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The Greenbrier Ghost: And Other Strange Stories
Long a favorite among West Virginians, Deitz's Greenbrier Ghost tells the story of the only trial in the United States where the testimony of a ghost was used to convict a man!ﾠThis man, Edward Shue, was convicted of killing his young wife, Heaster, and sentenced to life in prison.ﾠHe met his fate because the judge allowed Heaster's mother to testify to information she swore came from her daughter - from beyond the grave!ﾠ An autopsy confirmed the cause of death, which was just as Heaster's ghost had told her mother.ﾠ
On of the more unusual ghost stories, this one even has an official state highway marker to it's name.
In addition to the Greenbrier ghost story, there are about 45 other ghost stories from around West Virginia. The author compiled these from countless interviews with people, allowing them to tell in their own words, the ghost story that they had experienced.
Dennis Dietz did not start writing till he was 73 years old. These ghost stories were his favorite of over 30 books he eventually wrote. When asked if he believed in the stories, he would reply, "I think that the people who told me these stories were passionate believed in them, and for me, that makes a great story one way or another."
Bev Davis from the Beckley Register-Herald "Once again the voices of yesteryear have beckoned Dennis Deitz, and the Greenbrier County native has obligingly captured their stories in the pages of a new book.
"Drawing from narratives of more than 45 writers, Deitz has skillfully woven their tales into a fascinating tapestry of folklore.
"Deitz brings to his latest book the same homespun wit, humor, and poignancy which have won him a special place among Appalachia's most treasured authors.
"Roam with him now through the hollows and hills and into the hearts and imaginations of those that have shared stories of premonitions, ghosts, legends, and tales of the supernatural."
On of the more unusual ghost stories, this one even has an official state highway marker to it's name.
In addition to the Greenbrier ghost story, there are about 45 other ghost stories from around West Virginia. The author compiled these from countless interviews with people, allowing them to tell in their own words, the ghost story that they had experienced.
Dennis Dietz did not start writing till he was 73 years old. These ghost stories were his favorite of over 30 books he eventually wrote. When asked if he believed in the stories, he would reply, "I think that the people who told me these stories were passionate believed in them, and for me, that makes a great story one way or another."
Bev Davis from the Beckley Register-Herald "Once again the voices of yesteryear have beckoned Dennis Deitz, and the Greenbrier County native has obligingly captured their stories in the pages of a new book.
"Drawing from narratives of more than 45 writers, Deitz has skillfully woven their tales into a fascinating tapestry of folklore.
"Deitz brings to his latest book the same homespun wit, humor, and poignancy which have won him a special place among Appalachia's most treasured authors.
"Roam with him now through the hollows and hills and into the hearts and imaginations of those that have shared stories of premonitions, ghosts, legends, and tales of the supernatural."
- GenresGhost StoriesHistory
232 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 28, 2012
I bought this at the Mothman festival as part of the local haunts and admittedly the cover photo of the Greenbrier Ghost played a huge role in picking it up. It’s very old school ghost hunting. Twenty years ago I would have thought nothing of it but today I find myself missing the ghost hunter attempting to prove or debunk the story, the reviews of newspapers and whatnot to see if the alleged death even happened. This is your typical ghost story around the campfire fare and most of the stories are personal accounts that Dietz brought together.
The titular ghost is easily the most interesting (and first story by Dietz himself). Zona Heaster Shue was murdered by her husband in 1897 and her ghost appeared to her mother to tell her so. This was actually allowed into court evidence and her husband was convicted on the ghost’s testimony. There is a historic plaque (the cover art) to prove it.
Many of the stories were about relatives coming back in spirit form or of the haunted houses they accidentally purchased. Others are very obvious pure folklore or cryptozoology (same thing according to some).
The other most memorable story was If a man dies which was actually written in 1920 about Elizabeth Blake. She lived not all that far from where I do now and was part of the medium craze that swept through in the late 1800’s early 1900’s. She supposedly talked to the dead via ‘trumpet.’ It details meetings of her and a Dr. Guthrie, a skeptic turned believer. I’ll say this, I’ve read and personally seen a lot of mediums. This doesn’t match up with any of my experiences. Supposedly the American Society for Psychical Research has the transcripts of these meetings as written up by Guthrie. If these are real they would be the best evidence ever of life after death but I find them hard to believe. Through Blake, Guthries spoke to multiple relatives who passed on, having full conversations with them where they not only knew the past but predicted the future.
Overall, the book wasn’t bad but is a bit too basic compared to what I’ve come to expect in my true hauntings reads.
