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Haunted America #1
Haunted Wisconsin
Grab a warm blanket to cuddle up in, turn out the lights and enjoy these unnerving tales of terror. Featuring more than 70 true tales throughout Wisconsin, this is a newly revised and expanded edition of an all-time favorite collection of stories. Containing an assortment of ghosts, apparitions and other supernatural occurrences, Wisconsin could easily be called the most haunted state in America.
Energetically retold from countless personal interviews, newspapers, archives, and other sources, these classic ghost stories still retain their original power to unsettle and surprise. The stories range from historical tales embedded in 19th century superstition to contemporary accounts of strange occurrences in modern-day homes. Most of the stories remain unexplained. Haunted Wisconsin is one chilling anthology no fan of the genre will want to be without.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
34 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Michael Norman
17 books50 followersMichael Norman is a writer who makes his home in Western Wisconsin.
He is the author most recently of "The Nearly Departed: Minnesota Ghost Stories and Legends," published in 2009 by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
He is the co-author with the late Beth Scott of the popular Haunted America series of ghost stories, and the co-author with writer Carol Roecklein of two vocabulary books written for ages 12 and up.
He is the author most recently of "The Nearly Departed: Minnesota Ghost Stories and Legends," published in 2009 by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
He is the co-author with the late Beth Scott of the popular Haunted America series of ghost stories, and the co-author with writer Carol Roecklein of two vocabulary books written for ages 12 and up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 5, 2024
From the book:“The line between reality and legend in these stories is imprecise at times. Some are clearly rooted in the folklore or storytelling tradition of a particular locale.” What I admired most about this author was this declaration that he wasn't pushing the reality of ghosts or hauntings down the readers throat...but offering us his experiences as well as the experiences of ordinary folks like you and I and just letting us believe or disbelieve. Most everyone, at some time in their lives...has enjoyed a good ghost story. Memories of a childhood Halloween or sitting around a campfire on a dark night trying to scare one another to death...most of us first began our journey into ghosts and hauntings accompanied by plenty of goosebumps and chills. Mine and my cousin's childhood ghostly experience was at the knees of my Irish grandmother who eagerly told us stories of her beloved Ireland's haunted past and present. She believed ever word and had a willing, eager audience. Michael Norman reminded me so much of that dear lady. He has obviously done a great deal of investigation and we visit not only Wisconsin, but he southern Ohio where there is a locally known folktale of a ghostly wolf that has been heard for well over a century. He and his mates are hunted until one by one they make their way to the “dying place of the wolves.” From the book: “Some of these ‘true’ ghost stories have been told and retold so many times...each recitation adding its own twists and turns, that it’s hard to know for certain where, when or how each one originated. But they all have one element in common: they are said to have originated with an actual event, as far as I can tell.” Other stories in the book fall more within the controversial realm of parapsychology as they deal with people who claim to have had perplexing encounters with something they consider of supernatural origin. An example that Norman points out. From the book: “His sister was one of the sources. She heard his voice and felt his presence in their family home many years after his death. She had very specific, very credible encounters with her deceased older brother. I believe she believed in what happened to her.” It doesn't matter if you are a sceptic or a believer...these stories are full of paranormal, creepy fun.... but you may want to leave a light or two on.
dnf
January 13, 2020
DNF at 58%
I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.
I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.
So this book is a collection of stories about supposedly real hauntings. They range anywhere from ghosts to will-o-wisps and currents times to early early years. The one thing they all have in common is they are all located in Wisconsin. The stories read as a story first and then they add on to it with facts or other peoples accounts of the same or very similar kind of haunting.
How I choose my rating:
1* Did not finish, or hated it but forced myself to finish.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!
February 6, 2009
I can't believe there aren't better, more believable stories of Wisconsin hauntings out there . . . The majority of these were pretty hokey.
February 25, 2025
……
…..
I wanted to read some stories of hauntings and folklore from one of my favorite states and this looked like a likely book to kick off with
It’s really quite a smorgasbord. There are haunted houses, roadways, inns and taverns; poltergeist activity; cases of demonic possession galore. The authors tried to interview observers of psychic phenomena whenever possible. Some information is taken from historic records and newspapers. Many are suitable for sharing around a campfire with a full moon overhead.
