Ghosts and Haunted Houses of Maryland

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining yet Informative
Review: I love this book, I first read it about 13 years ago when my Aunt Belle told me that her house was going to be in it... But have enjoyed the whole thing thuroughly... Well worth the 8 bucks

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining yet Informative
Review: I love this book, I first read it about 13 years ago when my Aunt Belle told me that her house was going to be in it... But have enjoyed the whole thing thuroughly... Well worth the 8 bucks

Rating:
Summary: A panorama of Maryland ghost folklore
Review: When one thinks of ghosts, an association with Maryland is slow to come to mind. There's no reason to think the U.S.'s seventh state would be void of them; it's been heavily populated for at least 300 years and it has had its share of trauma. GHOSTS & HAUNTED HOUSES OF MARYLAND collects 25 of its best known tales of the netherworld to entertain and inform its readers. It is ghost folklore narrated in a classic style. While the journalistic (or, alternately, historical) effort is satisfactory, there is room for improvement.

This slim volume includes stories of two people who were--many believe falsely--implicated in the Lincoln assassination and remain restless after their deaths. Another legend is that of the evil Patty Cannon, who kidnaped those of African descent in the early 19th century (regardless of whether they were slaves or free) and sold them. Some of her victims (possibly including her husband) instead met torture and death in the attic of Cannon's tavern, which still stands today. Yet another story chronicles the ghost who follows an antique dining table that was sold in Maryland to a customer who moved out of state.

Each non-fiction account gives the living's reports of their encounters with Maryland's restless spirits and a bit of the backgrounds that possibly brought about their situations. Although author Trish Gallagher goes into sufficient detail, even more depth could've made it absolutely riveting. For instance, it would add even more intrigue to have the impressions of a medium on some of these haunted places or some paranormal investigation followed by the backup of primary documentation. These stories might be worth repeating around the campfire, but this reviewer has yet to find a paranormal investigator who is completely thorough.

Howard Burns's illustrations build up the atmosphere of the stories with their ghostly emphasis. Unfortunately, the art makes an unsatisfactory replacement for the real spirit photograph Gallagher describes in "The Ghost in the Picture." Spirit photographs occur more frequently than most people realize; however, ones that actually show faces are a rare phenomenon. It would've been exceptional if this collection included the real thing.

The slant of this book is definitely on true ghost stories of the locale and it delivers what it promises. It's mostly the inevitable footsteps and knockings when no one else is in the house; odors permeating from undetermined sources. This anthology is for people who enjoy a literary shiver. Those who have a genealogical interest going through the state might also run across information on a pertinent family or homestead.

This volume does fill a void in Maryland. With all of the Civil War battles that prevailed in neighboring Virginia, it predominates the local bookstore shelves in this category of regional interest. (It is a rare to find regional ghost folklore books outside of the area they're focused on.) GHOSTS & HAUNTED HOUSES OF MARYLAND satisfies an eclectic need for its section of the country.