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The Black Hope Horror: The True Story of a Haunting
An account of the haunting of a home describes how Ben and Jean Williams experienced bizarre events--strange markings carved on a tree's trunk, ants, snakes, haywire appliances, and mysterious illnesses--in their new house in Texas. Reprint.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1991
2 people are currently reading
551 people want to read
About the author
Ben Williams
132 books8 followersLibrarian note:
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There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 1, 2008
I read this book at least ten years ago, but there must have been something amazing about it, because I have never gotten it off my mind... I plan to reread it soon...
April 10, 2024
One of the best true haunting books I have ever read...think Poltergeist, but real. The people who wrote this book are very believable. You sympathize with them and really feel their pain. The edition I have also has newspaper clippings and street maps. This is definitely a book I can sit and read in a weekend and will read again and again.
Read
July 24, 2014I actually live in the neighborhood where this happened. I visited the house once and it didn't seem like anything unusual happened
October 14, 2009
a couple unknowingly move into a house that has been built over an old african american cemetary, right away strange things appen and it turns out that five homes in their subdivision were built over the cemetary, and it isn,t until things take a tragic turn for the worse that they learn the truth, and the aftermath, and what happens afterwards. it is a good book
June 26, 2013
~ Lady Book Voodoo Review ~
Normally I wouldnt give anyone a bad review . So this time is no different. I am just going to tell you that if you pick this up to read and your in a bookstore? Maybe you should think about looking at your local library. It would benifit you better. Very slow . .
Normally I wouldnt give anyone a bad review . So this time is no different. I am just going to tell you that if you pick this up to read and your in a bookstore? Maybe you should think about looking at your local library. It would benifit you better. Very slow . .
September 27, 2010
This was the scariest book I've ever read. It left me with a creepy, disturbed feeling for days. The writing could have been better, and it dragged in spots, but the chills were worth the effort of sticking with it.
September 30, 2009
Read this in high school; it was a pretty creepy story.
August 17, 2012
So creepy, especially since it is based on a true story. It was even on the show Unsolved Mysteries (paranormal collection), I loved it, but felt sorry for the family.
January 5, 2018
What a nightmare to find out the homes in your neighborhood, including your own were built over a cemetery. That is what happened to the residents of Newport, a suburb in Texas. Their subdivision was built over a slave cemetery-Black Hope, the headstones razed over, to be forgotten & disrespected. Ben & Jean Williams, had the first house built in the subdivision. It was to be their retirement home. They were puzzled over the rectangular sink holes in the yard & in their neighborhood. However, strange things started happening. They would see shape shadow figures, their toilets started flushing on their own, the animals (pets & outside animals) started behaving strangely & started killing each other, 5 members of their family who had been to their house got cancer all around the same time, there was sickness, unexplained ants, a wood pecker that kept pecking at the window, birds that attacked, etc., & the final straw was when the William's daughter died. Their neighbors were having problems too. The Haney's were warned not to build a swimming pool in the back yard by a man claiming they were people buried back there. Out of curiosity, they had a backhoe dig & they found the graves. Section 8 of this neighborhood was cursed. After research & conversations with a man that use to be the grave digger, it was confirmed that there was Black Hope Cemetery beneath their homes. This book was frightening & very sad that the company Parcell who built this neighborhood could have cared less about those buried & at rest. Desecrating graves comes with a great price as evil was awakened in Crosby, Texas.
September 20, 2019
***One of my favorite books of 2019***
***October Reads 2019 #3***
I first heard about The Black Hope Cemetery on Unsolved Mysteries:
Black Hope Cemetery
There is also a movie about it starring Patty Duke:
Grave Secrets
Whether any of it is true or not, it is a fascinating story.
It is an extremely creepy book. I'm not ashamed to admit that it left me feeling spooked.
My only drawback from this book is I would have enjoyed seeing more pictures.
Re-watches are in order for me! 👻👻👻
April 15, 2008
you have to decide for yourself if life after death is possible
August 1, 2015
Really horrifying story and heartwrenching too
August 18, 2014
I want to look into Glenn's eye! (No, I don't.)
I've never read one of these "true haunting" books before. It was kinda fun.
I've never read one of these "true haunting" books before. It was kinda fun.
Read
June 11, 2025This book is an absolute must-read for anyone curious about the supernatural or fascinated by ghost stories. I will be honest—I am not entirely sold on the idea of ghosts, at least not the kind that float through walls and whisper in spooky voices like they do in movies. But after reading this, I am definitely not as confident in my disbelief.