The titular ghost is easily the most interesting (and first story by Dietz himself). Zona Heaster Shue was murdered by her husband in 1897 and her ghost appeared to her mother to tell her so. This was actually allowed into court evidence and her husband was convicted on the ghost’s testimony. There is a historic plaque (the cover art) to prove it.
Many of the stories were about relatives coming back in spirit form or of the haunted houses they accidentally purchased. Others are very obvious pure folklore or cryptozoology (same thing according to some).
The other most memorable story was If a man dies which was actually written in 1920 about Elizabeth Blake. She lived not all that far from where I do now and was part of the medium craze that swept through in the late 1800’s early 1900’s. She supposedly talked to the dead via ‘trumpet.’ It details meetings of her and a Dr. Guthrie, a skeptic turned believer. I’ll say this, I’ve read and personally seen a lot of mediums. This doesn’t match up with any of my experiences. Supposedly the American Society for Psychical Research has the transcripts of these meetings as written up by Guthrie. If these are real they would be the best evidence ever of life after death but I find them hard to believe. Through Blake, Guthries spoke to multiple relatives who passed on, having full conversations with them where they not only knew the past but predicted the future.
Overall, the book wasn’t bad but is a bit too basic compared to what I’ve come to expect in my true hauntings reads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2012
I bought this for the cover and the idea of a ghost's testimony counting in her murder trial. I didn't realize it was a reprint from a much earlier period in ghost hunting. It's pure storytelling, no investigating. These are the stories you tell around a camp fire not see Ghost Adventures. Some were pretty good though.
January 24, 2018
A really interesting compendium of folklore, it begins with the tale of the Greenbrier Ghost, whose appearances alerted to her mother that she had been murdered. Her mother asked for another examination of her daughter's body, and discovered that her neck had been broken -- a fact denied by her husband and not mentioned in the death certificate. That and other signs of suspicious behavior by the husband suggested that he had murdered her and tried to cover it up as a natural death. The tale includes several accounts of witnesses and other people in town and some of the cross-examination of the trial.
Beyond that are more local legends of ghosts, witches, and things that go bump in the night. Many authors have contributed their experiences, and the style reads in a way reminiscent of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. It even shares a couple of variations of the tales told in Scary Stories. (No creepy illustrations, though.) A lot of tales from the tellers' childhoods or periods when they lived in haunted houses sometimes lead to unanswered questions: the ghostly activity sometimes just stops or the family moves out without ever learning the full story of who their resident ghosts might be.
This is a self-published book so the layout is a little awkward. Several times I've turned the page, expecting for a tale to go on, only to meet with an abrupt stop of a blank page or a photo. There are also several typos. The stories quickly absorb one's attention, which makes it much easier to overlook these flaws.
Beyond that are more local legends of ghosts, witches, and things that go bump in the night. Many authors have contributed their experiences, and the style reads in a way reminiscent of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. It even shares a couple of variations of the tales told in Scary Stories. (No creepy illustrations, though.) A lot of tales from the tellers' childhoods or periods when they lived in haunted houses sometimes lead to unanswered questions: the ghostly activity sometimes just stops or the family moves out without ever learning the full story of who their resident ghosts might be.
This is a self-published book so the layout is a little awkward. Several times I've turned the page, expecting for a tale to go on, only to meet with an abrupt stop of a blank page or a photo. There are also several typos. The stories quickly absorb one's attention, which makes it much easier to overlook these flaws.
August 29, 2017
Who doesn't love a good ghost story? Most of the stories were very enjoyable, and I love the fact that many of them are told by regular people - testimonials to what they have witnessed or the stories & lore from their families & towns. It was just sometimes hard to understand or follow with some of the writing style & grammatical errors, since the stories weren't penned by professionals.
May 31, 2025
This is a compilation of paranormal stories in the Greenbrier County, WV and surrounding areas. It starts with a story about a young lady who was murdered by her husband over a century ago and how a vision her mother had led to a thorough investigation into the young lady's death. Interestingly, it's the only known case in America where a murderer was convicted on the testimony of a ghost. The rest of this book is a conglomerate of paranormal stories from citizens who resided in the area. The last story is a lengthy story about a famous medium named Elizabeth Blake. Some stories are fun. Some are typical. One got somewhat creepy. Two I have mixed feelings for. Another sounded like a plot I heard about numerous times in fictional TV shows and books. Like all "true" ghost stories, I take these with a grain of salt (especially the Elizabeth Blake account), but it was still a decent read.
October 14, 2023
Growing up, This book made me look for the spooky things.
March 7, 2025
I absolutely love paranormal stories 💙
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews