Ghostly American Places by Arthur Myers

by Arthur Myers

Outlining more than forty documented cases of ghostly encounters in the United States, an enthusiast's tour includes witness interviews, photographs, and the stories behind famous and lesser-known cases.

Genres: Ghosts

Hardcover

First published July 11, 1995

About the author

Arthur B. Myers, of Wellesley, freelance writer, journalist, investigative reporter, editor, college writing instructor, and in his later years, author of a number of books and articles about ghosts and other paranormal phenomena, died April 8, 2006. He was 88.

He was the author of 21 books and more than 150 articles and stories in magazines and other publications for both children and adults, including Saturday Review, Coronet, Ladies’ Home Journal, Sports Illustrated, Collier’s, Women’s Day, Cricket, Boys’ Life, and American Girl. Mr. Myers also wrote a number of articles and stories for remedial reading guides published by Random House, Houghton Mifflin, and Educational Development Laboratories.

“My favorite books are several I have written on the occult,” he was fond of saying, acknowledging his interest in the unknown. “They are serious investigations of hauntings, cases of possession and other such phenomena.” Those books were generally timed for publication around Halloween, and he enjoyed being interviewed by local and national personalities. His first of five books about ghostly goings-on, The Ghostly Register: Haunted Dwellings, Active Spirits – A Journey to America’s Strangest Landmarks, was published in 1986. It described incidents throughout the United States and Canada. Some chapters involved Massachusetts cases, such as the reported ghost of author Edith Wharton at her mansion in the Berkshire Hills, several incidents at the Colonial Inn in Concord, and reports of a ghost at the former John Stone’s Inn in Ashland who supposedly put five-dollar bills in the tip jar on the bar, and many others. Following its publication, Mr. Myers was invited to speak at the annual Boston Globe Book Fair. His topic was “Ghosts and the Extreme Likelihood of Their Existence.”

Once, after being interviewed on Larry King Live, Mr. Myers overheard the notoriously tough and skeptical host of the national television show say to someone backstage, “You know, I really believe this guy!” He wrote four other books on ghostly subjects, including Ghosts of the Rich and Famous (1988), which detailed supposed sightings of the ghosts of John Wayne and Natalie Wood among others; and The Ghostly Gazetteer: America’s Most Famous Haunted Landmarks (1990).

Mr. Myers was born October 24, 1917, in Buffalo, New York, the son of Edward A. and Isabelle (Baker) Myers. He graduated from the Buffalo public school system and from Hobart College in 1939 with a B.A. degree in English. He served in the U. S. Army for four years during World War II.

His first book, published in 1966 by Random House with law professor Jeffrey O’Connell, was entitled, Safety Last: An Indictment of the Auto Industry. When Mr. Myers’s investigations began to disturb people in the automobile industry, he sought counsel from then-editor at Random House, Bennett Cerf. He was reassured by Mr. Cerf: “If you’re sure you’re getting at the truth, then carry on, my boy, and don’t worry!”

During an adult life devoted to writing, Mr. Myers served as assistant city editor of the Washington Post, contributing editor of Coronet magazine, executive editor of the Berkshire Sampler, and in various editorial and reportorial posts at the Rochester Times-Union, the Berkshire Eagle and the Bergen (NJ) Record.

His last published book was Communicating with Animals: the Spiritual Connection between People and Animals (1997), which explored the ability of humans to “speak” telepathically with animals, and vice versa. Mr. Myers said then, “As time went by, I had the urge to expand my work into wider and deeper aspects of the human spirit. I have written many books, newspaper articles and stories on unusual subjects. I’ve written articles on spiritual groups such as the Sufis, dowsers, etc. I felt that I was meant to write books that open up human awareness of the afterlife, the before-life, and in-between spiritual life.

“I suspect that the world is moving toward a greater awareness of

Reviews

[Jim Dooley · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was growing up in the 1960’s, my Mother usually made a stop at a nearby Gray Drug Store every other week or so. I would always ask to tag-along whenever she went because “Gray’s” had large racks of paperback books, and a magazine section that featured a good selection of comics. There weren’t a lot of things that my weekly allowance would cover, but I could definitely buy a paperback and a comic every couple of weeks and have change left over.

My paperback taste tended to run toward the Bantam Books reprints of pulp stories featuring DOC SAVAGE or THE SHADOW. (Sometimes, there would also be a DARK SHADOWS novel from “Marilyn Ross.”) On fewer occasions, there were paperback collections of ghostly “real life” stories. They were like “entertainment section” newspaper articles that had been enhanced with colorful and lurid phrasing … and each narrative was said to be true!). I recall that they all shared the same yellow cover design.

GHOSTLY AMERICAN PLACES by Arthur Myers strongly reminded me of those books at times. Subtitled “A Ghostly Guide to America’s Most Fascinating Haunted Landmarks,” it didn’t quite have the breathless prose style of the paperbacks (and it didn’t emphasize that every one was true). It did have pictures, and that was fun.

I bought this book from a used bookseller for the nostalgia value rather than a serious study of supernatural phenomenon, and it certainly brought back childhood memories.

For the Reader who desires more in-depth investigations into the uncanny, I think that GHOSTLY AMERICAN PLACES will be a disappointment. The majority of witnesses interviewed give questionable recollections that often begin with some variant of “One time I saw …” when I would think that some of the visitations would have planted the circumstances more firmly in mind. There were also revelations that had obviously been told so many times that I suspected enhancements.

Some famous places are included, although I was surprised by many of the choices that were selected. The tale told by one fellow that he once saw a ghost steamboat going down the river (a sighting not verified by anyone else) had me shaking my head as wasted page space.

For those wanting chills, I’d suggest reading a particularly good ghost story anthology. However, I do think that those of us who grew up enjoying those yellow paperbacks will have fun.

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book the reader will find well documented ghost sightings that come to us from all over the United States. One finds in the pages of this book weeping portraits, poltergeists, and a New York ghost who plays Mozart. In an interesting departure from the norm in this type of book Mr. Myers divides each chapter up into catagories. First, there is simply enough the location and description of the haunt. Next one finds a history of the the place in question including a worldly history and the history of the manifestations. Near the conclusion of the chapter Myers attempts to identify the spirit and its personality. I guess ghosts have personalities. Finally he tells us if the place is still haunted, the best time to experence the haunt, who the witnesses have been, who submitted the story to him, and if there has been a formal psychic investigation. The ghostly manifestations section will often send a distinct chill up the readers spine. At least in my case it did.

If you love this type of book or if you are just looking for something to read in front of the fire on a cool October night this book would be a good choice.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay, but it didn't really wow me. I thought the writing was pretty elementary. And most of the stories didn't really wow me. Just a so-so read.