True Ghost Stories and Eerie Legends from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood

by David Domine

The most haunted neighborhood in America? That's what many are calling Old Louisville, an extensive preservation district with hundreds of old mansions and beautiful homes in Kentucky's largest city. Wherever you go in this eye-popping neighborhood, it seems that a haunted house is not far away. Or a haunted church, a haunted street corner, or a haunted park. Over the last decade, so many stories of paranormal activity have surfaced that Old Louisville has gained the reputation as being one of the spookiest locations in the country. David Domine discovered this for himself after purchasing an old home on Old Louisville's famed Millionaires Row in 1999. A self-proclaimed skeptic, the food writer dismissed rumors of a mischievous resident poltergeist named Lucy when he moved in, but he quickly found himself at a loss to explain the disembodied footsteps and mysterious odors that seemed to plague the old house. Soon, he was talking to neighbors and fellow homeowners, and it seemed that everyone had stories of strange events and supernatural occurrences in their own dwellings. As a result, David set out to document and research these reports and began writing about the neighborhood; in the process he uncovered a wealth of fascinating history and ghostly tales that convinced him this historic neighborhood is like no other in the country. If you liked David Domine's Ghosts of Old Louisville series, you'll love True Ghost Stories and Eerie Legends from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood. Edited and updated, this collection brings together the most popular and chilling tales from his previous books about one of the most fascinating neighborhoods in the country.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, History, Paranormal, Audiobook, Ghost Stories

312 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2014

About the author

David Dominé has called Kentucky home since moving to Louisville in 1993. Over the years, his adopted state has provided him an unending supply of artistic inspiration, so it’s not surprising that - from local hauntings to bourbon recipes - Kentucky spirits frequently come alive in his narratives. In addition to writing travel pieces for local and national publications, he has also published books on Victorian architecture, regional cooking, folklore, and haunted history. David has an MA in German Literature from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an MA in Spanish Literature from the University of Louisville. He also completed studies in literary translation at the Karl-Franzens Universität in Graz, Austria, and received an MFA in Writing from Spalding University. When he’s not writing, he teaches language and literature classes at the university. When he’s not writing or teaching, he’s usually cooking or eating. His current projects include the forthcoming novel Peter Paul’s Kitchen and a true-crime book about the bizarre 2009 murder of drag queen Jamie Carroll and the subsequent trials of alleged killers Jeffery Mundt and Joseph Banis.

Reviews

[☆☆☆Bibliolatrist Jordan☆☆☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall: ☆☆☆☆ (4.4)
Writing style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Entertainment ☆☆☆☆
Characters ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot: ☆☆☆☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆

I got to meet the author at a local book festival. I previously read another book by the author A Dark Room In Glitter Ball City. That novel was so enjoyable and I had to stop at his table and tell him how much I enjoyed it.

While at his table, this one caught my eye. He gave a little background and I decided to grab it and obviously have him sign it.

Once I got it home, I dove head first into this book and could hardly put it down! So many stories about apparitions and ghosts that haunt one of the oldest neighborhoods in the country-Old Louisville.

Living close to downtown for most of my adult life, I passed many of these homes regularly,  and had no idea what lurked behind their walls.

David does an amazing job of putting weight behind these ghostly tales by additionally including history of who the people may of been.

The way David writes, sometimes you forget you're even reading non-fiction.

I am amazed by how well he develops his stories!

Additionally,  I love the mention of my family's restaurant, that I grew up in- D Nalleys!

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

This book was well written and flowed nicely. It covered many of the legends of Old Louisville, Kentucky. Some of the tales were creepy. Its always interesting to read about the history of an area and how these stories came to be. The author did a good job of covering different possibilities for the haunting and such. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in old legends and ghost stories.

[Sarah Hollifield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank You First-Reads....... Another remarkable book, makes me want to move to Kentucky to get my scare on! A non- fiction book that read very fluidly.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, with a mix of gentle hauntings, urban legends and classic horror. But, OMG! the narration is really annoying. Why has the narrator speaks so fast? Who is running after him?

That issue aside, this is a nice collection of Old Louisville tales of haunting places.

[BookishStitcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first story the most. It was the longest and so I got more into what was occurring, at one point I even got chills. I would give that one a 3.5 stars. Most of the other shorter ones were okay, but nothing that gave me that tickle up your spine that a good ghost story does.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun read, I liked it.

[Bettie lapham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

Mr Domine writes really good, engrossing books and I can't wait to read his next one. In fact, I just ordered two of his cookbooks.

[Kerri Polak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very nearly convinced my husband to buy a house in historic Louisville after reading this. Probably not the usual effect, but I want my own ghost story and a cabinet full of boneware, damnit.

