his ghost ship toward Dead Man's Point in the St. Lucie Inlet.

The Scary Side of Paradise

The Florida Keys may be a tropical paradise, but behind the swaying palms and ocean breeze lies a haunted past that refuses to rest. From the ancient spirits of the Timucuan Indians to the restless ghosts of pirates, rumrunners, wreckers, and smugglers, these islands are alive with eerie legends and spine-tingling tales.

Did you know the dead in Key West Cemetery outnumber the living by over 44,000 souls? Or that Robert the Doll, one of the world’s most infamous haunted artifacts, still resides in his island home? In Haunted Florida Keys, authors Elizabeth and Bob Randall explore the ghostly folklore and paranormal hotspots scattered from the Everglades to Key West—a region long known as a refuge for outlaws, artists, and the eccentric. Enter the Artist House, where the haunted legacy of Robert Gene Otto still lingers. Smell unexplained smoke in a historic Key West theater. Discover the tragic suicide atop a shipwreck museum’s lookout tower. And beware the mysterious spirits said to live within the roots of the rare Kapok tree. Perfect for fans of haunted travel books, true ghost stories, Florida history, and the paranormal, this book takes you deep into the supernatural soul of the Keys. The sun may shine bright—but the shadows are darker than you think.

Fascinating tales from the territories of Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.

From its earliest days to the dawn of the twentieth century, the Southwest was known as a place for dreamers, heroes, and lonesome drifters. People were drawn to places like Tombstone, where notorious events left a lingering legacy, and Taos Pueblo, with centuries of history contained within its adobe walls. Across the territories, the blending of cultures and conflicts that arose turned common people into legends. Names like Geronimo, Billy the Kid, Doña Tules, and Olive Oatman survive in story, along with other, wilder tales, like those of the Lost Dutchman mine and the Mogollon Monster.

Join author and illustrator Jessica Laughlin as she takes you on a journey through the wild frontier of the Southwest.

“I picked a microcosm on the edge of the circle—a place where many manifestations were occurring simultaneously—and I hit the jackpot immediately.” –John Keel

The Hatchet Lady of Red Rocks, the ghostly Stanley Hotel and the terrifying Slide-Rock Bolter are just some of astonishing legends, eerie locations and strange monsters that compose Colorado’s supernatural folklore. Stories of Bigfoot, UFOs and lake monsters vex the state’s history. Haunted houses lurk throughout the state, as do cursed roads and bridges. Folklorist and award-winning author Jack Daly guides us on an odyssey through the uncanny, with a quest of unraveling the mysteries of the preternatural in Colorado.

Listen to the stories of the restless dead

Amidst the sparkling lakes and rolling hills of Northern Michigan lies Newaygo County. The towns nestled within her borders were founded by hardy pioneers, and while their spirit lies in a sense of community, it is said that a few ghostly spirits also haunt the area. Atop a tree-covered hill sits a long-abandoned house, where the spine-tingling cries of the ghost of Screaming Ethel can be heard. The strains of unearthly piano music emanated through the rooms of a 1920s era mansion once belonging to Al Capone’s lawyer. The wraithlike spirit of a little boy is seen walking precariously along a river dam.

Join author Marie Helena Cisneros as she weaves the area’s vibrant history together into some of Newaygo County’s most chilling tales.

Grand Rapids history is crowded with departed souls who refuse to rest in peace.

The twisted spirit of Lolita, a mother who committed unspeakable acts upon her children, stalks the block where she grew up. In life, Frank Hibben Stout’s obsession with his “sister” led to a tragic end for both. In death, his blood-dripping apparition is seen where a local restaurant now stands. The protective spirit of Edythe first appeared after a fateful Ouija board game at a local church, and the Children’s Museum is haunted by the friendly spirit of a boy seen by the young and old alike.

Come walk with the dead as author Julie Rathsack weaves together the threads of the forgotten past with the spirits who have remained behind.

Hastily dubbed the new capital in 1847, Lansing overcame derision and setbacks to become a booming metropolis. Yet its rich history hides chilling legends.

Bertie Clippinger plays tricks on the unwary at the Capitol Building, where the teen accidentally fell to his death when a game went horribly wrong. One of Lansing's founding families keeps a spectral vigil over its homestead, the Turner Dodge House. Malevolent spirits stalk the derelict Michigan School for the Blind. A witch's vengeful curse follows those who trespass on Seven Gables Road, one of the state's most haunted stretches. Founder of Demented Mitten Tours and local author Jenn Carpenter leads readers to the dark side of the Capital City.

Distinctive demises and bizarre burials of the Southern states.



Inspired by actual newspaper articles, these disturbing and bizarre accounts explore the macabre, and sometimes humorous, instances of death and dying.

The tragedy of death and burial is eclipsed by graveyard gossip and unbelievable stories of mishaps. Some demises were distinctive in their ridiculousness, some in their atrocity, and some in their stupidity. Egregious murders and suicides highlight the barbaric nature of humanity—husbands killing wives, children killing children, and people killing themselves—and yet the horror of these crimes equally matches the absurdity of the acts. 

From failed hangings to lynch mobs, ghostly inhabitants to vampire cults, this collection of stories revels in these incredible historical accounts. It is indeed a ghastly grab bag of tales, both ludicrous and laughable. 

Keven McQueen teaches composition and world literature at Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned an MA in English after receiving his BA from Berea College. McQueen has written more than twelve books, spanning such genres as true crime and mystery. He has appeared on Darkness Radio, 30 Odd Minutes, Crime City Central, and The Fringe Radio Show to discuss his true-crime stories and to quench listeners’ morbid curiosities. McQueen is also the author of The Axman Came from Hell and Other Southern True Crime Stories, published by Pelican. 

The legendary monsters that roam the Land of Enchantment.

New Mexico is full of the strange and unusual, from mysterious cryptids to visitors from outer space. Hairy shapeshifters dart across the back roads of Grants and Gallup, while Sasquatch roam the Sandias and Sitting Bull Falls. Visitors from outer space drop in to terrorize Roswell in the form of escaped extraterrestrials, Spring-Heeled Jack floats over Silver City, and a faceless monster stalks the South Valley. Prehistoric survivors like the Thunderbird perch on the mountaintops, giant sloths leave massive footprints in the White Sands, and spectral dinosaurs glide across the scrublands of Ghost Ranch. Not even the waters are safe, as giant catfish roam the bottom of Elephant Butte Lake and Lizard Men swim through the acequias of the San Luis Valley.

Author John LeMay separates fact from folklore, and artist Chris Casey captures the likenesses of New Mexico’s legendary monsters. 

Noble County boasts small-town charm and attractions all year long.

And ghosts. The county’s only movie theater is patrolled by the well-known manager, who died in 1995. Two of the highest hills in the state are haunted, one after a hanging and another because of a murder immortalized by Indiana’s poet laureate. The sprawling Kneipp Sanitarium received a visit from the Virgin Mary herself and became a battleground of good versus evil. Former residents of the county poor farm still roam the building. Then there’s the “Thing in the Basement.”

Join authors and historians Mark and Emily Hunter as they tour the dark and spooky corners of Noble County.

From its founding in 1856, Lorain County has been the scene of countless unexplained events and eerie sightings. What really happened down in Swift Hollow nearly a century ago?

Just who is that man in the brown coat and hat lingering around the stage of the Lorain Palace Theatre? Who are the shadow people dancing in the light of the fire down in Smugglers Den? And what was the source of the screams that chased a North Ridgeville family from their home in the dead of night? Join local author Eric Defibaugh on a quest to answer these questions and more about Lorain County’s ghostly history.

Terre Haute might seem like a quiet river town, but the ghosts of the city's past ensure that things never grow too quiet!

From the ghost of a green-eyed bulldog to a mausoleum phone, the town’s cemeteries are a playground for those who have passed on to the other side. The spirits of children haunt the site of the former Glenn Home, where they once lived. The restless spirit of a girl who passed before her time lingers in a local salon, and the apparition of a faceless nun still wanders the hallowed halls of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. The former Condit residence has a long history of premature deaths, while the Preston House held its own secrets within its now vanished walls. Join tour guide and paranormal investigator Ashley Hood on a tour of Terre Haute’s spectral history.