What really sets this book apart is the way it is written. It feels more like a documentary than a typical horror novel. These are not wild fictional tales but detailed accounts based on true events. That makes it all the more chilling. The people in this story were not thrill-seekers or ghost hunters. They were ordinary folks just trying to live their lives. And for some reason, something decided to torment them for years. Why? Who knows. They seemed like decent people. But apparently, that did not matter to whatever was haunting them.
If you are from Houston, Texas, this book will hit especially hard. It digs into local history you probably never heard about in school. I will not spoil the whole thing, but let’s just say there was an old cemetery involved. And judging by what happened, the spirits were not too pleased with their neighbors. Maybe it was a case of bad geography. Or maybe some houses just come with really angry roommates from the afterlife.
I do not know for sure if it was ghosts. But I absolutely believe something was going on. Too many strange things happened for it all to be chalked up to coincidence. The odds of that many weird events piling up by chance? Not buying it.
This book is gripping, eerie, and fascinating from start to finish. The only downside is it is tough to find a copy these days. But if you ever see one, grab it fast. Just maybe do not read it alone at night.
What really sets this book apart is the way it is written. It feels more like a documentary than a typical horror novel. These are not wild fictional tales but detailed accounts based on true events. That makes it all the more chilling. The people in this story were not thrill-seekers or ghost hunters. They were ordinary folks just trying to live their lives. And for some reason, something decided to torment them for years. Why? Who knows. They seemed like decent people. But apparently, that did not matter to whatever was haunting them.
If you are from Houston, Texas, this book will hit especially hard. It digs into local history you probably never heard about in school. I will not spoil the whole thing, but let’s just say there was an old cemetery involved. And judging by what happened, the spirits were not too pleased with their neighbors. Maybe it was a case of bad geography. Or maybe some houses just come with really angry roommates from the afterlife.
I do not know for sure if it was ghosts. But I absolutely believe something was going on. Too many strange things happened for it all to be chalked up to coincidence. The odds of that many weird events piling up by chance? Not buying it.
This book is gripping, eerie, and fascinating from start to finish. The only downside is it is tough to find a copy these days. But if you ever see one, grab it fast. Just maybe do not read it alone at night.
April 16, 2020
While I'm very skeptical that this is actually a true story, it is a very creepy book. If those things were actually happening, there is no way I would have stuck around for six years, even if someone paid me. I would have counted my losses and left. There are tons of extremely terrifying things going on in and around the house. This is a fast-paced read with fairly short chapters. I would recommend this to anyone who likes haunted houses and books like The Amityville Horror.
September 15, 2019
I love a haunted house story that actually features a haunted house. I am not convinced this is a true story, some of the facts in the book contradict other stories on this case. It could have been written better, but it is a fun read.
September 21, 2017
I read this book several years back. This was a good book. I won't say anything else because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. I recommend this book.
October 23, 2020
Best to read this for the horror. A little far fetched to be non fiction.
September 26, 2021
Read this book a few years back and it's left a lasting impression. If you want a good scare, look no further than this book here.
October 23, 2022
Very good book read it years ago, anyone who loves scary stories I recommend this a book for you, enjoy
May 1, 2025
If you can find it, read it. It is riveting.
November 21, 2025
When I started reading this book, it reminded me a lot of Poltergeist (film). Here is a memoir from the 1980s in Crosby, TX: when a family unknowingly moves into a new subdivision that was built over a historical Black cemetery, they quickly find themselves in an unreal situation. I couldn’t help but be reminded of how many Black communities have been destroyed and covered up (Central Park, Lake Lanier, etc).
May 14, 2012
I sought this book out because I'd seen an old episode of Unsolved Mysteries which mentioned the case. It's actually out of print, so it took me some time to find it. Apparently there is also a movie based on the book, but I've yet to locate a copy.
The book is supposed to be a recounting of the events that surrounded Ben and Jean Williams, who bought a house in a subdivision of Newport, Texas in the early 1980s. The story on Unsolved Mysteries did include the Williams couple, but mostly covered bodies found in the yard of their neighbours, the Haneys.
As these stories tend to go, after moving into their newly built house the Williams started experiencing strange things. Toilets flushing by themselves, footsteps, cold spots, strange dreams, shadowy figures, and a garage door that would open and close by itself. Then over time, six members of their extended family were diagnosed with cancer, of which I believe three succumbed to it, another died later of something else. The Williams felt that the cancer and misfortunes were somehow connected to the house.
They had heard rumours that the houses in the subdivision had been built over a cemetery, and eventually found this to be fact. According to their sources, the land had originally been part of an estate which at some point in the past had been owned by the McKinneys, who ran a farm worked by slaves. Later generations of those slaves had become share-croppers and worked the same land. At some point the McKinneys had allowed the slaves to use a parcel of land to bury their dead, which over time became a sort of pauper's burial ground for local blacks, they named it Black Hope. Burials carried on there until some point in 1939.
