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Dark History of Penn's Woods II: Unusual Deaths, Crimes, and Hauntings in Southeastern Pennsylvania
“Dark History of Penn’s Woods is the perfect book to keep you up all night… It’s ghostly, it’s ghastly, and we guarantee some of the included photos will stay with you!” ― Philly Mag
A sequel to the first Dark History book, Murder, Madness, and Misadventure in Southeastern Pennsylvania , this book features more true tales of the region's disasters, deaths and tragedies – offering readers a window into a macabre slice of history.
From the “coffin ships” that brought desperate European immigrants to American shores, to an explosion that took the lives of nineteen people, the Greater Philadelphia area has experienced its fair share of tragedy. Learn about the catastrophic fire that took the lives of nine ballerinas, investigate gruesome cases of murder for life insurance, and ponder the possibility that a Pennsylvania businessman appeared in ghostly form on a busy street the day before he died. Finally, one of the most puzzling cold cases in Pennsylvania history is finally solved after more than sixty years using forensic genealogy, while another unidentified little girl still waits for her own justice.
Praise for Darkest History Vol. I
“..the perfect book to keep you up all night."
Philadelphia Magazine
"Throughout the book, [Green] iterates that she is writing about history that has been largely forgotten and ignored due to its dark nature. By bringing these stories to the light again, she has given her readers a great gift...”
Broad Street Review
“….a tribute to suburban Philadelphia weirdness, evildoing, and death.”
Montco Today
Table of Contents
1 Odyssey of Coffin Ships on the Delaware River
2 Bonfire of the Ballet Girls
3 City on The Week that Chester Burned
4 The God Dr. Ellwood Harvey and the Delaware County Doppelgänger
5 The End of the The Byers Ax Murder
6 Reasonable The Execution of Alexander McClay Williams
7 The Root of All Greed, Murder, and Life Insurance Swindles in Greater Philadelphia
8 The Root of All Black Widows and America’s First Serial Killer
9 Known But to The Boy in the Box, the Girl in the Suitcase, and Unidentified Remains in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Acknowledgments
A sequel to the first Dark History book, Murder, Madness, and Misadventure in Southeastern Pennsylvania , this book features more true tales of the region's disasters, deaths and tragedies – offering readers a window into a macabre slice of history.
From the “coffin ships” that brought desperate European immigrants to American shores, to an explosion that took the lives of nineteen people, the Greater Philadelphia area has experienced its fair share of tragedy. Learn about the catastrophic fire that took the lives of nine ballerinas, investigate gruesome cases of murder for life insurance, and ponder the possibility that a Pennsylvania businessman appeared in ghostly form on a busy street the day before he died. Finally, one of the most puzzling cold cases in Pennsylvania history is finally solved after more than sixty years using forensic genealogy, while another unidentified little girl still waits for her own justice.
Praise for Darkest History Vol. I
“..the perfect book to keep you up all night."
Philadelphia Magazine
"Throughout the book, [Green] iterates that she is writing about history that has been largely forgotten and ignored due to its dark nature. By bringing these stories to the light again, she has given her readers a great gift...”
Broad Street Review
“….a tribute to suburban Philadelphia weirdness, evildoing, and death.”
Montco Today
Table of Contents
1 Odyssey of Coffin Ships on the Delaware River
2 Bonfire of the Ballet Girls
3 City on The Week that Chester Burned
4 The God Dr. Ellwood Harvey and the Delaware County Doppelgänger
5 The End of the The Byers Ax Murder
6 Reasonable The Execution of Alexander McClay Williams
7 The Root of All Greed, Murder, and Life Insurance Swindles in Greater Philadelphia
8 The Root of All Black Widows and America’s First Serial Killer
9 Known But to The Boy in the Box, the Girl in the Suitcase, and Unidentified Remains in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Acknowledgments
- GenresNonfiction
192 pages, Paperback
Published October 12, 2023
2 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer L. Green
8 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 27, 2024
Pennsylvania’s long history has been plagued with tragedy, disasters, deaths, and murders. Even the trans-Atlantic voyage was often deadly. Devastating fires were not uncommon, and there are more victims of homicide than anyone cares to count. All this and more help make up the unusual history of the second state of the union.
Dark History of Penn’s Woods II by writer and researcher Jennifer L. Green is her second book of “Unusual Deaths, Crimes and Hauntings in Southeastern Pennsylvania.” After the success of her first book, Green curated and wrote nine more grim tales. Green explores the tragic history from “Coffin Ships” to axe murders to a serial killer. Green gives an in-depth background to each subject. Each story includes historical illustrations and photographs to help bring the history to life.
Each chapter is a well-written account of a dark history of Pennsylvania’s past. Green does not sensationalize crimes or murder but keeps the book interesting with information and accurate stories. This is a quick read for those interested in true historical crimes and tragedies.
this review was originally published at https://losangelesbookreview.com/revi...
Dark History of Penn’s Woods II by writer and researcher Jennifer L. Green is her second book of “Unusual Deaths, Crimes and Hauntings in Southeastern Pennsylvania.” After the success of her first book, Green curated and wrote nine more grim tales. Green explores the tragic history from “Coffin Ships” to axe murders to a serial killer. Green gives an in-depth background to each subject. Each story includes historical illustrations and photographs to help bring the history to life.
Each chapter is a well-written account of a dark history of Pennsylvania’s past. Green does not sensationalize crimes or murder but keeps the book interesting with information and accurate stories. This is a quick read for those interested in true historical crimes and tragedies.
this review was originally published at https://losangelesbookreview.com/revi...
Displaying 1 of 1 review