The History Press

This book is a chilling collection of the ghostly legends and lore of historic Madison, Indiana.

Beautifully preserved mid-nineteenth-century buildings grace the streets of Madison, Indiana, providing a concrete connection to the past. But a more ethereal, ghostly link flits about these streets when night descends. Restive spirits linger here, like the extra that may join you mid-slumber at Whitehall Bed-and-Breakfast, a residual from the Civil War hospital that was once nearby. Feel the ghostly chill of a mob bootlegger who stops by the Broadway Tavern around last call and learn of the myriad ghosts that flutter here in search of something. Dive into the shadows of Madison on this chilling journey with Virginia Jorgensen.

Gear up for a frightful journey into the mysterious Ocala National Forest.

Central Florida is known as the happiest place on Earth. But an hour’s drive from the amusement parks lies a forest swirling with mystery. For generations, locals have whispered about a dark energy coming from the Ocala National Forest and drifting into nearby towns. Supernatural beasts and apparitions. Ghost lights galore. From cults to monsters to the spirts of those who ventured in yet never reemerged, the woods have long been a source of rumor and tragedy. The vengeful Coyote Woman who dispatches those with evil natures. The soldier of Fort King who vanishes when addressed. The spectral monk of Astor, on the hunt for his killer. Author and folklorist Christopher Balzano takes readers among the trees and beyond to offer a glimpse into the true stories, urban legends and haunted folklore whispered among the residents of these deep woods..

Two paranormal investigators turn their spotlight on the haunted history behind the scenes at the famous movie studio.

Talented entrepreneur Carl Laemmle led and won the fight against Thomas Edison's filming monopoly and built Universal City out of the dirt of Hollywood. He created a place of wonder and imagination, and now, decades later, Universal Studios is filled with rumors of ghosts. 

Frank Stites, an aviator killed while performing stunts during the grand opening celebrations in 1915, is said to still roam the backlot. Lon Chaney, a silent film actor, plagues sound stage no. 28, while Alfred Hitchcock haunts Steven Spielberg's office. Even Lucille Ball has been spotted more than once long after her death.

Authors Brian Clune and Bob Davis explore the eerie and haunting history behind this entertaining façade.

Flint, Michigan, is home to ancient burial grounds, unsolved murders, economic depression, a water crisis and emits an unholy energy rife with ghostly encounters.

Colonel Thomas Stockton’s ever-vigilant ghost keeps a watchful eye over his family home at Spring Grove, where guests occasionally hear the thump of his heavy boots. Restless spirits long separated from their graves lurk among the ancient stones at Avondale Cemetery. Carriage maker W.A. Paterson’s spirit continuously wanders the halls of the Dryden Building, and something sinister and unnamed resides in a Knob Hill mansion waiting to prey on impressionable young men. Join authors Roxanne Rhoads and Joe Schipani on a chilling tour of Flint’s most haunted locations.

Hauntings and eerie tales abound in northern Ohio. Chillings legends, mysteries and hauntings.

Does Esther Hale, believed to have been executed for witchcraft, really haunt Columbiana County’s Bowman Cemetery? Is Lonesome Lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal as haunted as rumors say? Do restless spirits stalk the rooms at the Wolf Creek Tavern in Norton and the Rider’s Inn of Painesville? Do the ruins of Gore Orphanage echo with the ghastly wails of children said to have died in a fire long ago? Author William G. Krejci guides this supernatural journey through the most chilling legends of northern Ohio. Some stories are debunked. Some long-standing mysteries are solved. Some new mysteries come to light.

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.

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.

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.

Phantoms in Paradise!

Southwestern Montana boasts a bloody past that produces a persistent paranormal presence. In 1899, drunken Charles Sheppard murdered John Benson with a fence post in Deer Lodge and threw his body into the river. Some still witness the bloody apparition of a man on the water’s edge. The spirit of Doctor John Singleton Meade still roams his Hotel Meade in the renowned Ghost Town of Bannack. The old Montana State Prison, now a museum, is tormented with residual energy from multiple executions, riots and violent deaths. Beset by an unsolved murder, a famous ghost town and a haunted bed & breakfast, Gunslinger Gulch attracts thousands each year to Anaconda. Author Deborah Cuyle collects tales of haunted hotels, ghostly residents and gruesome events from Dillion, Philipsburg, Garnet and more.

The Jersey Devil isn’t the only supernatural entity that stalks the Garden State: Here are tales of pirates, patients, and prisoners, oh my!

Few places are as obsessed with the paranormal as New Jersey, and the area once known as West Jersey is a hotbed of supernatural activity.

The ghost of a young boy in Mannington appears to welcome guests and partygoers to a historic bed-and-breakfast. The tortured soul of a weathered sea pirate remains in Greenwich, still imprisoned after three hundred years. Malevolent spirits haunt the abandoned Salem County Insane Asylum, menacing those who dare venture to the solitary confinement rooms in the basement.

Paranormal investigator and researcher Kelly Lin Gallagher-Roncace shares frightening New Jersey folklore that makes for great fireside storytelling.

What unknown spirits lurk among the living in the Gateway to Wisconsin?

oin Candice Shatkins, a founding member of the Paranormal Investigators of Kenosha, as she uncovers the spooky secrets and unlikely legends of Kenosha County. From a secret burial chamber under a library to Wisconsin's very own Wolfman, a shipwreck on Black Tuesday to the haunted observatory tower of a former seminary and boarding school, Kenosha's ghosts are sure to delight visitors and residents alike in this stirring account of the area's historic haunts.

Stories of spirits, séances, and strange events in Southern California history.

From the Chumash legends of the Dolphins and the Whispering Tree to the ghostly sightings at Sedgwick Reserve, hauntings abound here. In beautiful La Conchita, nightfall reveals dark secrets to anyone who will listen. Sightings of mysterious apparitions are common along Creek Road, considered one of the most haunted highways in California. In the 1800s, Summerland was home to spiritualists who held séances in the Big Yellow House. The Santa Barbara Mission is home to many specters, including the famous Franciscan monk said to roam the cemetery and gardens.

Discover these stories and more with author Evie Ybarra as she explores the haunted side of history.

Follow local historian and “Ghost Lady” Kathi Kresol as she researches the spirits, curses, and curiosities from the Forest City’s shadowy past.

Just beneath the glossy surface of Rockford’s rich heritage lies a dark history of tragedy, a troubled and turbulent past leaving scars that still resonate today. Geraldine Bourbon’s final struggle 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.

Discover a place in Texas that gives new meaning to the term “ghost town”

Old Town Spring’s historic streets may set the scene for a quaint shopping village, but they also serve as byways for one of the most haunted towns in Texas. A perfectionist past the end, Uncle Charlie still fusses around the historic Wunsche Brothers Café, the oldest commercial structure in the area. The spirit of a girl who died in a barn still plays with her group of friends in Doering Court, while a headless switchman runs after phantom trains trying to prevent a collision.

Her path lit by unknown lights in the sky, author Cathy Nance leads the way through Old Town Spring’s spookiest sites.

Founded in 1876, Globe was once a wild and wooly mining camp, and its robberies, murders and mayhem left a dark impression.

Tucked at the base of the Pinal Mountains, this historic landmark is a quintessential old western town. Make a stop at the Globe Train Depot and discover why so many spirits have made it their last whistle-stop along the rails. Explore the courthouse and the Old Gila County Jail, where sinister spirit Kingsley Olds is said to still be doing time. Visit the Globe Cemetery where bandits, cowboys and upstanding citizens mingle.

Tag along with author and paranormal historian Debe Branning as she digs through some of Globe's deepest secrets and reveals wicked tales.

Take a paranormal tour of this Pacific Northwest town.

