Haunted Wilmington and the Cape Fear Coast

by Brooks Preik

An illustrated collection of fourteen ghost stories that span nearly two centuries of North Carolina history...some horrifying, some whimsical, some bizarre. And all of them, according to their terrified witnesses, "true."

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Ghosts, History, Short Stories

Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of stories and reports of ghost sightings in the Wilmington, NC area. A lot of the stories come from the 1800's and involve the Cape Fear River or Fort Fisher. There are stories of shipwrecks, pirates, and of soldiers who fought in the Civil War. As well as old houses, inns, and our town's historic theatre - Thalian Hall.

The stories are narrated concisely with some references of origin and background history. Some stories were more detailed and interesting than others. And I sometimes felt this type of book does date itself a little as it was first published in 1995 and all the sightings and history stops in that year. I am curious to know what places in town are currently haunted...is there paranormal activity in Wilmington happening now? It seems like many of the stories ended saying "with the modernization of the building the ghost hasn't been seen since..." or "with the increased development of the area the spirits no longer visit..."

The author included some nice touches with quotes at the beginning of each chapter, illustrations from local artists, and an afterward that includes many historical notes and facts.

Overall, it was a fun and interesting read to enjoy on Halloween and now I am even more interested to visit some of the places mentioned in the book and take our town's Ghost Walk tour!!!

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is a well-written and enjoyable book. It would especially help set the mood of the Cape Fear area for anyone planning a visit. As one might expect of a place with this much history, this book will tell you not only of the ghosts themselves but also much of how the ghosts may have come to be. Along the way the reader will be lead down a colorful history that includes pirates, redcoats, ship wrecks, Confederate soldiers, and even a couple of Scottish highlanders.

This is not the most detailed, informative, or even scary ghost book on the market. Even so, it is an entertaining book and Preik has a very pleasant writing style. I enjoyed it very much.

[Emma]

Feel like I could give a really bad ghost tour now. I was annoyed by all of the "prominent physicians" and "longtime lawyer" talk but cheers to Wilmington I guess. Cool stories with local interviews. I love some Thalian Hall lore, but otherwise meh. Glad I finished.

[Micah Beasley · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I am not alone in my fascination for the mysterious and unexplainable."

I'm mostly certain I found this book at Ed McKAY's former location in Raleigh. Which has been shuttered for years, which is to say this little paperback has been on the shelf for a while.

But I love ghost stories, I love my hometown, and I love Halloween-time, so this felt like the perfect time to finally give this read.

I thought this would have some narrative structure, but it's much more essay-based interviews and historical recounting, which was largely interesting, however lacking in chills and thrills.

I heard tellings and adaptations of a number of the featured hauntings growing up — I remember begging my mom to take me to see the "Maco light" more than once — but a number of the stories were new. I found the tragic tale of Theodosia Burr Alston particularly fascinating. I also enjoyed learning about the old homes of Wilmington.

But I am going to rate this lower than I usually do because the writing was often too elementary in both prose and structure, and laden with exclamation points. Beyond those sins, I was really disappointed with the confederacy glorification that occurs a number of times throughout a book with a first printing in 1995.

[Lance Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this for my kids when they were in their teens and it has been on a shelf at Oak Island, North Carolina for fifteen years before I picked it up. Expected it to be on a child's level, like so many other "ghost stories of" books. But it was very well written and researched. Pleasantly surprised and intrigued!

[Dani Shirilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

cool to read some ghost stories i was told as a kid!

[Ezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read this book maybe four times, though this is the first time I've actually reviewed it (the other times I've read it, I didn't have a goodreads and was 12, 13, and 14 years old.)

I am biased in the matter of this book because I live in Wilmington and have definitely heard about some of these stories and places. I've driven past the Bellamy Mansion (though I've never gone in), and been in both the Cotton Exchange and Thalian Hall.

This is a pretty good book, including lots of different stories and interesting illustrations; I particularly enjoy this book because of it's get-to-the-point writing style. While the author does tend to write in a dramatic, "spooky" tone, I know that's to be expected, after all.

This is a very interesting book, especially for locals here in Wilmington and on the Cape Fear Coast.

[Vive · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of hauntings makes me want to revisit Wilmington, NC over & over! Such a beautiful city, and this book only deepens my fondness for its coast. I read it over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and it's put me in the mood for Hallowe'en! Bring on the ghouls!

[Willow Redd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A handy collection of ghost stories from the Cape Fear region and some important local lore and legends for anyone interested in that kind of thing, which I am.