Cape Encounters: Contemporary Cape Cod Ghost Stories

by Dan Gordon, Gary Joseph

Forty Cape Codders describe ghosts who descend staircases that no longer exist, kiss sleeping women, flip theater seats, fold laundry and join musicians onstage. Among those sharing their stories of haunted houses and inns are the former National Environment Coordinator, a scientist from the United States Geological Survey, a retired West Point professor and a Wampanoag Native American Educator. Those who have experienced America's most beloved summer travel destination will find this collection much like the Cape itself--beguiling, indelible and timeless. Enter Cape Cod’s historic, soulful homes and discover a world in which the past is very much alive.

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

216 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Tricia G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing scary about this book. Quirky and curious stories from all around Cape Cod. The authors let each person share in their own voice. You get the feel of the nature of the locals and history of the Cape.

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, well written book but unfortunately there is also something that shows up all too often in this book that is a trait of all books of this genre that deal with hauntings north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Everybody who lives in an old house and finds a hidden passage or room always wants to claim that it was used as part of the Underground Railroad and there are at least two cases of this assumption in this book. In reality, especially along the coast, most of these rooms and passages were used for smuggling, which was a huge coastal enterprise, especially in New England. I know that it's not nice to burst people's bubble but facts are facts.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly entertaining, though nothing super spooky like fictional ghost stories. Some of the first stories were boring, and I wondered why the authors were inserting ridiculous italicized bits like having the people laugh during the telling of tales or putting in that they crossed their legs, smoked their cigarettes and had cats rub against their legs. I didn't understand the inclusion of such things, since they weren't bettering the story. But after the first few stories, which I skimmed, the stories got better, more spooky, more decently told.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked most about this book is the stories weren't horror stories, they were spooky stories that were very believable. I know many of the towns that were talked about, which made this book all the more fun to read. The stories were short and I could almost hear the voices of the residents telling them. Great October read!

[Deena Scintilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collections of ghostly encounters in Cape Cod from an assortment of witnesses. A fast, enjoyable read that brought back memories of the "haunted" house where I grew up. Years later as an adult my practical father shred one encounter he had that he'd kept to himself because "you kids and your mom were already scared of ghosts" in that house.

[thewanderingjew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like reading this book because I live at the Cape in an area that the Wampanoag Indian Tribe dwelt and I thought it would be really enlightening. I thought for sure this area would be alive with spirits. Actually my area was covered very briefly in the book and most of the tales reviewed were anecdotal about very benign incidents and feelings that people had when they thought they encountered something out of the ordinary. Most people were not frightened and they looked upon the possible visitors as friendly. They found it hard to describe their experiences in real terms and rather discussed the feelings they had about the possible spirits they encountered.
If you want to read a book which is stress free and easy to read as it is written in an almost conversational style, this is for you. It will take you one day, maximum.

[Lee L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who grew up in a haunted Massachusetts home built in 1788, I can admire the authors' appreciation of the value that the Cape Cod community places on preserving its historical & generational traditions. The authors have captured the local flavor of this unique heritage quite well.

However, while the local lore is enjoyable and I appreciate the authors' lack of embellishment, several of the stories failed to hold my interest for long. Although I liked that the stories are first-hand accounts of ghost encounters, rather than another book of rehashed tales from the past, some of the story-tellers ramble a bit, and several of the stories could have done with a more selective editing job.

The book does have its strong points, and some of the more pithy stories are page turners. However, overall, I found Mark Jasper's "Haunted Cape Cod & the Islands" a more engaging read.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be more compelling - it's supposed to be about ghosts, after all, and I've been to Cape Cod numerous times! I found this instead to be a book more about the people and homes of the Cape, and I found I didn't really care to read about creaks that an old house makes in the middle of the night that its inhabitants attribute to a ghost.

[Diane Hamel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love ghost stories so this was a great book. I live very close to the cape so I have visited many of the cities where the hauntings took place. The book kept my interest from start to finish.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book of true ghost stories, I liked the way the authors told the stories in the persons own words and didn't re-tell them, it makes the stories seem more real.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly nothing scary about this book, but very much endearing for the Cape Cod fans out there.