Black Cat Tales: History and Hauntings of Old Salem

by Daniel Fury, Lara Fury

An in depth look at the history behind Salem's most chilling legends and mysterious hauntings. This book is filled with the efforts of over fifteen years of research by local historians Daniel and Lara Fury, owners of one of Salem's most respected and well reviewed walking tour companies. Delve into the details behind the macabre afflictions of the Witchcraft Hysteria of 1692, and the unexplained phenomena of ghostly apparitions that have appeared for centuries in buildings and locations cursed with madness and murder. With a touch of Black Cat Tours particular brand of humor and whimsy, this is an opportunity to visit the eerie Witch CIty when you cannot travel there in person, or a part of your Salem visit you can take home and revisit for years to come.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

121 pages, Paperback

Published October 19, 2019

Reviews

[rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this cute little book from a grandparent who went to Salem. Every night before I went to sleep I would read 3-7 (ish) of these stories.

The history behind all the locations is remarkable. The amount of places and people related to Salem is crazy! I didn't know Clue (the game) was based off a location in Salem. How fun. This could also be a bit confusing, because I tend to read pages at a time, meaning I forget names and places quite often (and frankly, when its 11:00 at night and I just want to read, I'm not going to reread to recall these details.)
I'm a big fan of the short story about a cat specter listed in this book (excuse me, I don't really remember which story it is from.) However, I am unsure if I believe the hauntings and specters which are mentioned. The book states that all of these claims of ghosts and such are guest reports, meaning there is no solid evidence, except for photos, which also may be staged. Either way, it is quite entertaining to see unfold before your eyes terror unlike no other.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have spent many hours walking around Salem on windy October days and know well the palpable feeling of history lurking everywhere. I only wish I had read this book before my last visit to Salem because I so would have loved to have been aware of the most haunted places as I strolled along the streets. This book has some great and intriguing stories about the area and its witch trial error characters, as well as characters, from other eras. Just a few years back I had a very strange few hours in Salem which began with me starting to sing The Lord's Prayer at the top of my lungs for some unknown to me reason and within minutes, I had driven onto an unmarked traffic island and gotten stuck on my way to the House of Seven Gables. The spirits are definitely on the move in Salem and this book is a great guide to understanding the town's history and its restless spirits.

[Mariette T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the history of some of Salem's oldest buildings. Most of them are tied into the witch hysteria of 1692; however, others belong to some of Salem's more affluent and eccentric inhabitants. I was surprised to learn that both Edgar Allen Poe & H.P. Lovecraft found inspiration for some of their most well-known stories from incidents that occurred in Salem. A must-read for any history buff or Salem-enthusiast.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good collection of the "history and hauntings" of Salem, MA - emphasis on the history. It would make a fun souvenir. If you've already read some about the Salem Witch Trials, much of it will not be new information. I did like learning that the Old Town Hall in Salem was a filming location in Hocus Pocus and hosts various costume balls throughout the year. I added attending one to my bucket list.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to read before going to Salem

This book is a great read before going to Salem to visit. You have an idea of the special places to see and maybe even do some of your own paranormal investigations. Booking a walk with the Black Cats Tours is also a wonderful thing to do one night while in Salem to see the places and hear the history of the places you read about.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The authors gave us the history of the various places they included in each chapter of the book and shared the various stories of 'paranormal' sightings that have happened around or within each, making sure to point out those stories that had actual factual background or proof to them, while debunking other claims.

[Rebecca Bessem · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read into the history of Salem and it’s hauntings. Daniel and Laura clearly put a lot of work into making sure the stories give you historically accurate context and then share the lore from the townsfolk as well as personal experience. We had the pleasure of meeting Daniel at the store is Salem recently to purchase this book!

[Erik Sollenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully researched and presents a perfect balance of history and ghost stories. They also do a great job of not spending too much time on any one location so that the reader does not get bored, but they present enough information to leave the reader also feeling satisfied.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction-Tales
108 pages

What would you believe?

[Kristy Moyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me want to go back to Salem!

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was lovely revisiting places from my trip last October making me want to return soon.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about present-day Salem and the buildings it contains and the ghosts that it might have. The authors go into the history of the town and then discuss a number of buildings and what kinds of things can be found there, one of these being apparently the skull of Blackbeard the Pirate.

One of most interesting things the authors bring up relates to the original witch trials and a scam that the government worked. Anyone found guilty of being a witch had all their property confiscated and sold by an official. Thus, it became profitable to go ahead and kill some people off to get their money and what little property they had.

There's nothing earthshaking here about specters but it's still an interesting book.