A company named Purcell bought the land from one of the McKinneys and built a subdivision, claiming it had no knowledge of the cemetery, despite evidence to the contrary. At some point while digging a pool the Haneys unearthed the remains of a couple who were later identified as Betty and Charlie Thomas.
Eventually the Williams came to learn that they weren't the only ones in the street having trouble with the paranormal, but they were the second to last to leave. According to the book, all of the eight houses were eventually abandoned and foreclosed upon.
As far as whether or not this book is the complete truth, who knows. I did notice some inconsistencies between the interviews people gave on Unsolved Mysteries and the events as they were put forth in the book. Furthermore, newspaper clippings featured in the book tend to indicate that some neighbours didn't have trouble at all which contradicts the claim that everyone in the street left.
My feeling on these sorts of things tends to be that something happened, and in the aftermath, people being unreliable witnesses at the best of times, let alone under stress, expand on or mistake events, and even attribute potentially explainable events to the supernatural because they either don't understand the cause or they are just so beaten down by what is going on that they have a tenuous grasp of reality outside of their situation.
I do believe that something happened to these people, what exactly will remain a mystery. As to the validity of the book as a whole, I'm a touch dubious due to the time frame, and unless they wrote down things as they happened I doubt their memories would be accurate over about 5 years, no matter how remarkable the events were. The book itself was entertaining enough, but written in such a straightforward way that at times it dragged a little. The subject matter carried the lacklustre writing however. Over all it's an interesting story no matter how you slice it, so I'm sure anyone interested in ghost stories based on someone eles reality would get something out of it.
The book is supposed to be a recounting of the events that surrounded Ben and Jean Williams, who bought a house in a subdivision of Newport, Texas in the early 1980s. The story on Unsolved Mysteries did include the Williams couple, but mostly covered bodies found in the yard of their neighbours, the Haneys.
As these stories tend to go, after moving into their newly built house the Williams started experiencing strange things. Toilets flushing by themselves, footsteps, cold spots, strange dreams, shadowy figures, and a garage door that would open and close by itself. Then over time, six members of their extended family were diagnosed with cancer, of which I believe three succumbed to it, another died later of something else. The Williams felt that the cancer and misfortunes were somehow connected to the house.
They had heard rumours that the houses in the subdivision had been built over a cemetery, and eventually found this to be fact. According to their sources, the land had originally been part of an estate which at some point in the past had been owned by the McKinneys, who ran a farm worked by slaves. Later generations of those slaves had become share-croppers and worked the same land. At some point the McKinneys had allowed the slaves to use a parcel of land to bury their dead, which over time became a sort of pauper's burial ground for local blacks, they named it Black Hope. Burials carried on there until some point in 1939.
A company named Purcell bought the land from one of the McKinneys and built a subdivision, claiming it had no knowledge of the cemetery, despite evidence to the contrary. At some point while digging a pool the Haneys unearthed the remains of a couple who were later identified as Betty and Charlie Thomas.
Eventually the Williams came to learn that they weren't the only ones in the street having trouble with the paranormal, but they were the second to last to leave. According to the book, all of the eight houses were eventually abandoned and foreclosed upon.
As far as whether or not this book is the complete truth, who knows. I did notice some inconsistencies between the interviews people gave on Unsolved Mysteries and the events as they were put forth in the book. Furthermore, newspaper clippings featured in the book tend to indicate that some neighbours didn't have trouble at all which contradicts the claim that everyone in the street left.
My feeling on these sorts of things tends to be that something happened, and in the aftermath, people being unreliable witnesses at the best of times, let alone under stress, expand on or mistake events, and even attribute potentially explainable events to the supernatural because they either don't understand the cause or they are just so beaten down by what is going on that they have a tenuous grasp of reality outside of their situation.
I do believe that something happened to these people, what exactly will remain a mystery. As to the validity of the book as a whole, I'm a touch dubious due to the time frame, and unless they wrote down things as they happened I doubt their memories would be accurate over about 5 years, no matter how remarkable the events were. The book itself was entertaining enough, but written in such a straightforward way that at times it dragged a little. The subject matter carried the lacklustre writing however. Over all it's an interesting story no matter how you slice it, so I'm sure anyone interested in ghost stories based on someone eles reality would get something out of it.
