Ghost Stories of Minnesota

by Gina Teel

In Minnesota, much more than the magnificent scenery will take your breath away. Tales of fright-filled folklore span the length and breadth of the North Star * Phantom soldiers of the Civil War walk the remains of historic Fort Ripley, near Little Falls * Renovations to the elegant Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul awakened the ghost of Ben, the spirit of a stagehand from the early 1900s * After one of her clients suffers through a series of disturbing ghostly events, a Minneapolis realtor offers ghost-busting services to potential buyers * The Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Center is haunted by the mischievous ghost of renowned Minnesota author Sinclair Lewis * The last prisoner to be hanged in Minnesota is one of many spirits haunting the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul * After the worst mining disaster in state history, the ghost of a miner and the phantom sound of his warning whistle chased new workers away from the Milford Mine * Minnesota's paranormal experts reveal their approaches and some of the ghostly events they've witnessed. * From mischievous manifestations to grisly ghosts of vengeance, eerie apparitions arise in Rochester, Winona, Avon, Camden, Chanhassen, Stillwater, Montevideo, St. Cloud, Le Sueur and more.

Genres: Paranormal, Ghosts, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not in anyway a serious or scientific investigation of ghosts or the paranormal. It's more a retelling of local folklore and urban legends. Even for that, it's poorly sourced. A lot of the stories use the "People say that..." or "Reports are..." type of background, which leaves me to wonder where the author heard these stories or if they just made them up. When there is a source, it's often a psychic who visited the location and had a vision.

That being said, if your familiar with Minnesota, it's still fun to read ghost stories that take place in areas you know.

It's kind of funny how nearly all the ghosts appear to be from the 1880 - 1930 era. I'd like to read about a ghost from the 70's who appeared wearing bell bottoms, a wide collared shirt, and a gold chain!

[Teagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge history nerd even though this is not a history book, it was so interesting to learn about the different sightings and haunted places of Minnesota. I am hoping to one day visit some of these places with my siblings as we are huge psychic nuts as well.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The prose was simple and honestly painful to get through. The submitted primary sources were better written.

Some truly spooky tales, and as a new Minnesotan, I appreciate the brief section on local lore.

Borrowed book.

[Sandi Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, October read of several stores. The scariest part was when the same thing I used to hear in the house growing up was described in other stories.

[Stacy]

Lots of Minnesota ghost stories, mostly in the Twin Cities.

[Chantal Tougas]

Loved it. Some creepy stories in here!

[Justin Wolffing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great stories in this one. A lot of hauntings in the twin cities. I had no idea a few of the places I've been to are haunted. Short read.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read this aloud on a road trip, and we were both incredulous that it was written by a journalist. The lack of writing skills was distracting. The narrative constantly changes between present and past tenses, and it just felt like it didn't have any editorial process before printing. It was fun to read about some areas, but a number of stories just lacked any real interest otherwise. And don't pick this up if you're looking for a scare, only a few of the many stories might be considered creepy. A better book has to exist!