Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places

by Colin Dickey

our brains are hardwired to think in terms of place and to associate psychic value or meaning to the places we inhabit.

The Transcendentalists often viewed Spiritualism with a skepticism bordering on outright hatred. Emerson called it the “rathole revelation” and claimed that the adepts of Spiritualism “have mistaken flatulence for inspiration.”

Amazon.com is filled with gadgets for the paranormal investigator: KII meters, which measure electromagnetic field variations; portable motion sensors; “ghost boxes,” which sample FM frequencies randomly in search of voices from the beyond; and all manner of digital recorders rebranded as EVP recorders, claiming to offer superior paranormal recordings (“Get Ready to Converse with Spirits!” boasts one such device, which retails for $119.85).

the closest thing to ghosts in the house are the birds that sometimes get into the attic.

If you’ve ever worked a closing shift, or as a security guard, you know the way a place can change after the doors are locked and the lights are dimmed, when the lighting so carefully designed to spotlight the latest gadgets goes slack, when the mood lighting gets moodier.