Haunted History of Delaware

Haunted America

by Josh Hitchens

Delaware native and paranormal historian Josh Hitchens invites you on a spooky road trip through the First State, telling scary stories of the most frightening phantoms that lurk in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties. Read the legend of Fiddler's Bridge, meet the ghosts in the Governor's Mansion, learn the truth behind the Selbyville Swamp Monster and many more terrifying tales that will chill your bones. Combining historical facts with fearsome folklore, The Haunting of Ghosts and Legends from the First State is sure to keep you reading long past midnight…if you dare. Experience Delaware's ghostly history and the echoes it creates in the present day, places where the souls of the dead have not yet found rest.

Genres: History, Ghosts, Nonfiction, Paranormal

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2021

Reviews

[Stacey Hoffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully spine-tingling! I especially love how the author balanced empathy against the macabre. Highlighting the historic roots of many local legends reminded me these stories were based on actual events. He writes so the real people, now ghostly figures, come alive again.

Excellent storytelling, meticulously researched by a local author. It makes me feel like I’m driving through a horror film every time I head home to visit family. Highly recommend.

[Kait Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book looking for something to read to celebrate Halloween. I am not a history buff, but Hitchens does a great job telling parts of Delaware's history while weaving in the spooky content. This kept me engaged with the history part and overall, got me more interested in Delaware history in general. I recommend this book to anyone from Delaware. I also grew up in Delaware and moved to Philadelphia, so I would definitely read another book on Philadelphia by Hitchens. He also provides other books he sourced if you want to learn more about Delaware history.

[Monica Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a few fascinating tales to read in here. I really enjoyed the Rockwood Mansion chapter the most and would have loved to hear more but then it would have been a much larger book for sure. All around, I quite enjoyed this accumulation of spooks, tales, and histories of Delaware. Well done.

[Charis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book of local history and folklore! I learned a lot about Delaware history and the ghosts that come along with it. This book has made me want to volunteer at Rockwood Mansion, but we’ll see if my application is accepted!

I found these legends fascinating, and I’d only heard of two or three of the dozen or so Hitchens talked about. I look forward to reading his other materials and learning more about this lovely haunted state that I get to call home.

I love that Hitchens also visited many of the locations he wrote about so he could tell of his own experiences in the haunted places. He’s a very good storyteller, likely because of his experience in doing ghost tours in Philadelphia.

Whether you’re a ghost believer or not, if you’re a local Delawarean, pick this up! You’re bound to learn something new.

[Kathy Cap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, very well written!