Ghosts Along the Brazos

by Catherine Munson Foster

91 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Robyn Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of my first introductions to ghost stories. I grew up in the area of Brazoria County, Texas where many of these stories came from. The author would come to the local schools around Halloween to read to the different classrooms. I have been to many of the places mentioned in these stories, and it truly does create a tie between reality and folklore. This is a wonderful piece of Texan storytelling and certainly valuable to anyone interested in the legends and myths of old Texas. And the illustration of "The Lady in the Gray Taffeta Dress" still sends shivers up my spine....

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The "Lady in the Gray Taffeta Dress" scared the pee out of me when I was little.

[Otty Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old favorite from childhood, revisited for spooky season this year. I can’t recall how many times I have read and re-read this book growing up so close to many of the fabled locales.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(2019 Book Riot Challenge: Self-Published Book) When I read this book, it was a major trip down memory lane. I remember when the author came to our school (grew up in Lake Jackson) and would read some of these stories. Don’t think that they ever scared me per se, but it was very interesting to see this old stories and their tie into Texas History. Ol’ Brit Bailey was the one I always remembered. The American who beat Stephen F. Austin to Brazoria and Texas, buried standing up, but sans his whiskey, thus leading him to walk the area near the Brazos, holding up his lantern, looking for that lost whiskey to bring him peace....Yet, when I read this, I would recall the tale of John Jackson, looking for his head.

Some of the other stories I didn’t recall...but it was interesting to read them. Granted, this book is over 40 years old, so it would be interesting to see how those tales have evolved since. Still, it covers legends and tales from my old stomping grounds. Interesting that the author uses the vernacular of many of the African-Americans who passed along these tales, but it adds to the accounts. They weren’t all scary, but all very informative with legends.

Perhaps for those who didn’t grow up in Brazoria County and/or near the Brazos, this work won’t have quite the impact, of interest to those with interest in Texas culture (non-stereotypical). For those who did, then this work is very much worth keeping on the shelf for the family.

[Jessie Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom is lucky enough to have a copy of this book, signed by the author, that she got as a kid in the 70s. Catherine Munson Foster was a local legend and would visit elementary schools and libraries to tell these folktales. (We are not from Brazos county, but close enough to recognize the locations where the tales take place.)

I read this book over and over again growing up. I read it again for the first time in years while visiting for Christmas this year. A lot of the stories are still stamped on my heart, while many of them I had no memory of. My favorites are still The Hanging Tree and The Lady in the Gray Taffeta Dress.

This is probably the first time I read it cover to cover, including the introduction and author's note at the end. Apparently Foster was reluctant to write down these stories, because they had so long been part of an oral tradition. She was concerned that writing them down would keep the stories from evolving. Eventually, she was convinced to record them anyway, to prevent their being lost, and I'm glad she did. If anything, it encouraged the oral tradition, because I told these stories to anyone who would listen at every recess, campfire, and sleepover (and I embellished wildly).

So five stars to this fascinating book that was a huge part of my childhood

[Corinne Cammarata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady in the Gray Taffeta Dress is absolutely the best story in the book.