July 10, 2024
I heard the stories from family, friends, and teachers. All the strange happenings in a little subdivision in my small hometown of Texas. I was 17 when I picked up the book across the street at the library and read it for the first time. I had CHILLS run through my body every chapter I read. It's one thing to hear about an urban legend you're whole life. An entirely different thing to read it off these pages. This book proudly sits on my shelf, and I would recommend everyone to give it a read.
March 14, 2009
This book took me a while to get through. It just wasn't riveting to me. That being said, there were some genuinely creepy moments.
Ben and Jean Williams built what they thought was their dream home on a street called Poppet's Way. It wasn't long after moving in, however, that weird things started to happen. Plants died. Freak storms. Moving shadows. Toilets flushed by themselves. The garage door opened by itself.
But then the really weird (and tragic) things started to happen. Several relatives were diagnosed with cancer and then started dying. One of the Williamses' daughter went insane. Previously happy marriages ended in divorce. Pets dropped dead left and right.
When one of the neighbors tried to install a swimming pool, he discovered bodies buried in his yard. Guess what? It turned out, the subdivision had been built over the Black Hope Cemetery.
And someone (or something) was really pissed about it.
The Williamses held on for six years, battling what they finally came to believe was the Devil himself. They couldn't just abandon the house like so many of their neighbors had; they couldn't afford it. But when their daughter Tina died of a massive heart attack while inside the house, that was the last straw. They picked up and moved to Montana and never looked back.
Like I said, this book was okay. A decent story, but not un-put-down-able. Footsteps, cracks in the walls, cold spots, snakes, black ant infestations...creepy, yes. But not creepy enough to hold my attention for more than a few minutes at a time.
Ben and Jean Williams built what they thought was their dream home on a street called Poppet's Way. It wasn't long after moving in, however, that weird things started to happen. Plants died. Freak storms. Moving shadows. Toilets flushed by themselves. The garage door opened by itself.
But then the really weird (and tragic) things started to happen. Several relatives were diagnosed with cancer and then started dying. One of the Williamses' daughter went insane. Previously happy marriages ended in divorce. Pets dropped dead left and right.
When one of the neighbors tried to install a swimming pool, he discovered bodies buried in his yard. Guess what? It turned out, the subdivision had been built over the Black Hope Cemetery.
And someone (or something) was really pissed about it.
The Williamses held on for six years, battling what they finally came to believe was the Devil himself. They couldn't just abandon the house like so many of their neighbors had; they couldn't afford it. But when their daughter Tina died of a massive heart attack while inside the house, that was the last straw. They picked up and moved to Montana and never looked back.
Like I said, this book was okay. A decent story, but not un-put-down-able. Footsteps, cracks in the walls, cold spots, snakes, black ant infestations...creepy, yes. But not creepy enough to hold my attention for more than a few minutes at a time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2015
I want to start by saying that I am a believer in the existence of ghosts.
This book was so painful and bad. The "proof" of the haunting is laughable... perhaps it was not at the time for those who lived through it. However, when no alternative explanation is ever investigated, and the claims of "the evil in this house is making relatives who don't live in the house sick" go WAY beyond the threshold of belief for yours truly.
I suppose it'd be a good read if you don't apply critical thought... but as someone who wants to read about actual hauntings, I not only refuse to turn off my brain for the sake of entertainment - but I certainly don't like that this type of "evidence" and "true story" is what people will think that *I* believe.
Real rating: 0 stars and I want that time of my life back.
This book was so painful and bad. The "proof" of the haunting is laughable... perhaps it was not at the time for those who lived through it. However, when no alternative explanation is ever investigated, and the claims of "the evil in this house is making relatives who don't live in the house sick" go WAY beyond the threshold of belief for yours truly.
I suppose it'd be a good read if you don't apply critical thought... but as someone who wants to read about actual hauntings, I not only refuse to turn off my brain for the sake of entertainment - but I certainly don't like that this type of "evidence" and "true story" is what people will think that *I* believe.
Real rating: 0 stars and I want that time of my life back.
October 23, 2008
Not finished yet. It's an interesting story of a true haunted house, however the writing is a little juvenille and apparently everyone that lives in this neighborhood is really really good looking (biased perhaps?). But a good Halloween read.
December 16, 2012
Set in the Houston area. Pretty creepy; I can't imagine, if all this was going on, why they kept living at their house. It's pretty hard to believe, but fun to read (and they did have a hard couple of years, even assuming they didn't live in a haunted house).
April 6, 2009
This creepy account is about a new development build over a cemetary. Pretty God-heavy.
September 30, 2009
As is the case with most of these kinds of books, it's a great story, but to be taken with a grain of salt. Definitely one of the more original ghost/demon stories being touted as fact out there.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews