The Devil's Tramping Ground and Other North Carolina Mystery Stories

by John Harden

From the first colonization at Roanoke Island, the bizarre and inexplicable have shrouded the Tar Heel State. From history and legend, John Harden records ominous events that have shaped or colored state history.

Genres: Fiction, Paranormal

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's that time of year, when the air gets chiller and a good scare is in order to encourage you to slip deeper into warm covers. I picked this book up a the history museum in Greensboro, N.C. I love local ghost stories since they contain great snippets of information about an area that you wouldn't learn otherwise. There are a lot of interesting mystery and treasure stories in here, but I was very surprised by the end to read a story about a New Jersey man who went missing while he was stationed in North Carolina. He used to be a reporter at the Bergen Record, no less. A paper I've always wanted to work for.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a small obsession with North Carolina folklore, and this being one of the first books on the subject, I was quite pleased. There were several stories I'd never heard before, though, since my edition was from the 40's, I couldn't help but wonder if any of them had been explained since then...

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of 20 mystery stories and in only one is the mystery solved. It is a nice bit of folklore and tidbits of 'history' including the loss of Aaron Burr's daughter, Theodosia Burr Alston, at sea and the appearance and disappearance of vessels and people. It is a quick easy read and the stories are short.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother bought this book because he is a big ghost story fan. Since we live in North Carolina and I had time to kill on the way to Myrtle Beach I decided I would read it to. The stories were much more interesting than I thought and I know I will be re-reading this around every Halloween.

[Joel Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1949, this is a collection of mysteries (some supernatural, some missing persons, etc) covering the history of North Carolina. Very enjoyable, even if you're not from North Carolina and don't know a thing about its history.

[Brooke Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad gave me this book several years ago, which got me into ghost stories. Now we always pick up a copy of ghost stories whenever we are out of town/state. I love this book.

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing quite as much fun as old-fashioned small town America ghost stories!