Haunted Highway: The Spirits of Route 66

by Ellen Robson, Dianne Freeman

A guide to sixty-six spine-tingling tales of haunted homes, businesses and graveyards along America's "Mother Road."
It's no accident that Route 66 begins in Chicago- at Jackson Boulevard and Michigan Ave. It was started by adventurous souls who had already traveled this far west and began forging the haphazard trail even farther. They followed market routes, stagecoach routes and sometimes paths or trails that, patched together, made one continuous route. Paving the roads made it easier for the rest of us to follow, but they were the first. Many of their spirits are still there, waiting for you to visit.

From Chicago's Biograph Theater, we travel west through places like St. Charles, Missouri; Gutherie, Oklahoma and Jerome, Arizona. Ending up at The Georgian Hotel's Speakeasy Restaurant in Santa Monica, California.

We hope you will pack up your bags, grab this book and hit the road. Or if you prefer to be an armchair traveler, we still think you'll have an exciting trip along our haunted version of Route 66.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Travel, History, Ghosts

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 1999

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consists of interesting haunted places along Route 66; primarily in mansions converted into bed and breakfast’s, restaurants, taverns, and hotels. The author tells the tale for each location. Fun read. May need to stop at a few on our Rote 66 trip.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Garbage.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this while traveling Route 66 this Summer. Fun, easy read and not overly “scary”. Informative for ghost and Route 66 enthusiasts, of which I’m both.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting reading about all of the haunted places although the stories sort of run together after a while.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up and read it while on my trip in Arizona and was driving around on Route 66 daily. This was a fun short read perfect for reading while traveling and when I had down time. Sixty six short ghost stories about places located along Route 66, I really enjoyed reading about these hauntings.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as a travel companion or just to use as a starting point to some haunted locations along Route 66. Each place that is found in here has a short description of the haunting, some of the history and also at the end of each location entry there is contact information and directions on how to get there. There are many black and white pictures throughout as well, and also a sources section at the end to go get more information.

The book wasn't overly exaggerated as some books on hauntings tend to be, or dramatized is another word for it. It was clean, precise and kept to the point. Quick read too.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, although the cutesy premise actually works against it. The authors had to find 66 haunted places on Route 66. Well, near it, sort of, because they wander quite a ways off the actual route. For instance, three of the California locations are MILES from the actual path of Route 66.
Still, the vignettes are cute, and of the sites I was familiar with, their stories ring true. My own experience coincides with their details in one case, which made the book a bit more real to me.
It would be fun to visit more of the sites in the book, but crowding 66 stories into this short book means that the information is scanty in many cases.

[Don LaFountaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty good ghost story book with a number of tales that I had not read in other books. Personally, I enjoyed it more when I was reading it at night, because for me it accentuated the "creepy" factor, and so I would recommend reading the book at night if possible. Finally, it is a book that is meant to be read while on a road trip on Route 66. I am sure that the stories would have different feel if I was actually at some of these places while reading it. All in all, I did enjoy this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes ghost stories.

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good guidebook for a ghost-filled road trip, and decently researched. Not many standout stories, though, as it's focused on summaries over tale-telling. (B)

[Sarah R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was very interesting and I liked the different stories about historic sites on Route 66.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but I wish they told me more about how the people died and not just the "haunting a" people experienced.

[Ruby Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some very interesting and spooky stories!