Are these stories true?
Let’s hope not!
…..
…..
…..
I wanted to read some stories of hauntings and folklore from one of my favorite states and this looked like a likely book to kick off with
It’s really quite a smorgasbord. There are haunted houses, roadways, inns and taverns; poltergeist activity; cases of demonic possession galore. The authors tried to interview observers of psychic phenomena whenever possible. Some information is taken from historic records and newspapers. Many are suitable for sharing around a campfire with a full moon overhead.
Are these stories true?
Let’s hope not!
…..
…..
March 21, 2017
Synopsis
A collection of folktales, urban legends, and myths that have been rumored to happen in Wisconsin. Norman and Scott have compiled more than 70 paranormal happenings that have been witnessed, reported, or passed down from mouth year to year.
Haunted Wisconsin by Michael Norman and Beth Scott
★/DNF
Genre: Nonfiction/Supernatural
Release Date: December 2005
Source: Library – Borrowed
On My Shelf: No
I’m a Wisconsin native, so when I saw this at the Library I snatched it up because I’m also a sucker for the paranormal and weird happenings. I eat that s**t up.
I have to say that I wasn’t impressed with this collection. The writing was dry, the stories were uneventful, and most of them left me wanting more elaboration. Now, I do understand that this was a collection of paranormal stories and most are vague and left unanswered, but this collection lacked tension. This might be due to my own personal preferences, though. When it comes to books like this, I prefer more-so investigation-type reports, especially if the paranormal event/story doesn’t have much to offer to begin with.
Where I think this book failed is that it sort of wanted to be both of those things and, because it was confused, it was unable to be either. These stories were so uneventful and I felt that Wisconsin definitely has better folklore to offer. Some of these stories were just so boring that I was ready to start pulling out my hair from frustration. That’s the main reason I DNFed this book. I simply couldn’t do it anymore. If it hadn’t been due back to the Library within the next few days, I might have tried to stick it out, but it would have been a challenge.
The last thing that made this book not my thing was the bland writing that often had grammatical errors. I’m usually fine with some errors here and there. We’re human. Mistakes happen. Things can’t always be perfect. That’s fine. But the many scattered throughout this book paired with the boring writing caused me to check out from many of the stories so quickly. I can barely recall any that I read. And, even though I DNFed this, I did so with less than 80 pages left, so I read the majority of them, and I remember nothing. That’s a lie. I remember one about some lights and vaguely about a girl who haunted a saloon or hotel or something. But, jeez, this book was just not for me.
Overall, I don’t recommend this one. I think there are better books out there. Heck, I’m prety sure you could find better stories on the internet or even I could just tell you some better ones. Don’t waste your time with this book.
Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.
A collection of folktales, urban legends, and myths that have been rumored to happen in Wisconsin. Norman and Scott have compiled more than 70 paranormal happenings that have been witnessed, reported, or passed down from mouth year to year.
Haunted Wisconsin by Michael Norman and Beth Scott
★/DNF
Genre: Nonfiction/Supernatural
Release Date: December 2005
Source: Library – Borrowed
On My Shelf: No
I’m a Wisconsin native, so when I saw this at the Library I snatched it up because I’m also a sucker for the paranormal and weird happenings. I eat that s**t up.
I have to say that I wasn’t impressed with this collection. The writing was dry, the stories were uneventful, and most of them left me wanting more elaboration. Now, I do understand that this was a collection of paranormal stories and most are vague and left unanswered, but this collection lacked tension. This might be due to my own personal preferences, though. When it comes to books like this, I prefer more-so investigation-type reports, especially if the paranormal event/story doesn’t have much to offer to begin with.
Where I think this book failed is that it sort of wanted to be both of those things and, because it was confused, it was unable to be either. These stories were so uneventful and I felt that Wisconsin definitely has better folklore to offer. Some of these stories were just so boring that I was ready to start pulling out my hair from frustration. That’s the main reason I DNFed this book. I simply couldn’t do it anymore. If it hadn’t been due back to the Library within the next few days, I might have tried to stick it out, but it would have been a challenge.
