A Guide to Haunted New England: Tales from Mount Washington to the Newport Cliffs

by Thomas D'Agostino

Visitors and New England natives alike will see a new side of the region through Thomas D'Agostino's eerie road trip guidebook. He captures the reader's imagination with folklore and anecdotes, plus recommendations useful for any traveler. This guide uncovers lingering spirits across all six states in the region, from the victims of alchemy gone awry in the White Mountains, to wraiths in the Berkshires, to the ghosts of drowned sailors in Mystic, Connecticut. Enjoy these retellings of classic New England ghost stories and discover obscure ones, and then go visit the spooky sights for yourself.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Ghosts, Ghost Stories, Paranormal

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jen]

DNF'd by pg 58.

This book is a major disappointment.
It calls itself a book of "Tales" of Haunted New England. It gives that bare minimum ghost stories for each site, instead making this sound more like promoting tourism for them, rather than actually giving readers chills.

I was also disappointed with how historical events are relayed. Not to be super "PC" but.....Native Americans tend to prefer being called "Native Americans" or "first nations" rather than Indians.

Also.... The way two instances of violence are written about a haunt in Deerfield MA was...eye-opening.
A white militia attacked a tribe, "killing two hundred Indians, mostly women and children." However, then right below it is this passage about tribe warriors and French militia raiding Deerfield, where "48 villagers were brutally slaughtered, buildings were burned and 111 survivors were forced to march three hundred miles." Notice the difference in wording here? "Killing" versus "brutally slaughtering? As though the mass murder of women and children wasn't a slaughter?

I don't know if the author is purposefully being racist or just has some unconscious bias ...but his editor should have noticed. Haunted America should have noticed.

Never reading him again.

[David Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a book about haunted New England. Rather it's a book about local tragedies some of which have connections to haunting but the majority don't. I like the idea that there are some directions (if you're very familiar with the area) if you'd like to visit some of these locations. However, overall the book isn't interesting, well told, and in general not what is promised in the title nor synopsis.

[D]

Where did I stop reading? 25% in

Why? This isn’t a Riveted title, just an ebook I’ve had on my device for a while because, you know. ‘Tis the season. But this read more like a tourist guidebook than a collection of stories. That’s kind of the point of it, to be a guidebook because it provided you with directions on how to get to places. But the way the stories themselves were told weren’t very captivating, like the focus of the book itself wasn’t to tell the actual story of the place but to get you there. I just wasn’t very interested in what I was reading and since I no longer live in New England it’s not like I can just up and visit any of these places. So down it goes.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the format of this book. It was not what I was looking for. I expected a collection of scary stories. Instead, the book was a travel guide book. There were some ghost stories mixed in, and unfortunately many were lame or weak, but mostly it was about historic inns, restaurants, breweries, parks, etc. with directions and contact info. The story about Champ didn't seem to fit in either. It isn't a ghost or a haunting. I don't intend to actually visit any of these places. I just wanted to read a scary book on a cold autumn evening.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wealth of information on places local to me, Central Mass, that make me want to jump in the car and make a day trip.

I’ve been to many sites that are mentioned and unfortunately I haven’t seen or heard anything paranormal going on while I’ve been there. My daughter & I have hoped and looked and looked while touring sites ... but, alas, nothing so far.

Well written book giving ideas of historical sites to visit and learn from with in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
Well done.

[Carol Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. Just enough historical info, mixed with accounts of paranormal experiences, and finished with a short "how to get there" blurb on each site. If we ever get to New England again, I'll use this book as a reference.

[Laura Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this travel guide. Not only does the author give places that are or might be haunted, he also gives the history of the places and recommendations on places to eat and stay.

[Mary Bradbury · Rating 1 out of 5]

Offensive

On the pages in the area of portsmouth i found there was an offensive term used,i had been enjoying the book until this point

[Ray Perdue · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better of the Haunted America books that I've read. My only caveat was the author's penchant of using "atoll" as a synonym for island. An atoll is a particular type of island.

[Sue :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great guide

To haunted places. I was hoping for more photographs but those that are there are great. I love when places to stay are included

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Guide to Haunted New England - Thomas D’Agostino
If you are the adventurous kind then you would enjoy taking a ghostly “Field Trip” to all these spooky places, that are detailed in this book.

[Elizabeth Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love just about anything true that’s ghost story related and this did not disappoint

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This my third book in this series on haunted New England and it's my favorite so far. These books aren't meant to be grand pieces of literature, but they give you some local history and good ghost tales for nighttime reading (or breaks at work like I do on my cell phone). Some of the books are a snore, but this had some page-turning stories. You have Asa Snow who was put on display in a glass coffin after he died, the ghost towns of the Quabbin Reservoir, the 192 men killed while constructing the Hoosac Tunnel, the first woman hanged in the newly formed America for killing her husband...needless to say, these are all real good stories that may give u the chills, even if u know some of them already. It also involved many places I've visited or now plan to visit, so it hit home more. The author gives good direction on how to get to some of the more hidden areas and even some of the local non-haunted attractions.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book kind of leaves a bitter sweet feeling knowing how close these ghost stories are to home and that they are not only based off of myths and legends but on historical events as well. I believe this is a book for the believers of the supernatural or for someone who enjoys a good ghost story or two.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew a lot of these stories already, but I liked the additional insights included in this.