Hauntings of the Underground Railroad: Ghosts of the Midwest

by Jane Simon Ammeson

Before the Civil War, a network of secret routes and safe houses crisscrossed the Midwest to help African Americans travel north to escape slavery. Although many slaves were able to escape to the safety of Canada, others met untimely deaths on the treacherous journey―and some of these unfortunates still linger, unable to rest in peace. In  Hauntings of the Underground Railroad: Ghosts of the Midwest , Jane Simon Ammeson investigates unforgettable and chilling tales of these restless ghosts that still walk the night. This unique collection includes true and gruesome stories, like the story of a lost toddler who wanders the woods near the Story Inn, eternally searching for the mother torn from him by slave hunters, or the tale of the Hannah House, where an overturned oil lamp sparked a fire that trapped slaves hiding in the basement and burned them alive. Brave visitors who visit the house, which is now a bed and breakfast, claim they can still hear voices moaning and crying from the basement. Ammeson also includes incredible true stories of daring escapes and close calls on the Underground Railroad. A fascinating and spine-tingling glimpse into our past,  Hauntings of the Underground Railroad  will keep you up all night.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, History

210 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

Ever since she started her own newspaper at age eight, selling it to neighbors who had no choice but to subscribe, Jane has loved to write. She’s now upped her game writing about travel, food, history for newspapers, magazines and Websites and is the author of 14 books including the recently released How to Murder Your Wealthy Lovers and Get Away With It; Murder & Mayhem in the Gilded Age, Lincoln Back Roads and Side Trips, Hauntings of the Underground Railroad: Ghosts of the Midwest and Murders that Made Headlines: Crimes of Indiana. She also authored A Jazz Age Murder in Northwest Indiana, a true crime book about a murder that took place in her hometown. Jane writes a weekly food column for the Herald Palladium and Shelf Life, a book column for the Times of Northwest Indiana, and currently has three Bindu Travel Apps: Michigan Road Trips, Experience Curacao and Indiana Journeys.

A member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the International Food Wine Travel Writers Association (IFWTA) and Midwest Travel Journalists Association (MTJA), Jane’s home base is on the shores of Lake Michigan in Southwest Michigan. Follow Jane on Facebook at janesimonammeson; Twitter @janeammeson1 and @travelfoodIN and on her blogs janeammeson.blog and shelflife.blog

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rtc.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full well-researched accounts of Underground Railroad sites, mainly in Indiana, but also covering nearby states. Of course, due to the furtive nature of the escaping slaves, there is not a lot of information to work with, but this author does a good job with what’s available. The book covers a broad overview of known locations and stories of the railroad with an eye toward the darker tales. Unfortunately, the title holds promise of ghosts and this was not delivered. Perhaps due to her background as a journalist or perhaps that the ghost stories were even more elusive than the records of the escapees. The fun of a book like this is the drawing out of these spook tales to get a chill with your history. The issue of whether ghosts are real is meant to be pushed aside so the reader can enjoy the shiver. Instead this was much more factual without so much “boo”. Still informative though.

[MKF · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because I live in a town and area that was part of the Underground Railroad. Not as popular or as well known as the Northern states sections but the Midwest states did their parts in helping slaves escape to freedom.
So I was excited thinking of all the interesting historical and ghost stories from the midwest. Turns out the author's idea of the midwest is only the Great Lakes States which is what should be included in the title instead of midwest.
The author then makes a point to tell the readers that she did all this research to keep it as historically accurate as possible. She then turns around and says it was hard to seperate myth from reality due to the lack of records. If records are so rare how come there are tons of information about it? I think that this was included to try and explain why so many of the stories included had no real or known connection to the Underground Railroad. It also helps exlained the common use of legends as facts but it fails to explain all the flawed information.
The rest of the book is the usual paranormal fillers such as psychics, vague descriptions, very little historical or physical evidence, and the usual they have no reason to lie so it has to be true. As mentioned in another comment the confusion about the channels Ghost Adventures is on seems a strange mistake but anything from Ghost Adventures should be taken with a grain of salt. Some will enjoy this book flaws and all but for me it was a struggle.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a tough one to rate. I love ghost stories, but the title is sometimes misleading. Some of the places discussed had nothing to do with the UGRR, as it is often referred to in the book. There were some stories that had great background, but there were also many that were simply, "We think the ghost might be a former slave who helped others escape". I did find the contemporary documents interesting.