The last thing that made this book not my thing was the bland writing that often had grammatical errors. I’m usually fine with some errors here and there. We’re human. Mistakes happen. Things can’t always be perfect. That’s fine. But the many scattered throughout this book paired with the boring writing caused me to check out from many of the stories so quickly. I can barely recall any that I read. And, even though I DNFed this, I did so with less than 80 pages left, so I read the majority of them, and I remember nothing. That’s a lie. I remember one about some lights and vaguely about a girl who haunted a saloon or hotel or something. But, jeez, this book was just not for me.
Overall, I don’t recommend this one. I think there are better books out there. Heck, I’m prety sure you could find better stories on the internet or even I could just tell you some better ones. Don’t waste your time with this book.
Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.
February 24, 2020
I should start off by admitting that I am pretty far from the kind of person who would be inclined to accept unexplained supernatural phenomenon as real.
From that point of view, I've now read this collection of Wisconsin folklore, and found it fascinating in its portrayal of human gullibility. I had no difficulty imagining the teenage kids of these spooked-out people sneaking around in the middle of the night banging on the walls, moving things around, and then denying everything in the morning. In fact, I think I would enjoy doing the same. Or simply making up a story to tell around the campfire; I have done that. Probably the most telling aspect of this is the inconsistency of the stories - sometimes the Ridgeway ghost, for example, is a headless horseman, sometimes a person, or one of half a dozen different animals. And so, seriously, I wonder about what makes some of us believe these kind of stories, and others enjoy so much not believing them. Probably some sort of connection to our more primitive past is involved.
Actually scary? No. Ha ha.
From that point of view, I've now read this collection of Wisconsin folklore, and found it fascinating in its portrayal of human gullibility. I had no difficulty imagining the teenage kids of these spooked-out people sneaking around in the middle of the night banging on the walls, moving things around, and then denying everything in the morning. In fact, I think I would enjoy doing the same. Or simply making up a story to tell around the campfire; I have done that. Probably the most telling aspect of this is the inconsistency of the stories - sometimes the Ridgeway ghost, for example, is a headless horseman, sometimes a person, or one of half a dozen different animals. And so, seriously, I wonder about what makes some of us believe these kind of stories, and others enjoy so much not believing them. Probably some sort of connection to our more primitive past is involved.
Actually scary? No. Ha ha.
January 17, 2011
My book was on Haunted Wisconsin which is a book on a whole bunch of stories from 1860 to 1978 with interesting stories on the supernatural.
My favorite story was on The Ridgeway Phantoms which is about a phantom who’s identity has not been found, and its form is a mystery as well. Travelers have seen a torso of a headless man mounted backward in the saddle of a giant black horse that will always keep pace with anyone. Nobody knows why the phantom chases them maybe the phantom loves to scare people off that road. The phantom has many other forms but this is the most unusual one I’ve heard of.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys scary stories.
My favorite story was on The Ridgeway Phantoms which is about a phantom who’s identity has not been found, and its form is a mystery as well. Travelers have seen a torso of a headless man mounted backward in the saddle of a giant black horse that will always keep pace with anyone. Nobody knows why the phantom chases them maybe the phantom loves to scare people off that road. The phantom has many other forms but this is the most unusual one I’ve heard of.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys scary stories.
April 5, 2008
I'v had this book since my early teens! and now my son loves it too! Choc-full of "real" ghost stories!!
January 17, 2015
An entertaining and very interesting read! I always love a good tale of haunting but what made this book particularly enjoyable is the mix between old legends and modern day hauntings.
August 24, 2024
While Beth Scott and Michael Norman brought together a sizable sampling of ghostly occurrences in the state of Wisconsin, HAUNTED WISCONSIN still feels a bit light on intriguing content.
Separated into sections covering specific areas in the state (North, South, etc.) HAUNTED WISCONSIN grasps for many stories but not all of them are interesting or even fleshed out. Some accounts are given an in-depth history, recent occurrences, and detailed other accounts. Others, however, only get about a paragraph of the broadest of paranormal descriptions. The result is a sometimes frustrating read.
Of course, Scott and Norman do find a gem of a creepy/memorable story here and there. One in particular revolves around the strange crime that occurred in Waukesha, a story that's more engrossing for its events rather than its minor paranormal aftermath. Indeed, even with the best histories these authors find, they struggle to actually find much content related to hauntings.
