The “Hop Capital of the World” is brewing with otherworldly spirits—from the mischievous to the macabre, from glowing orbs to tortured souls. Meet the spirits of Independence, Oregon, who whisper to passersby and tickle the spines of the curious: A young woman who threw herself from a window upon learning of her lover’s death. Patients who underwent crude surgeries a century past and whose quiet moans linger on. A mysterious skeleton uncovered by a local business owner in the shadowy recesses of an attic. A doll that inexplicably relocates to different parts of the local museum at night. Mischievous or downright chilling, the ghosts of Independence offer a doorway to the city’s colorful past. Tour historic downtown Independence with Marilyn Morton, founder and chair of the annual Ghost Walk, as she reveals the haunted heritage of the one-time hop capital of the world. “[Morton] spins tales about the scary side of Independence . . . [and] takes readers on a tour of historic downtown.” —OregonLive

Salem's haunted tales date back to the 1830s, when indigenous tribes, trappers and homesteaders shared the lush Willamette Valley. Murders, hangings and dark underground passageways defined the city's early days as the Willamette River moved old stern-wheelers up to the city's docks. Today, the sounds of those phantom vessels can be heard plying along the river late at night. Oregon's capital city has long been the site of mental hospitals, prisons and other notorious institutions, famously depicted in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The residual effects of decades of torture and depravity cling to the old facilities in both sight and sound. Author Tim King examines many of these chilling encounters along with eyewitness accounts of spirits that refuse to be quiet.

Paranormal researcher and psychic medium Margie Kay presents many of the most haunted locations in the city of Independence, Missouri. She and the Quest Investigation Group team investigated these sites over a period of 20 years. In this third edition of Haunted Independence, Missouri, Margie discusses cases involving businesses, parks, cemeteries, and houses that are haunted by loved ones, poltergeists, shadow people and even aliens. Be sure to visit Independence sometime-- it is very haunted!

When a house believes she is haunted, she tries everything in her power to stop it in order to get people to move in--until she realizes that she is fine just the way she is.

An intellectual feast for fans of offbeat history, Ghostland takes readers on a road trip through some of the country's most infamously haunted places--and deep into the dark side of our history.

Just when you thought you knew what was going on in your community, here comes a story that just may shatter the security of your American Dream. This is a story about abuse, survival, false religion and dubious court systems in a state that may be advanced on some levels, but sometimes proves to be a miserable failure in terms of equity and fairness and conventional thinking. – Tim King, Editor/Salem-News.com, War Correspondent, Author, “BETRAYAL: Toxic Exposure of U.S. Marines, Murder and Cover-Up” BONSHEÁ pierces through the darkness that hides the legal system’s routine abuse of mothers and children. It is a work of immense courage, a true tale of heartbreak and salvation. Not a single particle of the wisdom Coral shares misses the mark. - Maureen T. Hannah, Ph.D., Chair, Battered Mother’s Custody Conference, Albany, New York BONSHEÁ illustrates the degree to which the legal system can also be used as a vehicle to further perpetuate abuse even after the victim has chosen to take a stand against the abuse. – John Haroldson, District Attorney, Benton County District Attorney’s Office, Corvallis, Oregon Coral Theill’s BONSHEÁ is intense in its effort to “open the doors” behind which many domestic violence perpetrators have stood for so long in the name of “privacy.” At every level, family and friends, key people in her community, the health care system, the legal and judicial system, and the culture which socializes us all, she met with adversity and re-victimization. In the telling of her recovery, which is truly remarkable given her circumstances, the reader gets a vivid sense of the indominability of her spirit and light. I recommend this book for health care providers, those in the criminal justice system, and volunteers or helpers of any kind to get insights and clarity about the complex dynamics of domestic violence and its toxic effects to individuals and society---and what needs to be done to eradicate this pandemic problem.” – Barbara A. May, PhD, RN, Professor Emerita of Nursing, Linfield College, Portland, Oregon