[Luna Valhalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody loves a collection of ghost stories more than I do. No matter what your opinion on the phenomena of ghosts, nothing touches the senses quite like a good ole fashion yarn about paranormal activity. David Domine's collection of ghost stories around the historic Victorian neighborhood of Old Louisville in Kentucky is one of the best you will find. The history, the stories, and the scary events that have been reported make for a truly chilling and fascinating read. It is quite apparent that Mr. Domine put a lot of work into this. Ghost fans - it is a must read!

[Jodie Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book and it's three predecessors before but what really brings it to life is not only a tour by the author himself of old Louisville but also spending lockdown listening to him read this to us including all the fascinating side stories and bits you can't mention. Great ghost tales from David Domine who despite everything he has witnessed is yet to be convinced of the presence of ghosts! 'there's always a logical explanation' 😂

[jennie warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Execellent

I really enjoyed the style of writing and how the author researched the occurrences in this book. If you want to know about the older part of Louisville My this is a good place to start.

[Nathalie Morén · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of stories perfect for this time of year. The author is great at storytelling. These would be perfect for telling around a campfire.

[Chelsea Pittman · Rating 1 out of 5]

God, this book is was boring. I listened to the audio book and I found myself completely spacing out.

I’d love to visit the neighborhood and see all the old homes for myself.

[Sharon Combs Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoy reading the history of Old Louisville's Victorian mansions and the spirits who reside in them.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Domine tells of some of the various haunts & history of Old Louisville in a very interesting & creative way. I highly recommend

[Lauren Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t finish as I went on to other books and was reading for Halloween. I did however really like it and will gladly return for more next year in the spooky season!

[Val Shockley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Next time I'm in Louisville, I need to walk around Old Louisville just after dark. Kind of hard to believe one neighborhood has this many stories. It has competition from Cape May, NJ. What's with the Victorians haunting the rest of us into 2 centuries?

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOME OF THESE STORIES WERE BASED ON FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS, SOME WERE BASED ON ORAL TRADITION AND LEGEND, BUT I LOVED EVERY PAGE OF THIS BOOK FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. THE CONVERSATIONAL, FAMILIAR TONE, FOR ONE. THE WAY THE AUTHOR DOESN'T TAKE THE PARANORMAL TOO SERIOUSLY FOR ANOTHER. FINALLY, BECAUSE OF THE ABUNDANCE OF HISTORICAL INFORMATION SPICED WITH TRUE ACCOUNTS OF HAUNTINGS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT I HAVE TO VISIT NOW. I HAD NO IDEA LOUISVILLE HAD SO MANY OLD HOUSES AND SUCH INTERESTING HISTORY. I COULD JUST IMAGAINE MYSELF WALKING THE STREETS AND PASSING BIG VICTORIAN MANSIONS AS I READ THIS BOOK. I ENJOYED THE AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOOD AS WELL AND LIKED HOW HE WOVE IN THE FACT THAT HE WAS A FOOD WRITER. FOOD AND GHOSTS? SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD COMBINATION FOR ME. I LOOK FORWARD TO MORE BY THIS AUTHOR. GOOD STORIES AND GOOD WRITING. SO MANY PEOPLE WHO WRITE ABOUT THE PARANORMAL AREN'T QUALIFIED WRITERS, BUT THIS AUTHOR IS.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A first reads prize.

Not a bad read, interesting for me more because of its historical research than the paranormal aspects. But could have done with some editing - who needs to know what you were eating when you met a source? And if I read lovely, lovelier or any other variant o was about ready to scream!

[Meredith · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing in this is not that good; every sentence in the first chapter started with "I." I couldn't finish it because it wasn't compelling enough for me to keep going as the stories were all the same with different apparition.

That said, some of the stories were very creepy and I resigned myself to only reading during the day.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book - especially the descriptions of the old houses and the neighborhood. Each story is interesting and contains interesting information. Easy, chatty of writing makes the book easy to read. I loved books that entertain and inform. I learned a lot about the city where I lived that I did not know.

[Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I get for being WAY too lazy when update my poor bookreads list. /sigh

I do love me a good ghost story. I grew up in a haunted house and so ghost stories have always scared/fascinated me.

This one was billed more like 'this could be a haunting but I'm not certain' type book which is always appreciated.

[Mande · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's a well researched text that takes you right into the Old Louisville neighborhood like you've always lived there. While a bit long winded on the architecture at times, it was well written and enjoyable.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and all the great description of this beautiful neighborhood. I definitely want to go and visit and see some of these places up close and personal. The stories are very well researched and very well written. The author had a knack for storytelling.

[Michael Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yawn. Rambling and boring. Too much useless detail and too little of the subject matter.

[Kristen Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just not my cup of tea. I found the stories uninteresting and boring.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice mix of storytelling, history, and the paranormal.

[Tricia Thompson]

this book has been a hard read for me.