Haunted Charleston

by Sara Pitzer

Among South Carolina's many treasures is Charleston, a city of  rich history. Since the first British colonists established Charles Towne in 1670, this city has been a study in contradictions – a beautiful coastal environment, magnificent architecture, and sometimes unspeakable cruelty.  Haunted Charleston, a collection of stories of ghosts, mysteries, and paranormal happenings in  the Holy City, will leave readers  frightened and fascinated. 
Haunted Charleston includes twenty-five stories from the Ghosts at Dock Street Theater to the Haunted Graveyards, that will send chills up the spines of even the most daring ghosthunters.  Each story includes notes on historical significance and local lore and readers will discover just how haunted and spooky this city is.
A bibliography, a resources list of contact information to visit the haunted sites, and a brief “Ghost Hunter’s Guide” for the region or city, are also included, giving readers the resources to explore the haunted areas for themselves. 

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Ghosts

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Taylor Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a Christmas present from my mom since I love Charleston and I’m planning to go back this year.

I loved reading about the dark history of some of the locations, I thought it was really interesting. I’ve been to two of the locations mentioned in the book, The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon and the Aiken-Rhett House and personally did not notice anything paranormal in nature but I’m a skeptic who wishes to have an experience.

This book definitely gave me a list of places to check out when I visit! I’m so excited and currently dreaming of my trip.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book even though I’m still skeptical.

[Jonn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me a while choke through. It reads very dry (although some what informative) and boring in done places. Nothing scary or thrilling about the writing, but it did tell some stories I had not heard before even though I grew up in Charleston. I don't recommend trying to read it for entertainment at all, but for research or for information gathering it's pretty good. The indexes in the back about authors and tour groups is very helpful if you're going to visit Charleston.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sara Pitzer updates some Charleston ghost tales with new information on paranormal investigations and tours, sites and sightings.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an intriguing read. I liked it for the most part, and I think it did a bit better where other ghost and folklore collections have failed. The stories were concise and varied, and I felt intrigued throughout and didn't feel the need to start skipping through the story to get to the point. I definitely liked those aspects.

I didn't find the last few stories as fascinating. I felt Pitzer lost a bit of steam, and I got really confused on the last 3 - where they true stories? Where they metaphors? I'm still really confused by them. And what's interesting is 1 story was quite varied from what I heard on a ghost tour while I was actually there - so I'm really not sure who the wrong person was. There was also another story that was really left out when it was a main part of the ghost tour.

Overall, though, it was quite an intriguing read, and it was definitely interesting to learn more about the places and the possible hauntings that I saw. 3 crowns and a Belle rating!

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some really neat ghost stories, rumors, and creepy places in it. I love a good paranormal book, and am a believer in the paranormal. I got this book, along with a couple of others, while I was vacationing in Charleston. I love learning about the places I visit, and figured I should learn about the creepier side of things. I liked this book and the content.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too scary - I picked a restaurant to eat at based on this book. We'll see how it is.

[Muriel Kilmartin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about the haunted history of Charleston. Well written.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book! Bought it on a seller recommendation in the market and does a great job of combining history with hauntings.