Ghosthunting Maryland - Paperback

by Michael J. Varhola (Author), Michael H. Varhola (Author)

Come along with this father-and-son team as they explore the spookiest sites in Maryland.

Front Jacket

EXCERPTS
SOUTHERN Maryland
Peddler's Rock (Port Tobacco): A spectral dog is said to guard this boulder where a peddler was robbed and murdered more than 200 years ago, and its forlorn howling can sometimes be heard near the lonely site.
Point Lookout State Park/Point Lookout Lighthouse: The area was one of the two largest Civil War prison camps in the country and thousands of soldiers died there. Researchers have recorded 24 different ghostly voices in the now-abandoned Point Lookout Lighthouse, and mortals have reported cold spots, odd smells, unexplainable footsteps and strange apparitions there.
Saint Mary's Historical Society (Leonardtown): One winter in the late 1700s, a suspected witch froze to death beside a seaside boulder in this town after her hut was burned by townsfolk. The rock was later moved to a spot in front of the Saint Mary's Historical Society building, where visitors claim they can feel the malign presence of the witch -- who is still blamed for maladies that occur in the town.
Samuel Mudd House (Bryantown): Dr. Samuel Mudd was yet another one of the people imprisoned by the government on the weakly-substantiated suspicion of being involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. His embittered ghost is believed to still dwell within the farmhouse where he and his family lived during the Civil War, and where he died 14 years after President Andrew Johnson pardoned him in 1869.

WESTERN Maryland
The Blair Witch (Burkittsville): Formerly known as Blair Township, this little mountain town was the home of Elly Kedward, who was banished in 1785 for witchcraft and whose story has been commemorated in legend ever since.
Antietam Battlefield (Sharpsburg): Site of the single bloodiest day of America's bloodiest conflict, the shades of Civil War soldiers have long been seen marching across the fields where they were violently slain.
Backbone Mountain (Garrett County): This highest geographical point in the state of Maryland is believed to be haunted by the spirits of those who have met lonely fates upon the mountain.
Hager House (Hagerstown): A dark figure has been seen on the porch of this 18th century house, along with phenomena like disembodied footsteps, chairs that rock on their own, and a corncob doll that mysteriously appears in various places throughout the house.
Miller's Church (Hagerstown): Urban legends claim that this church was used for Satanic rites and in the years since people have reported seeing various apparitions -- including that of a young woman hanging from an oak tree in front of the church and a phantasmal hearse that chases people!
Rose Hill Cemetery (Hagerstown): People have claimed to hear screams of help and smell the stench of burning hair coming from the crematorium located on the grounds of this cemetery.
Saint Patrick's Catholic Church (Cumberland): A number of ghost stories are associated with this old parish church, including ones about the shade of a Civil War soldier who was executed for killing an officer.
The Old Depot (Frostburg): Inexplicable sounds have been heard coming from this old railway station, including the sound of a steam whistle even when no trains are present and even stranger ones from a tunnel running from it under Main Street.
The Old Castle (Mount Savage): Nestled in the mountains of Maryland, this home was designed to look like Craig Castle in the Scottish Highlands. It is believed by some that a previous owner, whose name was Ramsey, has come back to permanently stay at the Castle, noted for its intricate library and great hall.
BALTIMORE
USF Constellation (Inner Harbor): Three ghosts are known to dwell upon this famous warship, one of them that of a sailor executed for dereliction of duty--and an another that of the captain who ordered him put to death.
Druid Ridge Cemetery (Northwest/Pikesville): Many of the episodes of unearthly activity at this old, hilltop cemetery have involved a black angel statue. Over the years, witness have made all manner of claims about it, including that its eyes glow with an eerie light at midnight and that it has animated and even sawed off its own arm.
Fells Point (Southeast): At least two spirits are known to haunt this neighborhood, including a man in 18th century garb that is believed to be one of its founders and an unidentified entity at the Whistling Oyster restaurant. (CHK also Robert Long House.)
Fort McHenry (Inner Harbor): Many incidents of ghostly activity have been told about this brick fort that was the object of the battle immortalized in "The Star-Spangled Banner." Stories have included those of specters walking the ramparts, disembodied voices, and levitating or moving furniture.
Gridiron Club: The ghost of an old woman who was kidnapped and murdered by her slaves in the years prior to the Civil War is believed to haunt the house where she dwelled in life.
O'Donnell Heights (West): For two weeks in 1951, a ghoulish figure from a nearby graveyard accosted local children and otherwise terrorized this neighborhood, until an armed mob drove it back where it had come from for good.
Shot Tower: Built in 1828, this 238-foot-tall ammunition manufacturing structure was the tallest building in the United States until the construction of the Washington Monument. Passersby frequently hear strange sounds coming from within it after it has been closed to visitors and it is widely reputed to be haunted.
Edgar Allan Poe House: The tormented spirit of Edgar Allan Poe is believed by some to dwell within this small house where the author lived and worked for two years during the 1830s. (Note: Dad wants to do this one together.)
Pride of Baltimore II: This authentic reproduction of a 19th century clipper topsail schooner is believed by some to be haunted by the spirits of four crew members who died when its predecessor, Pride of Baltimore, was sunk in 1986 by a white squall.
Westminster Presbyterian Church and Cemetery (West): Edgar Allan Poe is among the prominent people buried in this 19th century burying ground, and his unquiet shade is among those that people have reported seeing walking its grounds on moonlit nights.

Author Biography

Michael J. Varhola is a freelance author, editor, and lecturer who specializes in nonfiction and travel-related subjects and runs game manufacturing company Skirmisher Publishing LLC. He has a lifelong interest in the paranormal and has conducted investigations worldwide, including sites throughout Europe and the United States. His other books include Ghosthunting Virginia, Everyday Life During the Civil War, Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes, and Fire and Ice: The Korean War, 1950-1953. He studied in Denver and Paris before earning a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. He currently resides in Spring Branch, Texas. Michael H. Varhola is a professional counterintelligence officer and a longtime resident of the state of Maryland. His lifelong dream has been to be a professional writer, and he plans to begin writing full-time after retiring in 2010. In the meantime, he has been contributing short pieces to his son's books. These include chapters in Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes and Ghosthunting Virginia, as well at this current work. In his spare time, he is also working on a novel, which is set in the Ottawa River Valley in 1634 during the fur wars.