Historic Snohomish has enough ghostly tales for a town twice its size. A policeman named Henry, who died on the floor of the Oxford Tavern, haunts the popular watering hole alongside nearly twenty other impish spirits. Incarcerated for everything from public drunkenness to coldblooded murder, former inmates still crowd the cells of the old county jail on First Street, banging against the metal confines. Locals attribute the faint lilt of a fiddle heard near the railroad tracks to the spirit of the sad, sullen man who committed suicide on the nearby bluff.

In this spooky guide to Snohomish, Washington, Deborah Cuyle reveals the chilling history, strange stories, and wandering souls that refuse to leave their lovely town.

The author of The Haunted Boonslick proves the Show Me State isn’t shy about its ghostly heritage—especially in the beautiful college town at its center.

According to Columbia ghost lore, the city’s dead only dabble with departure. The specter of Broadway legend Maude Adams checks in on classes at Stephens College, while ragtime pioneer John William Boone returns to trail invisible fingers along his grand piano. Some linger from love, like the spirit of the Osage woman who waited for a final walk with the brave she was to marry. Others remain for a reckoning, like the guerrilla stalking Brannock Hall for the Union sniper who shot him down or the murdered child discovered in the plaster of a frontier tavern.

From the columns of Mizzou’s quad to the region’s winding country roads, author Mary Collins Barile explores the restless graves of Columbia’s eerie heritage.

The author of Campus Ghosts of Norman, Oklahoma teams up with a paranormal investigator to uncover the supernatural side of OKC.

Oklahoma City boasts a rich heritage of gumption and perseverance, but there are many tales only whispered from shadows. A spectral woman may be seen in the upper window of the Overholser Mansion, looking for her long-lost love. The spirit of one of Oklahoma’s feistiest leaders is said to dwell in the Governor’s Mansion, where he trips guests on the stairs. Perhaps still thirsty for the drink a fatal gunshot interrupted, the ghost of a cheating mobster rattles the glasses at Gabriella’s off Route 66.

Jeff Provine and Tanya McCoy uncover the curious and creepy tales of the Sooner State capital.

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.

Beyond the sunny shores and emerald waters of Panama City, restless spirits lurk.

The ghosts that haunt this lovely city are reminders of Florida’s past: the battles, murders, and destructive acts of nature that took the lives of countless men and women. Staff at the City Center for the Arts can still hear the footsteps of inmates pacing the cells of the Old County Jail that once occupied the grounds, and a phantom known as Virginia still frequents the elevators of the historic Bay County Courthouse. Not all spirits bring doom and gloom, however—one local family learned how to befriend the resident ghost of their new home that was fond of whistling at night. Using extensive research and interviews, author Beverly Nield details the ghastly history of haunted Panama City.

Travel back in time with the spirits of the San Juans.

Brave men and women came to seek their fortunes in the rough-and-tumble boomtown of Creede. Miners, merchants, dance hall girls, gunslingers and gamblers still haunt its streets and halls. How many ghosts are thought to haunt the historic Creede Hotel? How did the baddest man in camp meet his untimely end, and what do the old-timers say is buried under the floorboards at Freemon’s Ranch? What happened the night an actress from the Creede Repertory Theatre summoned a ghost to join her on stage?

Author Kandra Payne matches fascinating historic details with spine-tingling tales to find out what made the Creede Camp one of the wildest and spookiest boomtowns in the West.

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.

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.

Cross over to the spooky side of Hamilton history

To the casual glance, Hamilton is a typical Midwestern town, but a closer look reveals strange and inexplicable events of possibly supernatural origins. A mischievous poltergeist plays its tricks in a High Street tavern. More than a century ago, a young boy narrowly escaped death in a fall that left him gravely ill, and some say his cries still echo in his family home. A vaporous woman appears on the stairs of a Hamilton home once owned by one of the county's richest men. Could this be his daughter who died from suicide?

Hamilton native and contributor to the Dayton Lane Ghost Walk Shi O'Neill mines the history of the town's many spectral occurrences.

