Big Bend Tunnel John Henry Historical Park 3263 WV 3 Talcott, West Virginia   A Haunted Southern Book of Days–12 September This article is a part of an occasional blog series highlighting Southern hauntings or high strangeness associated with specific days. For a complete listing, see “A Haunted Southern Book of Days.”   Guess I’ll die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord. –“John Henry,” traditional folksong Many stories, songs, and legends celebrate John Henry, an African American steel driver endowed with massive muscles and extraordinary brute strength. As a steel driver, John Hen ..read more

A Haunted Southern Book of Days–31 December Soon Ah will be done with the troubles of the world! –African American Spiritual Stones River National Battlefield3501 Old Nashville HighwayMurfreesboro, Tennessee N. B. I have briefly covered this battlefield in Part I of my coverage of US 41. On New Year’s Eve 1862 just outside of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, soldiers rang in 1863 not with fireworks and celebrations, but with gun and cannon fire and the misery of battle. Here, at the West Fork of Stones River, two mighty armies clashed, with Union General William S. Rosecrans attempting to wrest contro ..read more

N.B. This is an occasional blog series highlighting Southern hauntings or high strangeness that can be associated with specific days. In the last days of 1953 in rural Bladen County, North Carolina, something began attacking dogs, killing them, and leaving their mutilated remains and a mystery behind. Not far from Bladenboro, a resident of Clarkton saw a “sleek, black, about 5 feet long” creature skulking away after killing a dog on the 29th of December. On New Year’s Eve two dogs were “torn into ribbons and crushed” in Bladenboro. On the 1st of January 1954, two more dogs were found in Bladen ..read more

Thirteen years ago, I started this blog and early on, I did a series of articles highlighting places in each of the thirteen states I cover. Those early articles have mostly been updated and separated into their own articles. Please enjoy this updated version of those early articles. Bladon Springs Cemetery Bladon Springs RoadBladon Springs Located near the Tombigbee River, this cemetery and its well-known ghost story recall another disaster that occurred here. In 1913 as the steamboat James T. Staples neared the bend in the river near here, it was rocked by an explosion sending twenty-six sou ..read more

Are you washed in the blood, In the soul-cleansing blood of the lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the lamb? — “Are Your Washed in the Blood?” by Elisha Hoffman (1878) Church Hill (private)John Clayton Memorial Highway (VA 14)Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia Along the banks of the Ware River, Mordecai Cooke established his plantation in 1658, calling it Mordecai’s Mount. Towards the end of the 17th century, Cooke’s son donated a small parcel of land to the local parish to construct a church and thus Ware Episcopal Church was built a short di ..read more

West Main StreetSharpsburg, Maryland Sharpsburg, Maryland is a small, quaint town with a haunting legacy. On the morning of September 17, 1862, fighting broke out just outside of town which developed into the bloodiest battle in American military history, the Battle of Antietam. By the end of that day, more than 22,000 men were dead, wounded or missing. The Confederate armies were packed into many of the buildings and spaces in the small village in an attempt to dislodge the Union armies massed north of town and continue with an invasion of Pennsylvania. The battle ended with the armies having ..read more

NOLA T-Shirt of the Month Club 630 St. Ann Street New Orleans, Louisiana In my work documenting the ghosts of the French Quarter, I have encountered two thoughts that are incongruous. The first thought says that every building in the Quarter is haunted and must have at least one, if not more, ghosts. Secondly, I have discovered that there is little information on the haunting of a vast majority of the places in the Quarter. Most information pertains to the most famous of haunted places, leaving tremendous shadows on other locations. After combing through many books, websites, and conducting in ..read more

This article is part of my series, Street Guide to the Phantoms of the French Quarter, which looks at the haunted places of this neighborhood in a street by street basis. Please see the series main page for an introduction to the French Quarter and links to other streets. Ursulines Street When Adrien de Pauger laid out the streets of New Orleans in 1721, he named this street for his personal saint, Rue de Saint-Adrien. The name did not stick for long and the street was renamed Rue de l’Arsenal. Eventually, the name was changed to honor St. Ursula, the patron of the Ursuline Sisters who ar ..read more

Stay away from jazz and liquor, and the men who play for fun. That’s the thought that came upon me when we both reached for the gun. — “They both reached for the gun.” from the musical Chicago (1975) by John Kander and Fred Ebb. 715, 725, & 735 Ursulines Street (private) While reading about the infamous 1927 “Trunk Murders,” my mind instantly began to draw parallels with the Kander and Ebb musical Chicago. The musical explores the intersection of murder, tabloid journalism, and infamy, all against the backdrop of Prohibition-era Chicago with its wild criminality and vaudeville entertainmen ..read more

This article is part of my series, Street Guide to the Phantoms of the French Quarter, which looks at the haunted places of this neighborhood in a street by street basis. Please see the series main page for an introduction to the French Quarter and links to other streets. Conti Street Conti Street sign, 2019 by Infrogmation, courtesy of Wikipedia. According to historian Stanley Clisby Arthur, Bourbon Street was initially called Conti Street for the Princess Conti. When Bourbon Street was renamed, this street was renamed Conti. Sources Arthur, Stanley Clisby. Walking Tours of Old New Orle ..read more