The history of The White Lady of Baker Cemetery, Elizabeth Betsey Reed, the first and only woman hung in Illinois and other ghostly tales from Lawrence and Crawford Counties
The death, resurrection and retribution of Zona Heaster Shue, The Greenbrier Ghost
Back in 1897, when Trout Shue snapped the neck of his wife, Zona Heaster Shue, the Greenbrier Ghost, he believed his troubles were over. He didn’t know it at the time, but the ghost of his murdered wife had two accomplices – his mother in law and his ex wife – who ensured he remained […]
This Old Gothic House II: What are ghosts, what type of ghosts are there, and what types of ghosts do I live with?
It’s now October 31 … has been for about nine minutes. Tonight is Halloween. Covid is on the upswing in our town, as well as the towns we venture off to for supplies. Otherwise I’m at home, or in the country, away from people. It’s a good time to take an inventory of the ghosts […]
True Confessions: In which the author relates his own encounters in the land of Sleepy Hollow
Above: The shot I was taking in Washington Irving’s Sunnyside when the lady laughed. People are always asking me if I believe these stories, they say “Todd” … That’s neither here nor there. But I will offer up a couple of experiences I’ve had, both coming from the Sleepy Hollow area of New York.
Old Wardour Castle … a splendidly haunted ruin in the British countryside
“On the south western border of Wiltshire about half between Salisbury and Shaftesbury and in the parish Tisbury stand the ivy crowned remains of the old castle Wardour.” The Antiquary, Volumes 3-4 Front Cover.W. Allen, 1873 Old Wardour Castle was built as an impressive fortified home for Lord Lovell in the late 14th Century. But before the end […]
True witch legends from southern Illinois … giving Carmi’s Cato the witch the last laugh on her neighbors, and an insight into folklore and history
There’s a difference between folklore out here in the prairies of the United States, than say, the folklore of Britain. When people starting collecting the unwritten tales of small rural communities across Britain and Europe in the 19th century, our ancestors were just getting here, bringing their folklore with them. There was no folklore to […]