The flaw I can not forgive is the mention of the show Ghost Adventures being on SyFy. NO. Ghost HUNTERS is on SyFy. Ghost Adventures and that ridiculous crew are on Travel. Blech.

[Danelle Our-Wolves-Den · Rating 4 out of 5]

First picking this book up at the library I read the title and thought it was going to be a book about the Ghosts of the Underground Railroad. Once I began reading and also took notice of the authors explanation of her book I looked at the book in a whole new light.

If you are looking for a book filled with ghostly apparitions of runaway slaves trying to reach freedom, then you will be disappointed. BUT if you look at the book for the content inside it is full of very interesting history. What one should understand is that the Underground Railroad was secret, it was meant to be that way. It was meant not to leave a trace- it was meant not to be recorded or talked about. Let's face it if I were trying to get my family to freedom, writing a letter or writing in a diary is the LAST thing I would be doing.

The author did a beautiful job describing possible places that could have been part of the Underground Railroad, as these building were either already constructed or were constructed along some routes suspected to lead to freedom. Yes, some can be documented to a point, but really it all comes down to speculation and stories handed down through many generations. This book tells of tragic events that happened in the homes, on the grounds, and in the towns. Some people experience ghostly apparitions, unexplained things that happen in these structures or places. And then again there are others who don't.

What I loved about the book is the history that is told throughout. The fact that there was a war going on, that battles took place on those pieces of land that the structures were built upon, that prohibition also played a big part in the way some of these houses had those secret tunnels or rooms. The author is very upfront about what she decided to put in the book and what they chose to leave out. Hand me down stories are unreliable, after a while people begin adding small details here and there that never were apart of the original telling.

If you love to learn about interesting facts from the past and some of the tragic events that have taken place in some dwellings, then by all means I honestly believe that you will like the book.

If you believe that "Hauntings" only means ghosts - then you will find yourself not enjoying it as much. To me the title is very fitting- Haunting to me is the memories of tragic events, the memories of the families I read about will haunt me to a point. This book is a haunting retelling of events that occured along the Underground Railroad which led to tragic events, death, and freedom to more than just the slaves.

[Marianne Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Hauntings of the Underground Railroad: Ghosts of the Midwest" by Jane Simon Ammeson contains an assortment of stories from the civil war and the underground railroad. a large portion of the book are actual copies of newspaper articles, so the language used is often archaic and that adds a certain authenticity to each case. The parts about the alleged hauntings are not as well documented. I had hoped this would be a little more entertaining than informative, but it was an interesting look into American Civil War history.

[Mark Mcclung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice historical account

This was more an historical review of some of the major locations associated with the underground railroad and some of the key figures than about actual haunting events. Good information for history buffs with some high level paranormal investigation scattered throughout.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting and documented stories of the civil war and Underground Railroad. Easy to read and check the facts. The haunting and paranormal stories are also interesting though not as well documented as the civil war and the UGR. Still a well written book with lots of American history.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author focuses more on history rather than the hauntings of several places tied to the UGRR. It's an interesting read if you're into history/Civil War era. But a bit of a disappointment if you like ghost stories.

[J.S. Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is called HAUNTINGS of the Underground Railroad, but there was hardly anything in here about hauntings at all. I did find the history interesting, if rather unorganized.

[Nicole Bannister]

Hauntings

I truly enjoyed the book .I am one who likes ghost stories. There was nothing I didn't like about this book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who like ghost stories