Ghosts of Boston: Haunts of the Hub

Haunted America

by Sam Baltrusis

It should come as no surprise that one of the nation's oldest cities brims with spirits of those who lived and died in its hundreds of years of tumultuous history.
Boston, Massachusetts, boasts countless stories of the supernatural. Many students at Boston College have encountered an unearthly hound that haunts O'Connell House to this day. Be on the watch for an actor who sits in on rehearsals at Huntington Theatre and restless spirits rumored to haunt Boston Common at night. From the Victorian brownstones of Back Bay to the shores of the Boston Harbor Islands, author Sam Baltrusis makes it clear that there is hardly a corner of the Hub where the paranormal cannot be experienced as he breathes new life into the tales of the long departed.

Genres: History, Paranormal, Nonfiction, Ghost Stories, Ghosts

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2012

About the author

Sam Baltrusis, author of "Wicked Salem: Exploring Lingering Lore and Legends," has penned a dozen historical-based ghost books including "Ghost Writers" and "Mass Murders." He has been featured on several national TV shows including Destination America's "Haunted Towns," the Travel Channel's "Haunted USA" on Salem and served as Boston's paranormal expert on the Biography Channel's "Haunted Encounters." In 2019, he was featured on the one-hundredth episode of "A Haunting" that aired on the Travel Channel. Baltrusis is a sought-after lecturer who speaks at dozens of paranormal-related events scattered throughout New England, including an author discussion at the Massachusetts State House and paranormal conventions that he produced called the Plymouth ParaCon in 2018 and the Berkshire’s MASS ParaCon in 2019. Visit SamBaltrusis.com for more information.

Reviews

[DeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Ghosts of Salem by the same author, I was excited to pick this one up. While it was formatted in the same way and had equally compelling and interesting stories, the language used and the flow wasn't as good as the other book to me. I found myself struggling a little bit to get through this one. The stories were definitely packed full of information and history, as well as interesting ghost tidbits, but I felt like the language used and sentence structure didn't flow as well as the author's other writing. Still, it's a solid entry in the series and the stories were enjoyable and interesting.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of ghost folklore from Boston is okay. The constant references to Ghost Hunters and the file under part of each entry were a bit annoying, however.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've tried to define why this book isn't as fascinating as the topic makes it seem it should be. The short book lists various Boston sites and tells the apparitions and various supernatural hints that have been experienced there, quoting people who have experienced these "hauntings." I have tried to define what makes a ghost story fun to read, and I think it may be the human stories in back of the hauntings. There are a few such stories in the book, enough for a long article, perhaps, but most of the book merely lists amorphous, ambiguous, hints of supernatural influences, feelings and "energies," noises and lights with little interesting detail.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some really interesting (and spooky) stories from Boston history. But it reads like a first draft and badly needs editing.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book that has the ins and outs of the haunted spots in Boston, then this is your book! I enjoyed reading about the different accounts, and the many different locations that are supposedly haunted. Fun read!

[Doria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler alert: a lot of the places and buildings mentioned in this book do not appear to actually be haunted. And this, according to the author himself. Many are of interest historically, but most stories or rumors associated with these spots are systematically debunked in the book, an honest but odd approach. The whole thing is kind of a stretch and much less interesting than I had hoped.

[Lori Vieira · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should have been right up my alley - I love the paranormal and I’m from Boston - but sadly, it wasn’t. It’s taken me 6 months to read this because it was just really uninteresting. As someone before me said, this book is dying for some good editing.
On a positive note, the author does do really great tours in Salem!

[Edith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a real disappointment. There's a longish, boring introduction, featuring various experts in the field of ghost hunting and psychic phenomena. As with the author's book on Cambridge, MA, ghosts, there's a lot of historical detail, some debunking, but precious little in the way of actual ghosts. Making ghost stories uninteresting is a kind of accomplishment, I guess.

Nicely produced little book, but very little energy, psychic or otherwise. As skinny as it is, it's padded. Not recommended.

[Ione DeOllos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an interesting overview of hauntings in the city of Boston. Given the city's history and age, it is not surprising that there is some spirits roaming about. The.book also points out those areas with haunting vs but also those instances where the encounter cannot be corroborated by evidence. Fascinating read. There are instances of repeated documentation which can make the reading tedious.

[Doc Kinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the end, I think the book was a bit of a disappointment. I felt that Baltrusis was reaching in several of his entries. He also, in my mind, really leaned on older books on this topic for Boston, sometimes really just repeating their stories. Finally Baltrusis has a couple of "writing ticks" that really started getting old as time went on. I think I've read the word "mused" more in this one book than in every other piece of writing I've ever read. Ever.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read quite a few books in the Hauntings series and was looking forward to another great read. The blurbs at the end of each section that said, “File under” were a bit weird. Also some paragraphs were redundant. A paragraph would talk about a ghost and a few sentences later say the same thing more or less. Or a picture would have a caption and the sane caption would be in a few sentences down. I felt like the book could’ve been proofread one more time.

[Ashley Sousa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, I enjoyed it more for the historical points than the hauntings - although I expected that from the friend who lent it to me. Not the best place to go if you truly want ghost stories but a great glimpse into the history of various points in Boston and a journalistic look at some of the haunting claims.

[Lisa Shower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough legebd

Too much scientific or technical stuff and not enough history and stories! I read these books to relax and enjoy some spooky stories. I also love the history behind the stories. Not enough of either in this book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read for anyone who has traveled to Boston and is curious about the supernatural occurrences on any of the sites they've seen! I wish I had read this book prior to my trip to Boston!

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book offered some interesting lore and history from Boston, a city I have always wanted to visit. It was an alright book, but I am glad I got it on Kindle Unlimited instead of spending money for it.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très divertissant, mais un peu répétitif.

[Kate L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a quick read about the Boston area. Way too many quotes from Adam Berry. I enjoyed this and am looking forward to visiting but wasn’t the best I’ve read!

[AV]

DNF

[Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Take notes from a popular TV show and write about it.

[Sara Orozco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. You get to learn about some of the city's history and its "haunts". I think mostly Bostonians or people who live/have lived in Boston (like myself) will prefer it, since you can relate to the places mentioned in the book. I just wish it hadn't been so technical in the beginning and had ended with a conclusion.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining collection of allegedly haunted locations in Boston. I picked this up the night after our Haunted Boston walking tour - we got rained out, sadly, and didn't get to visit all the sites we were supposed to.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would like to go exploring these supposedly haunted areas.

[Katherine Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great info on my favourite city in the world.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an engaging collection of history and popular legends.