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Ghost Stories of Texas
Stories about local ghosts from around the state of Texas.
201 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 25, 2023
As a certified Paranormal Researcher and Investigator (a nut with a certificate), I love real ghost stories, legends and folklore. This one was so well written that I have ordered all Mr. Syers books that I could find. As a Texas historian, he made the whole book come to life. Not sure I want to find out for myself about several of the stories, but I am intrigued.
November 6, 2017
Kind of interesting, kind of o.k. Since it was written/gathered in the late 70s/early 80s, I can't help thinking that all of these mysterious places have been developed.
No surprise that the stories I was most interested in were stories that I knew a bit, or heard a bit, about: Elizabet Ney, Josiah Wilbarger, Enchanted Rock. Most of the stories ended in a "but who knows for sure??" kind of pseudo-cliffhanger. And I get that these were written 30/40 years ago but he was not a writer. Just some clumsiness throughout which made it difficult to read.
So the stories I liked, I liked alot! But most of the book was just aight.
No surprise that the stories I was most interested in were stories that I knew a bit, or heard a bit, about: Elizabet Ney, Josiah Wilbarger, Enchanted Rock. Most of the stories ended in a "but who knows for sure??" kind of pseudo-cliffhanger. And I get that these were written 30/40 years ago but he was not a writer. Just some clumsiness throughout which made it difficult to read.
So the stories I liked, I liked alot! But most of the book was just aight.
December 18, 2009
I admit, mainly I liked it because it's kind of a history lesson, which makes sense---Ed Syers is a history man, first. He has a few novels and then Texas: The Beinning, 1519-1834, which I wouldn't mind finding now that I'm mature enough to actually listen to some history about my state.
He did a Texas travel guide, too, and there's a lot of traveling in this book. That is, he seems to have visited most of the sites in this book of ghost stories. Also, it makes me trust the history behind the ghost stories, if not the stories themslves. ;-)
I kept looking for places I knew, and there were a couple, but I didn't know the ghost stories there. For instance, I know about Mott House in Galveston and that it's supposed to be haunted, but that's all I knew about that. And I grew up hearing about the Marfa Lights. That's one of those cool things you just can't deny because it's a tourist attraction. People go all the time to see them, and do see them. All the time.
I haven't been, but I always wanted to go. I used to live a lot closer to them.
Back to the book, though. The stories are each just a few pages long, and there are some photographs taking up the middle of the book, of some of the places mentioned in the stories. There's even one photograph that's supposed to have ghost in it, but I dunno, guys. It's a picture of this scrubby hillside, with mist all around. And what they're calling a lady holding a baby looks like a sheaf of mist, to me. I have a lot of experience with mist, around here, and the kinds of things it does.
Still, it's all interesting, and a few of them are even inspiring to a writer who's been teasing the idea of writing a horror story. I do like the simple, straight-foward history-teacher way Syers presents the stories. Up until about the end of each one, that is, where he has to make some kind of mysterious statement about how, "Maybe it's nothing, but I know I'll never live there," or "What about your home?" and the like. It's cheesy, but I found myself smiling at it, anyway, the way I used to smile at my junior high math teacher when he'd make his trap-a-zoid jokes.
Great, creepy, give-you-chills stuff, no. Fun if you live around here, yes.
He did a Texas travel guide, too, and there's a lot of traveling in this book. That is, he seems to have visited most of the sites in this book of ghost stories. Also, it makes me trust the history behind the ghost stories, if not the stories themslves. ;-)
I kept looking for places I knew, and there were a couple, but I didn't know the ghost stories there. For instance, I know about Mott House in Galveston and that it's supposed to be haunted, but that's all I knew about that. And I grew up hearing about the Marfa Lights. That's one of those cool things you just can't deny because it's a tourist attraction. People go all the time to see them, and do see them. All the time.
I haven't been, but I always wanted to go. I used to live a lot closer to them.
Back to the book, though. The stories are each just a few pages long, and there are some photographs taking up the middle of the book, of some of the places mentioned in the stories. There's even one photograph that's supposed to have ghost in it, but I dunno, guys. It's a picture of this scrubby hillside, with mist all around. And what they're calling a lady holding a baby looks like a sheaf of mist, to me. I have a lot of experience with mist, around here, and the kinds of things it does.
Still, it's all interesting, and a few of them are even inspiring to a writer who's been teasing the idea of writing a horror story. I do like the simple, straight-foward history-teacher way Syers presents the stories. Up until about the end of each one, that is, where he has to make some kind of mysterious statement about how, "Maybe it's nothing, but I know I'll never live there," or "What about your home?" and the like. It's cheesy, but I found myself smiling at it, anyway, the way I used to smile at my junior high math teacher when he'd make his trap-a-zoid jokes.
Great, creepy, give-you-chills stuff, no. Fun if you live around here, yes.
October 25, 2012
This book was a pleasant surprise. Being from Texas it's wonderful to read and know the area being writen about. The stories are familiar but with more detail that only a historian can provide. His style of writing is much like if you were hearing it from him. Alot of Ed Syers personality comes out in this book. Its great to see the familiar slang and just the way only people from Texas can talk. Great book.
July 23, 2016
Are these stories real? The picture inset contains eerie commentary on the potential haunted images throughout Texas, adding to the belief that they are, but one will never know. I just wish to avoid Gonzales, Texas, if I can.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews