Book Description
Take a tour of Baltimore's haunted historic sites in this book based on more than a dozen personal interviews with park rangers, graveyard workers, saloon keepers and museum curators. The book includes more than 60 photographs of graveyards, tombstones, forts, ships, haunted restaurants and historic locations. The book's highlights include the city's colorful history as explained through ghost tales and legends, featuring: unexplained activities at the Edgar Allan Poe House and Poe gravesite; 19th century grave robbing practices at the University of Maryland Medical College; spirits in the "catacombs" graveyard beneath Westminster Church; the "Gallows Ghost" and many other active spirits at Fort McHenry; graves and stories in Green Mount Cemetery (including the burial plot of John Wilkes Booth); sailor spirits on the USS Constellation in the Inner Harbor tourist area; several saloon ghosts and sightings in Fells Point; the Legend of "Black Aggie," an active tombstone statue; secret tunnels under Federal Hill; the story of the mysterious Phantom of O'Donnel Heights... and more. In addition a special 1-to-5 "tombstone rating," which was provided by the Baltimore Society for Paranormal Research, is included at the end of each chapter. These tombstone symbols indicate the level of hauntings at each of these public sites. To help teachers use this book in the classroom, a special teacher's guide is available separately. The book is entitled "Baltimore Ghosts and History Teacher's Guide" and was prepared by Cassandra Cogan, a middle school special education teacher in Cecil County, Md.


About the Author
Ed Okonowicz is the author of more than 20 books on mid-Atlantic folklore, legends and oral history. A former Baltimore resident, he now lives in Cecil County, Maryland. He teaches folklore and journalism courses at the University of Delaware, and he presents programs on writing and folklore in schools, libraries and colleges in the region. He also presents storytelling programs at historic sites, conferences and conventions. He is a member of the Delaware Humanites Visiting Scholar Program and Speakers Bureau. He served on the Maryland State Arts Council Traditional Folk Advisory Panel. He has appeared on The Learning Channel and has spoken at paranormal conferences in the mid-Atlantic region.