Ghosts of Old Wilmington

by John Hirchak

Rising from the banks of the Cape Fear River like a spectral stage, Wilmington, North Carolina, remains one of America s most haunted cities. Its beautiful homes and tidal waterways belie a history of violence. Wilmington is a true theatre of horror, the cast of which includes runaway slaves, children lost at sea, murderous lovers and fallen women of the night who linger in Paradise Alley. Wilmington s ghosts make the Cape Fear region worthy of its name. Author John Hirchak calls upon years of experience as the owner and guide of the Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington to lead his readers on a journey down back alleys and docksides, stopping at various points along the way to listen to the lingering whispers of generations long dead. A wonderful mix of humor and horror, Ghosts of Old Wilmington will delight any reader with an interest in Wilmington s unsavory past."

Genres: Historical, Ghosts

130 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2006

Reviews

[Mandy Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after finishing the ghost tour in downtown Wilmington. It was enjoyable and informative. My only complaint is that, in the very last story, the author references a photo that he took that featured a child apparition in the window—but didn’t include the photo in the book. It seemed like a weird tease to make, to not actually show the reader the photo in question.

[Ann aka Iftcan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry, which for ghost stories is kind of hard to pull off. I got it and read it mainly because I'd recently moved to Wilmington and thought it would be fun to know about the local "haunts". While the history is kind of interesting, the story telling could have been handled better.

[Joyce Himmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful companion to the Haunted Ghost Walk I just took in Wilmington, NC. Filled with several stories from the history of this old seaport from pirates, slaves and people buried alive. You may not walk the streets of Wilmington at night alone ever again.

[Willow Redd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually my second time reading this one. The first time, I borrowed it from the library. Now I own my own copy. Here's my original review, which I don't feel the need to add to at the moment:


Most every town you visit has one of these books, at least the ones that have enough old ghost stories to tell. It is a part of the Haunted America series. This one, put together by the man who started the Ghost Walk and the Haunted Pub Crawl, is full of stories I for one had never heard. There are houses in downtown Wilmington that are alive with ghosts, and reading about them makes me want to visit them all.

In fact, one of the stories in this book has given me an idea for a story of my own. I plan to use it as a basis, then create my own fictional tale around it.

Definitely a necessary reference for anyone in the Cape Fear region that is involved with any form of paranormal research or investigation, or anyone who wishes to write ghost stories with a Wilmington/Cape Fear flavor.

[Natalie Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in Leland NC, a few minutes away from Wilmington, I knew about a lot of these stories, but there were a few of them I didn't know. Whether I did or not, it was interesting to read about them and with it being a short book, a novella really, I was able to read it in a day. The writing could have been a little better but I had bought it more since he was a local guy writing about our ghost stories of Wilmington.

[Leslie Johnston]

I'm kicking myself for not going on the haunted pub crawl when I was on vacation in Wilmington, NC!!! All these stories are on the tour! I really liked the book.