It's well-written enough, but overall HAUNTED WISCONSIN struggles to keep a consistent foot on the gas.
Separated into sections covering specific areas in the state (North, South, etc.) HAUNTED WISCONSIN grasps for many stories but not all of them are interesting or even fleshed out. Some accounts are given an in-depth history, recent occurrences, and detailed other accounts. Others, however, only get about a paragraph of the broadest of paranormal descriptions. The result is a sometimes frustrating read.
Of course, Scott and Norman do find a gem of a creepy/memorable story here and there. One in particular revolves around the strange crime that occurred in Waukesha, a story that's more engrossing for its events rather than its minor paranormal aftermath. Indeed, even with the best histories these authors find, they struggle to actually find much content related to hauntings.
It's well-written enough, but overall HAUNTED WISCONSIN struggles to keep a consistent foot on the gas.
February 8, 2024
As far as my two star reviews go, there can be enjoyable two stars and listless two stars. This was certainly the former. Supernatural stories aren't really my thing, I just keep getting these books for Christmas, so that ultimately decided it as two stars instead of three. The book itself was surprisingly engaging especially considering that a lot of the tales are light on substance.
August 4, 2018
Pros - Offers a lot of great background and history to the stories.
Cons - The stories are kinda boring.
Cons - The stories are kinda boring.
February 7, 2022
This was a great read. Wisconsin is my home state, so this was so fun!
December 1, 2016
As a proud Wisconsinite by birth and a love of ghost stories, this book had it all for me. The accompanying pictures were great...wish there were more. The major disappoint for me is how some stories were merely glorified footnotes. I don't want to call the authors lazy, and I'm sure it's hard to find references for a lot of the ghost stories from long ago, but there were plenty of potentially interesting stories that only last a few lines. There are plenty of well written, longer stories included in this book that illustrate what the authors are capable of which almost makes it more disappointing for the shorter stories. Anyway, if you have any interest in the paranormal and unique WI history (like me), this is a must read. If you only have an interest in one or the other, must read might be too strong of a term.
One last, very important note -- my small hometown of St. Croix Falls gets a shout out in "The Coulee Road Ghost"! The ghost is actually in Hudson and this is a good story, but most surprising to me is that mail was delivered weekly from Hudson to SCF (80 miles round trip) on foot!
One last, very important note -- my small hometown of St. Croix Falls gets a shout out in "The Coulee Road Ghost"! The ghost is actually in Hudson and this is a good story, but most surprising to me is that mail was delivered weekly from Hudson to SCF (80 miles round trip) on foot!
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November 7, 2014Haunted Wisconsin
I’m reading a book called haunted wisconsin and i think it is a very good book. it’s a series of books about places in wisconsin that are haunted and have paranormal activities. some of the story’s i’ve enjoyed were about these family’s witnessing things missing, and things thrown across the room, and also seeing people vanish in thin air. most of these stories have been made in the mid 18 to 1900’s.
My favorite story from this book is titled “The girl in the White” and it’s about these two boys John Groat, and his best friend Ed and they were walk to their girlfriends “Carrie and Annas” house. These two girls live out of town a mile away and they are sisters. As they were walking to their girlfriends house “this is my favorite part” they noticed this girl in a white dress walking toward them, as she was walking toward them she turned at the wooden bridge and she jumped of and John and Ed ran over to the bridge and they looked down and they didn’t see her. They have searched for an hour or two and couldn’t find her.
I’m reading a book called haunted wisconsin and i think it is a very good book. it’s a series of books about places in wisconsin that are haunted and have paranormal activities. some of the story’s i’ve enjoyed were about these family’s witnessing things missing, and things thrown across the room, and also seeing people vanish in thin air. most of these stories have been made in the mid 18 to 1900’s.
My favorite story from this book is titled “The girl in the White” and it’s about these two boys John Groat, and his best friend Ed and they were walk to their girlfriends “Carrie and Annas” house. These two girls live out of town a mile away and they are sisters. As they were walking to their girlfriends house “this is my favorite part” they noticed this girl in a white dress walking toward them, as she was walking toward them she turned at the wooden bridge and she jumped of and John and Ed ran over to the bridge and they looked down and they didn’t see her. They have searched for an hour or two and couldn’t find her.
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January 24, 2017I never knew there could be so many places in Wisconsin that were haunted, until I read this book. Many people wouldn't read this because they don't believe in the paranormal or they don't think ghosts are real. This book talks about all the ghosts in Northern, Eastern , and Southern Wisconsin even some on Washington Island. All these creepy stories will sure give you a fright, who knows you could be living in one of the places that are haunted or near one. One thing I like about this book is that I could read about all the different places that have ghosts or some type of paranormal activity going on. What I didn't like about this book was well the fact that it didn't bring up much about North Eastern Wisconsin. I'd suggest this book to be read by people who believe in the paranormal and ghosts.
December 11, 2013
Like anyone else I love a scary story. While many of the stories were interesting, only a few gave me that "looking over my shoulder" feeling. Honestly, living in Wisconsin, it was an interesting historical read if anything else. However, I was disappointed by the fact that some areas of the state were completely overlooked by the author. For example, I went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater which any alumni will tell you has a rich Wiccan history, including haunted tales of the cemetery on campus, the water tower near the residences on the upper campus area, etc. Sadly, Whitewater was only mentioned once in the book and it was only in passing. Overall an interesting read, but not as goosebumpy as I had hoped.
February 14, 2013
Though not quite at the level of Norman's/Scott's earlier works (especially the "Haunted America" trilogy), this is still an awesome set of stories (for someone who admittedly knows nothing about Wisconsin history, aside from Wisconsin Death Trip). I often wonder what it is about their writing that makes Norman's/Scott's stories so alluring to me; I think it's the way they embellish their tales with a sense of history, and phrasing which makes the lives of the normal, everyday "victims"/witnesses of hauntings so plain and believable. Like their other books, this one is recommended for all readers who love "real" ghost stories.
December 23, 2017
Entertaining and relatively short. The stories themselves are of varying lengths, which makes it easy to pick up whenever you're in the mood for a spooky story no matter how much time you have. Some stories are a little too short and lacking in detail (one story is literally one sentence long), while others are several pages and very satisfying to read. Overall, if you're a fan of ghost stories, I'd definitely give this book a try.
July 22, 2021
Fun quick read for ghost story lovers. I personally enjoyed learning about strange phenomenon in my local area, and across the state. There were some stories that I wished had more information, and I often wondered how if there were “No witnesses” of peoples murders or dying that anyone knew the tale of said person meeting an apparition that caused this death at all. Still some stories were very interesting.
September 14, 2012
I love anything to do with the paranormal. Ive been interested since i was very young. I picked up this book at my school library a while back, and starting reading. This book is really interesting and i loved it. I now know all the haunted places (well the popular ones) in Wisconsin. I live really close to some of those locations!
February 6, 2008
It seems Betsy and I traded the copy of this book from middle school library (in Waukesha, Wisconsin) back and forth many times. I loved the short stories about haunted houses and ghost stories that just won't die. It's very high on nostalgia for me.
August 19, 2008
Pretty good...I wanted to be really creeped out though, and nothing ever got me good and scared. I have been known to check the closet before I go to bed (even now!) and this wasn't in the "closet-checker" category. Fun that the stories are from around my old stomping grounds...
October 28, 2017
This is a fun read, especially at this time of year.
Interesting stories about folks here in Wisconsin. Mining lead makes for interesting images. Then again we need something to do on days we can not go outside and play.
Interesting stories about folks here in Wisconsin. Mining lead makes for interesting images. Then again we need something to do on days we can not go outside and play.
August 17, 2019
I love good ghost stories. And this was a great read with dated stories 1800s and 1900s. You learn a bit of history along with it! Even had a story about my hometown of Evansville, WI ! One I wasn't familiar with and had to ask the older relatives about.
February 6, 2008
Like I said - OBSESSED. I should buy this book - I haven't seen it in years.
July 30, 2009
A good read. I didn't sit down and read every chapter in order, but rather read of stories which interesed me, which was probably almost all of them.
May 26, 2010
wisconsin is haunted
October 10, 2010
This book had some very good stories about hauntings in Wisconsin, while it also had some that were not so good. What a creepy state we live in..
June 8, 2015
The book was just various ghost stories from Wisconsin. I found it entertaining, not scary, but I rarely find ghost stories scary.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews