Ed Okonowicz - The Big Book of Maryland Ghost Stories

Copyright 2010 by Edward M. Okonowicz Jr.

Published by
STACKPOLE BOOKS
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
www.stackpolebooks.com

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Stackpole Books.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

FIRST EDITION

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Okonowicz, Ed, 1947

The big book of Maryland ghost stories / Ed Okonowicz. 1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN-13: 978-0-8117-0561-5 (hardcover)

ISBN-10: 0-8117-0561-7 (hardcover)

1. GhostsMaryland. I. Title.

BF1472.U6O546 2010

133.109752dc22

2010017262

Introduction

T his is a book of ghost stories. But it is also a book about the land and what happened there. Since the European explorers arrived in Maryland in the early 1600s, portions of what they discovered and what they did have been recorded in court documents and historic newspapers. So much more occurred here though, both before and after the settlers arrivalso much that we will never know.

The land was here, and while the earth is silent and doesnt keep written records, the land never forgets. Some eventsgood things and bad things, achievements worth celebrating and tragedies best forgottenleave an indelible legacy at their locations, a mark or a message that can be retrieved some time in the future. And the essence of those private and public deeds has become the basis for the stories we tell, especially ghost stories.

I live at the northeastern corner of Maryland, within a very short walk of the Mason-Dixon line. Ive touched the centuries-old stone markers and traced my fingers in the lines of the letters M (designating Maryland) and P (indicating Pennsylvania) carved on opposite sides of these weathered stones. They were put in place nearly 250 years ago. At night, walking through the thousand-acre forest of the nearby state nature preserve, its easy to imagine the Indian guides, axmen, cooks, and surveyors who created the internationally recognized geographic boundary. Some of these long-gone people stood on the same spots as modern-day weekend hikers, or camped near the roads and paths so many people routinely travel today.

Certain people believe past events have been recorded and preserved in ways we cannot imaginemuch more sophisticated than words on newspaper pages, or information and images on Web sites, or secrets locked in the minds of elders.

Psychics claim they can grab slivers of the past and the future. People calling themselves sensitives say they have received the gift to hear and see incidents that most mortals overlook or dont know how to access. And ghost huntersfolks I call ghostersroam the night armed with the latest in expensive, high-tech gizmos on a paranormal treasure hunt to catch a spirit on film or capture a ghost in a jar.

This book, containing nearly 150 stories, has taken advantage of all of these sources. The chaptersfeaturing six sections of the stateare based on personal interviews with paranormal experts, museum guides and administrators, residents of haunted homes, folks who claim direct experiences with entities from the other side, and even a few owners of haunted objects, or possessed possessions.

There also are a number of stories that were found in old books, historic documents, and both faded and modern newspaper clippings. These were located over the Internet, in historical society file cabinets, and on library special collections shelves. Some were nothing more than scraps of paper, handwritten notes, or faded writing on the backs of old photographs. But the most entertaining tales were given to me by friendly folks during personal interviews. A few of these stories had been written in some of my earlier books, which are now out of print, and others have been updated for this new volume.

The history of the region is the foundation of many of these stories. From the Revolution to the Civil War, from the Underground Railroad to the War of 1812, from Chesapeake Bay culture to Allegheny Mountain settlements, spooky tales have provided both entertainment and information about Marylands treasure trove of history.

Of course, after writing nearly two dozen books related to the paranormal, its natural for readers to wonder if I believe in ghosts.

My answer is: I believe there is something that is unseen, unusual, and at times, very evil that does exist. I believe there is a very limited number of people who, for whatever reason, were born with a psychic gift or who have developed the ability to communicate with, or sense, what others cannot. But these gifted individuals are few in number.

I also believe there are many people who see what they want to see, who have very active imaginations and who desperately wish they could encounter a ghost or experience a paranormal event. After talking to hundreds of people that have shared their unusual and sometimes troubling unexplained experiences, my advice to anyone who wants an up-close-and-personal encounter with the other side is: Be careful what you wish for.

Thanks very much for selecting this book, and I wish you happy reading.

The Pit of Ashley Manor

Most writers believe its best to begin a collection of stories with a tale thats shorter rather than longer. But circumstances sometimes dictate that certain rules should be broken. This is such a casebecause this story is based upon my interview with the owners of a haunted house. It also is one of the first ghost stories I had written.

It was 1992, during the latter part of October. For some this is the most eerie, horrifying, and, for ghost hunters and paranormal fans, favorite period of the year. I was a freelance writer for the Wilmington (Delaware) News-Journal. But I didnt focus my attention on serious newsworthy happenings. My assignments were features, best described as fun or real stories about interesting people or unique events. Features are the attention-grabbing pieces most readers turn to when they want to escape from the bad news that covers the front page of the daily paper.

As a story finder, I sought out eccentrics, collectors, tinkerers, award-winners, and hometown heroespeople usually overlooked and whose exploits rarely made the front page. If the topic was a bit offbeat, or a peek behind the curtain, it was my specialty.

One Halloween season I did a story explaining how a local haunted valley got its buildings and trails ready for the annual arrival of more than 10,000 visitors. The storys attention-capturing photo showed five recently-hacked-off heads of huge pigs, which the event organizers kept in a freezer and hauled out each night to display and terrify the paying customers. I think thats why the following October I received a call from my editor. I need an unusual Halloween story, and I figure youre the one who can come up with just the right article, he said, and I need it yesterday.

How about another spooky trail or corn maze expos? I suggested, figuring that could be done quickly, primarily because the operators of seasonal attractions would do anything necessary to obtain the free publicity such an article would deliver.