The scenic White River flows through Independence County where the Ozark Mountains meet the flat lands of the Delta. This volume choronicles the development of the county from its early pioneer days through the 20th century. In addition to Batesville-the second oldest town in Arkansas and the county seat-Independence County, Arkansas documents the history of Cord, Cushman, Hickory Valley, Jamestown, Newark, Oil Trough, Pleasant Plains, and other communities in nearly 200 vintage images. Independence County was created by the Arkansas Territorial Legislature on October 20, 1820. Settled long before then, the region had been claimed by both Spain and France. In 1819, an early traveler described Polk Bayou as being "pleasant and advantageous as a commercial and agricultural depot." The photographs in this book, many never before published, date back to the earliest days of the county, including some of the earliest homes in the area.

Explore the history-the haunted history-of many towns and cities in southeast Kansas. These stories mix folklore, eyewitness testimony, and historical fact into gently woven tales which show current paranormal activity, speculate about who might be haunting, and even suggest why the activity occurs. This collection includes friendly ghosts like Charley, who has saved the lives of his Independence family more than once, and more haunted figures like the Lady in Black, who wandered the streets of Caney more than a century ago, looking for her baby's grave. They tell of well-known haunted places, such as Coffeyville's Tavern on the Plaza, William Inge's childhood home, and The Old Haunted House of Fredonia, but they also reveal secret places that even witnesses themselves are reluctant to discuss. These tales, from funny to frightening, are perfect for reading alone, or aloud-except on dark nights, when the Kansas wind is howling. About the Author Cheryl Carvajal has been writing since she learned how, beginning her first play at the age of six. She lived in Kansas and Oklahoma for several years, and she recently moved from southeast Kansas to Bothell, Washington, with her husband Richard, her two young children, and her black tabby. She earned her bachelor's degree in English at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma; her master's in Literature at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; and her doctorate in English at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. She spent two years researching this book, and one more writing and publishing it. Dr. Carvajal is a playwright, and several of her plays have been performed at the William Inge Center for the Arts. She also writes fiction and poetry, sings, draws, paints, juggles, teaches English and theatre, and works actively to inspire others to enrich their lives through involvement in the arts.

“A haunting story about the long reach of the past.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR’S Fresh Air “In this intriguing book, [Nordhaus] shares her journey to discover who her immigrant ancestor really was—and what strange alchemy made the idea of her linger long after she was gone.” —People La Posada—“place of rest”—was once a grand Santa Fe mansion. It belonged to Abraham and Julia Staab, who emigrated from Germany in the mid-nineteenth century. After they died, the house became a hotel. And in the 1970s, the hotel acquired a resident ghost—a sad, dark-eyed woman in a long gown. Strange things began to happen there: vases moved, glasses flew, blankets were ripped from beds. Julia Staab died in 1896—but her ghost, they say, lives on. In American Ghost, Julia’s great-great-granddaughter, Hannah Nordhaus, traces her ancestor’s transfiguration from nineteenth-century Jewish bride to modern phantom. Family diaries, photographs, and newspaper clippings take her on a riveting journey through three hundred years of German history and the American immigrant experience. With the help of historians, genealogists, family members, and ghost hunters, she weaves a masterful, moving story of fin-de-siècle Europe and pioneer life, villains and visionaries, medicine and spiritualism, imagination and truth, exploring how lives become legends, and what those legends tell us about who we are.

As part of the America's Haunted Road Trip series, Ghosthunting Oregon takes readers along on a guided tour of some of the Beaver State's most haunted historic locations. Local author Donna Stewart researched each location thoroughly before visiting, digging up clues for the paranormal aspect of each site. In Ghosthunting Oregon, Stewart takes readers to some of the spookiest haunts across the state including: Oaks Park in Portland, where visitors have reported a ghostly apparition of a child in the 1970s style dress; the O'Kane Building in central Oregon, where people have reported seeing "ghostly smoke" and strange lights; and Pioneer Park in Pendleton, where some have reported apparitions and hearing voices. With a copy of Ghosthunting Oregon in hand, readers can visit some of the spookiest haunts across the state and compare their experiences.