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Ghosts of Madison, Wisconsin
Take a haunted journey to interact with the feisty spirits of Madison, Wisconsin. Meet a bounty hunter peeking in windows along Highway 151, cringe at a phantom black dog standing between you and town on Military Ridge, and marvel at the corpse that disappears at the University of Wisconsin before anyone could report it! Meet ghosts that chase you from the Lake View Tuberculosis Sanatorium, a whistling spirit at Bartell Community Theatre, and phantom vehicles that pursue travelers on Dyreson and Weary Roads! Be prepared to be chilled to the bone!
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 17, 2026
This is a review of the book, “Ghosts of Madison, Wisconsin”” by Sherry Strub.
The book claims to be about ghosts in Madison, Wisconsin; however, most of the locations are not in Madison (36 of 63 stories). A lot of the hear-say stories are in Dane County and not in Madison. There are some tales of ghosts and those are outside of Dane County. There are writings in Janesville, Dodgeville, Baraboo, Beaver Dam, Mineral Point, and more.
Not Madison!
Not even Dane County!
The stories are short and more can be learned of these online, but this book is a good starting point.
Do you believe in ghosts? I’ve been to about a third of the places in the book and never seen or experienced anything weird. If you believe in the paranormal and let your mind go down that path then you might just see or experience an unusual event.
I have an open mind on the subject and know that paranormal events don’t happen all the time so I keep hoping for something strange to happen.
Those I’ve been with were freaked out when visiting the Forest Hill Cemetery and the Dane County Department of Human Services (Sanitorium Hill). With the latter, one cannot access the building, but there are trails in the area. Supposedly, there are burial sites here and said to be haunted. We were able to get in the building, with permission, and heard some really weird tales. Are they true? You decide!
Getting back to the book – it’s a quick read and well written; however, use it as reference. If you want – make a list and visit what is mentioned in the book. Just be prepared to put a lot of miles on your vehicle as you travel around southern Wisconsin to visit these locations. The title of the book is deceiving as one thinks it’s of ghosts in Madison. It’s not!
Recommended, but with an asterisk.
The book claims to be about ghosts in Madison, Wisconsin; however, most of the locations are not in Madison (36 of 63 stories). A lot of the hear-say stories are in Dane County and not in Madison. There are some tales of ghosts and those are outside of Dane County. There are writings in Janesville, Dodgeville, Baraboo, Beaver Dam, Mineral Point, and more.
Not Madison!
Not even Dane County!
The stories are short and more can be learned of these online, but this book is a good starting point.
Do you believe in ghosts? I’ve been to about a third of the places in the book and never seen or experienced anything weird. If you believe in the paranormal and let your mind go down that path then you might just see or experience an unusual event.
I have an open mind on the subject and know that paranormal events don’t happen all the time so I keep hoping for something strange to happen.
Those I’ve been with were freaked out when visiting the Forest Hill Cemetery and the Dane County Department of Human Services (Sanitorium Hill). With the latter, one cannot access the building, but there are trails in the area. Supposedly, there are burial sites here and said to be haunted. We were able to get in the building, with permission, and heard some really weird tales. Are they true? You decide!
Getting back to the book – it’s a quick read and well written; however, use it as reference. If you want – make a list and visit what is mentioned in the book. Just be prepared to put a lot of miles on your vehicle as you travel around southern Wisconsin to visit these locations. The title of the book is deceiving as one thinks it’s of ghosts in Madison. It’s not!
Recommended, but with an asterisk.
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March 8, 2017I liked it (it was fun to read about some of the "ghosts" on Uw-Madison's campus), but found a couple mistakes in the writing (saying Frank Lloyd Wright had 3 wives, then a paragraph later, talking about his 4th wife).
April 11, 2013
Can I give this a zero? I only read the section on UW-Madison, and there are so many errors that the author has forsaken all credibility in my mind. It's the Waisman Center, not Weisman. As of the date of this review, Tunnel Bob is alive and well; I've met him and I know his case worker. And the sentence: "Tunnel Bob has burns from the *steam pipes* of the university's *steam pipes*." You don't have to be an editor to catch the redundancy there! Most glaring and unforgivable of all is the first sentence pertaining to Sterling Hall: "A professor (some say it was an assistant) was killed in one of the science labs as a statement against the Vietnam War." Robert Fassnacht, the man killed, was a Physics postdoc and the father of 3 young children. Since I'm from Madison, I know the story, but one look on Google can give you all the information you need. The author couldn't spend 30 seconds to fact check this? Despicable.
March 7, 2009
These stories are fun and spooky and a nice addition to the local genre of ghost books, but the editing is atrocious. Errors galore - typos and factual. Too bad, really, because the stories and photos make for a great book. Bonus points for the index and bibliography.
July 24, 2013
Loved it!!!! Crazy to think how many creepy places there are in Wisconsin! I had a great time reading the book & was even a little scared to sleep ;) job well done! If you're looking for a good read on Wisconsin, love all things spooky, and want a wonder author - this is the one to grab.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews