Haunted Plano, Texas

by Mary Jacobs

Plano's old homes and businesses are rife with haunted history. Explore eerie urban legends like the Goat Man, the Clown Threat, and Ranch 111, where devil worshipers performed their rituals. The Evaporating Apparition spooked the staff at the Art Centre Theatre, while the grumpy spirit of an old rancher stalks the Masonic Lodge. Some specters are harmless, such as the Giggling Ghost, a little girl in the Cox Building with a penchant for peanut butter and pranks. Other figures own a more sinister reputation. The Witch Lady of Plano was feared by city youth and monitored by the FBI. Mary Jacobs examines the ghostly fallout of Plano's darkest moments, from the smallpox epidemic to the gruesome Muncey family murders.

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 17, 2018

Reviews

[jj Grilliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the history, especially in the last part of the book. Not really anything scary in this book. Good to know that Plano is not really Haunted after all.

[Frrobins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't live in Plano, but my husband was raised there and for a few years I lived in a neighboring city and decided this would be a fun way to learn some of its folklore. There was quite a lot of history of the founding of Plano and the early families who settled there and various organizations than I was not anticipating and I found myself reading facts about the city that my husband did not know to him. I also asked him if he'd heard of the Goat Man and his answer was a resounding "no," though he did tell me the truly terrifying tale of having to learn to spell Schimelpfenig at school.

Overall this is a nice look at the history of Plano and even included some needed skepticism at times, such as when she detailed how the Satanic Panic affected Plano. I would also say this focused more on history than tall tales and because of that was not as eerie as I was expecting. It's worth a read if you live in Plano or just have an interest in local areas and their folklore.

[Amanda M. Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was something surprisingly pleasant about reading on local history. I wouldn't say any of the stories about hauntings in Plano were particularly striking, but I felt I walked away knowing a little more about my home town. And I kind of want to visit the Heritage Museum again, at least to see the hair mourning wreath I remember.

It didn't have the only other ghost story I know of, which may be strictly for fun, about the ghost of the Plano East Senior High theater. They tell tales about him every Halloween.

[meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed learning about Plano history, especially as someone who is recent to the area. Obviously I wish the town was a bit more haunted just for the fun of the book, but the stories were interesting and helped me learn a lot about what's located in town.