Legends & Lore of Little Beaver Creek


Book Description

A dark and bloody past lurks beneath the folklore of the Little Beaver Creek watershed in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The first American frontiersmen hesitantly settled this region in the late 1700s following more than forty years of warfare. Fables like Barbara Davidson, the Pig Lady of Cannelton, sprang from this long, horrific conflict. The legends of Esther Hale, the White Lady of Sprucevale, and Gretchen's Lock rose shortly thereafter, whereas the age of the Indian Rock petroglyph remains hotly debated. Today, most locals know these stories. But few know the purpose of Indian Rock or why Barbara's restless spirit sometimes appears with a pig's head. Using methods honed over twenty years of service as a Department of Defense intelligence analyst, author Michael Kishbucher uncovers the history and potential origins of these and other tales.




The Appalachian Legend of the Wizard Clip


Book Description

In the early 1790s, a Lutheran family in Appalachia fell victim to a menacing spirit that Lutheran, Methodist and Episcopal clergy as well as Folk magic practitioners failed to remove. The entity, which came to be known as the Wizard Clip, was said to cut or slice anything made of cloth or leather. Was it a ghost or a demon? After years of torment, the deeply Protestant family finally found respite from a seemingly impossible ally, a Catholic exorcist. This legend has eerie parallels to lore of ghosts and witches from the Old World as well as the early American Republic. As American religious leaders sought to find a place for their congregations in a post-Revolutionary time of enlightened secularism, tales like these helped churches define themselves, and this particular story was used to distinguish Catholic supernaturalism from later spiritualism. Author Michael Kishbucher tells a spooky and incredibly compelling story that shines a light on the region's religious history.




Summary of Thomas White's Supernatural Lore of Pennsylvania


Book Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Ghosts are history. Whether you believe in them or not, every time a ghost story is told, someone is providing an interpretation of events of the past. The details of a ghost story may be factually accurate, or they may only be loosely based on actual occurrences. #2 The story of Barbara Davidson, a young woman who was murdered and decapitated, is told at a local play every other year. Her head was never found, and her ghost has reportedly appeared to and interacted with dozens of local residents. #3 In 1794, Barbara returned to live with her parents in Beaver County. She resumed her work on the farm, and everything seemed to return to normal. In 1795, her parents and the rest of the family made a trip to Pittsburgh to purchase livestock and poultry. When they returned, Barbara was missing. Her body was found buried in the cemetery about two miles from her home. #4 The story of the ghost was so well known that in 1935, the financially struggling Negley Traction Company tried to use it to make some extra money. It offered a tour called Barbara Davidson’s Midnight Excursion, charging fifty cents a head to ride the trolley out to the graveyard and past some of the locations where the ghost had allegedly appeared.




Legends, Lore and Secrets of Western New York


Book Description

Listen to the whispered legends of spirits, heroes and traitors hidden in one of New York's most captivating regions. Like the region's first inhabitants, the "Cat People," who made clothing from the mountain lions and panthers that they hunted, Western New Yorkers still savor the tradition of storytelling. Tales such as the "Mail-Riding Mamma" of Chautauqua County, who carried both the post and her infant child above her head as she journeyed across perilously-flooded creeks, and the Ossian Giant, who at age 19 stood 7 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 385 pounds, are vividly narrated by Buffalo storyteller Lorna MacDonald Czarnota.










Supernatural Lore of Pennsylvania


Book Description

Local legends and paranormal mysteries of Pennsylvania—photos included. Strange creatures and tales of the supernatural thrive in Pennsylvania, from ghostly children who linger by their graves to werewolves that ambush nighttime travelers. Passed down over generations, Keystone State legends and lore provide both thrilling stories and dire warnings. Phantom trains chug down the now removed rails of the P&LE Railroad line on the Great Allegheny Passage. A wild ape boy is said to roam the Chester swamps, while the weeping Squonk wanders the hemlock-shrouded hills of central Pennsylvania, lamenting his hideousness. On dark nights, the ghosts of Betty Knox and her Union soldier beau still search for each other at Dunbar Creek. Join Thomas White and company as they go in search of the truth behind the legends of supernatural Pennsylvania.




Colorado Legends & Lore


Book Description

Colorado is steeped in stories as unique as the people who settled it. Each wave of exploration and settlement brought new tales to explain the mysteries of this incomparable place. With extreme weather and breathtaking landscapes, it seems only natural that Colorado could play host to UFOs, stripper lightning and the Fountain of Love. From creation myths and rumored Aztec treasure to snow snakes and drunken house flies, professional yarn-spinner Stephanie Waters turns an eye to the ancient lore of the Centennial State.




I Know What I Saw


Book Description

Which came first--the monster or the myth? Journalist Linda Godfrey investigates present-day encounters with mysterious creatures of old. The monsters of ancient mythology, folklore, and more contemporary urban legend have long captured the popular imagination. While most people in America today relegate monsters to just that--our imaginations--we continue to be fascinated by the unknown. Linda Godfrey is one of the country's leading authorities on modern-day monsters and has interviewed countless eyewitnesses to strange phenomena. Monsters evolve, taking on both new and familiar forms over time and across cultures. In this well-researched book, Godfrey explores uncanny encounters with werewolves, goatmen, Bigfoot, and more. In more than twenty-five years spent "chasing" monsters, Godfrey has found that it often remains unclear whether the sightings are simply mistaken animals, hoaxes, or coincidence. When all the speculation is said and done, one question remains for fans and researchers: Are the creatures "real," or are they entirely "other-world?" Godfrey suspects that it isn't an either/or question--our reality operates on a scale from dense matter to realms the human eye cannot see. As Godfrey investigates unexplained phenomena, her search for answers will fascinate casual observers and enthusiasts alike.




Legends & Lore of Western Pennsylvania


Book Description

Thomas White spins a beguiling yarn with tales that reach from the misty hollows of the Alleghenies to the lost islands of Pittsburgh. Oppaymolleah's Curse. General Braddock's buried gold. The original man of steel, Joe Magarac. Such legends have found a home among the rich folklore of Western Pennsylvania. White invites readers to learn the truth behind the urban legend of the Green Man, speculate on the conspiracy surrounding the lost B-25 bomber of Monongahela and shiver over the ghostly lore of Western Pennsylvania.




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