Larry D. Thacker, Jr.,Larry D. Thacker, Jr.
A near-obsessive pursuit of ghost stories and odd superstitions cranks up this serious study of Appalachian tales of the supernatural and their origin in both old-world customs and real historical events. An effort to preserve and record one aspect of a dying way of life, the book relies on interviews and historic documents to search for the facts behind local lore of murder, witchcraft, and weird hauntings. Several campfire-worthy ghost stories are recounted in their entirety--including "The Swinging Gate of Fern Lake Hollow"--and an unexpectedly large number of stories about aliens and UFOs provide an interesting comparison of three-century-old mysteries and those stirred up in comparatively recent times
Fantasy,Paranormal,Cultural,Nonfiction
Mountain Mysteries: Investigating the Mystic Traditions of Appalachia