Ghosts of the Carolinas

by Nancy Roberts

This collection of supernatural tales includes "The Talking Corpse"; "The Hound of Goshen"; "The Ring"; "The Phantom Rider of Bush River"; "The Witch Cat"; "The Gray Man"; "Tsali, the Cherokee Brave"; "The Ghost of Litchfield"; "City of Death"; "Treasure Hunt"; "House of the Opening Door"; "The Ghosts of Hagley"; "Return from the Dead"; "Whistle While You Haunt"; "The Brown Mountain Lights"; "Alice of the Hermitage"; "The Night the Spirits Called"; and "Swamp Girl

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, Folklore, Supernatural, Short Stories, Halloween, History

120 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1967

Reviews

[Terrell Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun visit with the ghosts of North Carolina!

[John J Questore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book on a recent trip to South Carolina. I thought it would be an interesting look into some places to maybe visit next time I'm there, or down in North Carolina.

Boy was I wrong.

First, I don't know who the editor was (it wasn't listed), but to allow so many spelling mistakes, as well as grammatical errors is unconscionable! Even simple things that a 5th grader could spot (for example, the letter 'e' missing from the word 'the'). Errors like that take away from the overall experience of the book.

However, that pales in comparison to the disappointment I felt after finishing this book. Rather than a "guided tour" of haunted places, or even exact locations of ghost sightings, it was nothing more that a dozen or so campfire ghost stories. In fact, the last story has been told so many times, by so many different people, that I would have been embarrassed to include it - a couple driving pick up a girl who needs to get home. Surprise! She's no longer in the car when they get to the house. And you know what? They are told she died on that very day years ago. Ooh! Shocker.

The writing style was poor, at best.

As a Scout leader, I may just tweak one or two the next time we're sitting around telling ghost stories. But save your money - you can find more interesting stuff looking around the Internet.

[Charlotte Ehney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Roberts introduced me to ghosts stories. I first read this book when I was a child and relished each story. I was fortunate enough to be able to meet Nancy Roberts when she came to our local library for a talk and book signing. She was a gracious lady and she preserved so many local ghost stories.

Most of the ghost stories in this book are from the 1700s to early 1900s. They are from a different time when the Carolinas was less populated and more rural/agricultural. Communication was limited and nights brought darkness that was only penetrated by the a low flame or dim bulb. The ghosts very from a ghastly hound chasing those along a lonely rural road to a woman who appears to travelers along the highway to a stranger who wants his family to know of his final fate.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really scary, but definitely interesting from a historical aspect.

[Britt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really boring. Use of slurs. I didn’t read the last two-three stories. Just google ghost stories and you’ll be better off.

[C K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great campfire material- fun way to present a bit of the history of the Carolinas

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

nothing crazy, basically a text book

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghosts of the Carolinas by Nancy Roberts (University of South Carolina Press 1986)(398.32). This book features popular ghost tales from each state; it includes great information about the Brown Mountain Lights, which is a series of "ghost lights" visible from Wiseman's View in Western North Carolina. My rating: 7/10, finished 2002.

[Marc Pressley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Nancy Roberts classic is a great introduction to not only the well known legends but some of the more obscure tales of Carolina eeriness. Roberts combines the research of a seasoned folklorist with a writerly penchant for detail. A good read indeed.

[Lex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these really creeped me out. The ghost dog and the very last stories sent chills down my spine. However, it was hard to concentrate on the stories when, as a journalist, all I could do was keep editing the text, which had a lot of misspelled words and missing punctuation. It drove me batty!

[Kristina Coop-a-Loop · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another bad book given to me by a friend who insisted I read it. It was somewhat interesting, but the author did not convince of the existence of ghosts.

[Marquise De sade · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my first ghost reads!