Tales of fascinating pasts and spirited encounters in northern Utah’s spookiest locations from the author and founder of The Dead History.

From Ogden up to Logan, northern Utah claims more than its fair share of restless spirits. The Ben Lomond Hotel was rumored to be the site of a honeymooning bride who tragically drowned in her bathtub, only to have her distraught son consequently commit suicide in the adjoining room. The iconic Union Station still houses passengers in the form of apparitions and disembodied voices. The owner of the Shooting Star Saloon purportedly continues to monkey around with the jukebox and a phantom piano, while Crystal Hot Springs hosts a bevy of spirits, including a crying child, a stabbing victim and multiple pool-related fatalities.

Author Jennifer Jones unearths the stories behind the ghosts that continue to preside over their final destinations.

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.

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.

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.

The long history of San Jose has accumulated a remarkable amount of ghostly tales, from things that go bump in the night to its most famous haunt, the Winchester Mystery House.

A ghostly bride stalks the corridors of the Sainte Claire Hotel, and a spectral janitor still carries out his duties at Overfelt High. At the La Forêt Restaurant, long-dead miners from New Almaden are rumored to appear in rooms they once called home. The ancestral land of the Ohlone people might now be the home of high tech, but its haunted past remains.

Author, educator and lifelong resident Elizabeth Kile brings to life the memories of those who came before — and those who never left.

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.

A collection of chilling tales from the most haunted places in Western Michigan.

Western Michigan is home to some of the state's most picturesque places - and also some of its most chilling tales. Ghost story researcher and enthusiast Amberrose Hammond exposes the mysterious and spirit-ridden world of many beloved Michigan destinations as she skillfully weaves narratives of a world unseen by most. From the lingering spirit forever working in the Grand Theatre and the band of melon-headed children prowling the Saugatuck State Park to the lights of the Lake Forest Cemetery staircase waiting to reveal one's place in the afterlife, these tales are sure to give pause to anyone daring enough to experience these hauntingly beautiful spots...after dark.

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.

Aurora was the first Illinois city to have electric streetlights, but a dark history has resisted illumination as stubborn as the chilly corner of the old roundhouse repels the summer heat.

Learn why Aurora counts City of Cemeteries among its nicknames as Diane Ladley, America's Ghost Storyteller, describes the nineteenth-century doctor suspected of trading bodies between his cancer center and a neighboring graveyard. Other eerie legends and strange stories revealed in this book include the marauding brave brought to justice in the Devil's Cave by his own tribe, the sweet legacy of NFL great Walter Payton and the elephants that saved a circus from a tornado.

Eerie sightings and legendary haunts in the heart of the Idaho panhandle.

Spirits of pioneers who risked their lives in search of fortune still roam the old buildings in the Silver Valley. The ghosts of a young boy and teacher actively wander the halls of The Roosevelt Inn. A prisoner of war haunts the old fort where his torture and killing took place. Still waiting for her lover’s return, an expectant spirit haunts her favorite room in the Jameson Hotel. The skeletons of unfortunate soldiers lie where Fatty Carrol buried their bodies so long ago, and the phantoms of restless miners still linger in abandoned mines. Author Deborah Cuyle reveals Coeur d’Alene and the greater Silver Valley’s fascinating haunted history and the souls that refuse to leave.

Rising from the banks of the Cape Fear River like a spectral stage, Wilmington, North Carolina, remains one of America's most haunted cities. Its beautiful homes and tidal waterways belie a history of violence.

Wilmington is a true theatre of horror, the cast of which includes runaway slaves, children lost at sea, murderous lovers and fallen women of the night who linger in Paradise Alley. Wilmington's ghosts make the Cape Fear region worthy of its name. Author John Hirchak calls upon years of experience as the owner and guide of the Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington to lead his readers on a journey down back alleys and docksides, stopping at various points along the way to listen to the lingering whispers of generations long dead. A wonderful mix of humor and horror, Ghosts of Old Wilmington will delight any reader with an interest in Wilmington's unsavory past.