The Big Book of Illinois Ghost Stories

by Troy Taylor

The latest volume in the Big Book series contains more than 100 stories from haunted locales across the Prairie State. Compiled by Illinois's best-known author on the paranormal, this collection guests of the Mineral Springs HotelThe horrible history of the Old Slave HouseActive spirits in Decatur's Lincoln Theater Foreboding Voorhies CastleHauntings in Lincoln's houseTragic specters at the Iroquois TheaterRumors of a Devil Baby in Hull HouseChicago's famous Resurrection MaryVanishing hitchhikers

Genres: Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated this book. My main reason is due to the level of history being presented. By default, being a native of Chicago, I'm used to reading books by Ursela Bielski. The books I read from her mainly focus on Chicago and a few of the more immediate surrounding suburbs. With this book, the focus encompassed various parts of the State of Illinois.

I read one review stating that the history was appreciated but that the alleged ghost stories seemed rather thin and brief. I get that. I personally appreciate more of the history, especially for portions of the state I have not visited. The beginning of the book is an amazing place to start since it told the story of a small town that no longer exists in this day on account of the land being flooded and turning into a small island. This was a piece of history I have never even heard of. I was also familiar with the mention of Alton, IL which I have seen investigated on a television show.

Hearing the tales and history of Joliet prison was amazing. Most of this book was so foreign to me. The very last section of the book focuses on some of the more prevalent stories based in Chicago. A few of these stories have been corroborated with books by Ursela as well. One of the more heart breaking stories involve the Iroquois Theater disaster. This book also provides great detail on the Eastland Disaster and the Fort Dearborn Massacre. It's true that a lot of tragedy and disaster create strong emotional bonds that create Earth bound spirits. I absolutely recommend this book. Especially so for history buffs and fellow Illini.

[Deborah Janik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live in Missouri now, but I frequently miss my home state of Illinois. Reading this book somehow made me feel a little closer to home. I limited myself to one story per day, which is part of the reason it took me so long to finish it. I often travelled with the book though, and sometimes shared the stories with the friends riding in my car. One night on the way to southern IL, we stopped in Kaskaskia to take some photos with the town sign and read the story of the cursed town out loud.

The only thing that I was somewhat disappointed by in this collection is that so much of it centered on Chicago and Decatur. While those cities certainly have a wealth of stories and paranormal activity, I'd love to hear more stories about the rest of central and southern Illinois. SoIll especially is a remarkably spiritual place, and I'd love to see it more firmly represented. I am absolutely the kind of down-state Illinoisan who is tired of hearing "Illinois" when people only mean "Chicago" and I am not ashamed of that.

Troy Taylor is an author who has been on my radar for roughly 25 years. I used to receive his emails when I was around 12 years old, but somehow this was the first book by him I've ever owned. I'd always just admired the collection of his work at the bookstore and told myself I'd dive in eventually. I had the pleasure of listening to a lecture he gave at the library last year, and was beyond excited to meet him. I now have a copy of the Big Book of Missouri Ghost Stories and can't wait to read that one next!

[Jesek Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Troy Taylor is the best at presenting historical ghost stories. He walks the perfect line of facts and spookiness on top.

[Tracey Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting Illinois history that I was not aware of. A good read for sure 👍

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed like a lot more interesting history (which I did enjoy), rather than actual ghost stories.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. However, there were some stories that were 99% back story and then a brief mention of a supposed ghost. While I'm a history buff and enjoyed those stories, I'd like a bit more ghost with my ghost story!! There were also a few places where he wasn't clear - for instance, talking about Egypt without clarifying that he's referring to the area around the southern-most part of the state. Overall, though, I enjoyed this book.

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just Meh

I was just barely interested in this book. Many of the ghost stories in this I hadn't heard but the ones in the book I have heard (I grew up in Illinois) were told to me by my father. The narrative is extremely dry and reads more like a newspaper article than a good story.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, gives a lot of his about the different areas of Illinois.

Very good, gives a lot of the history about the different areas of Illinois. Would like more stories that include of the areas and people.