Kentucky Hauntings: Homespun Ghost Stories and Unexplained History

by Roberta Simpson Brown, Lonnie E. Brown

More than evoking chills down the spine and cautious glances over one's shoulder, spooky stories create lasting bonds and memories between friends and family. The tradition of storytelling ties generations together with exciting new tales and familiar folklore that has sparked superstitions and legends.

In Kentucky Homespun Ghost Stories and Unexplained History , beloved storytellers Roberta Simpson Brown and Lonnie E. Brown present a thrilling collection of paranormal tales that will appeal to anyone looking for a friendly scare. Weaving together factual accounts of unexplained events, peculiar headlines, and local legends passed down from a time when most homes lacked electricity, Kentucky Hauntings combines stories with commentary on historic customs. From "telling the bees" about a death in the family, to a friendly "fool's errand" practical joke gone horribly wrong, and from terrifying haunted houses to the lifesaving "Bathtub Ghost," readers are transported to a world of age-old superstitions and paranormal experiences. Whether shared around the fire on a crisp autumn night or whispered in a huddle of close friends at a summer sleepover, these eerie stories will thrill and excite anyone who loves a good scare.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Roberta Simpson Brown was born in Russell Springs, Kentucky, at the edge of Appalachia. Her family, with roots in the rich Irish tradition of storytelling, got together often with other relatives and neighbors to share personal experiences and scary stories that preserved and perpetuated this age-old art. She and her husband Lonnie
enjoy doing paranormal investigations for stories with their friends.

Roberta has told stories at festivals, workshops, schools, libraries, programs, prisons and conferences from coast to coast. She has also performed on National Public Radio, Voice of America, and Lifetime's TV's show, "Beyond Chance." While she enjoys telling stories, she prefers to write.

A retired teacher, Roberta lives with her husband Lonnie in Louisville, KY. She would love to hear from readers, especially with stories of ghosts, fairies, leprechauns, or interesting personal experiences! She would welcome any comments about her 11 books! Her latest book is Scariest Stories Ever Told, published by August House. Contact her on Facebook, Twitter or at robertasbrown@twc.com.

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very charming. I found some of the last few stories to be the scariest. Overall a nice little slice of Kentucky and the paranormal.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun to read, but wasn't mind-blowing or anything. The fact that these are stories set in Kentucky was nice because they were either talking about Louisville or rural areas that remind me of historic locations close to Louisville, which is cool for a Kentucky native. I liked the historical aspect of the book, too, but I had trouble believing a lot of it. As for the stories, some of them were surprisingly pretty dark, and others were unique. However, a lot of the stories either seemed like duplicates of the others, or you could guess what was going to happen by the first paragraph. Thankfully, the stories were only ever a few pages long, though, so knowing the end wasn't that big of a deal. I do think it highlights one of the biggest problems with the book, though, and that is how juvenile the writing is. Not only did the sentences have awkward grammar, a lot of them were phrased weirdly, too. I do know at least one of the authors is a middle(?) school teacher, though, so maybe that's why the book is written like this? It kind of reminded me of one the poorly written Goosebumps books mixed with the subject matter of Mary Downing Hahn, which is to say, "mindless fun."

[Ms. Tongate, TLC Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fan of the Great Steamboat Race before Derby? You might enjoy the story, Steamboat Ghosts. Some believe there was a ghost on the Delta Queen, Captain Mary Green. Captain Green was one of the first female riverboat pilots. She died in her cabin on the Delta Queen in 1949. She did not believe in the sale of alcohol and refused to allow it to be served on the boat. After her death, a saloon was established on board. Many sightings of Captain Mary on deck throughout the years. Today the Delta Queen is docked in Chattanooga and the only floating Historic Hotel in America and considered one of the most haunted ships in the US!

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories passed on to the authors orally. So, the telling of the stories follows the same patois. Which is OK. Many stories seem to have a moral to them, especially the ones told around the campfires and happened to a friend of a sister's cousin.

Still, an interesting and eerie, if not outright scary, read.

[ElleEm · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are old, old stories so there isn't really a scare factor but there was some that were a little spooky. Most stories seemed to be passed down through the generations, it would have been nice to have heard more stories about particular places. I enjoyed the one about Floyd Collins the most, that is one messed up story and it is all true.

[Jeremiah Mays]

Read for research that I’m doing on some family history, particularly pertaining to Eastern Kentucky. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I had read too far into the book not to finish it.

[Silena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful set of ghost stories that highlight the culture and amazing places of Kentucky.

[Vickie Woodard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much padding: I heard this story from 'fill in the blank', who are my 'fill in the relation' who 'did this & that' and were ' insert feelings'.
Cut that scrap out and just tell the story!!

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at the Scott Co, Kentucky library in The Kentucky Room. It was a fun read with stories placed in Kentucky. It is a worth while read.