Lynda Lee Macken

I'm pleased that Ms. Macken chose to continue the story of Magda Hamilton that she began in "Ghostly Gotham." I was curious about what happened to her. "Haunted History of Staten Island" covers the colorful supernatural hot spots on Staten Island, at least the ones with which I'm familiar, plus a few more that were new to me. However, she didn't cover the ghosts of the Greenbelt or the old Farm Colony or Seaview Hospital or the legend of Cropsey.

The book is well-written, better than "Ghostly Gotham." It's an entertaining read for anyone curious about Staten Island's history, both earthly and supernatural. Staten Island has a long history with the supernatural world, dating back to the indigenous Lenne Lenape people, and the Dutch and English settlers. Trust me, I live here. This place is weird!… (mais)

Ghost stories of Manhattan and New York City, mostly centered around Colonial times, although some stories take place in later centuries, up until the 21st century. The writing is a bit hyperbolic and overblown, but it's done with a gentle sense of humor.

One thing I liked is that she seriously touched on the spectral lights that appeared over the World Trade Center site after the towers collapsed on September 11, 2001. She dedicated the book to "all those whose lives were touched by the events of September 11, 2001."

If you're looking for a serious psychic investigation into ghostly happenings in the borough of Manhattan, this isn't the book for you. But if you're looking for a way to pass an afternoon, or you're interested in ghost stories and New York City history, and early American history, this would be a good place to start. It comes with a disclaimer at the beginning of the book, so you're forewarned that the "facts" presented in the stories are subject to interpretation. If you keep those warnings in mind, you should enjoy this slim volume.… (mais)

The author apparently did a lot of research and claims to have had a personal "ghostly encounter" but the book was not very spooky. I believe there are four ghost stories from Herkimer County but it is not one of the counties that is shaded on the New York State map on page iii.

A couple of the incidents in the book puzzled me. On page 5 a librarian is decorating a Christmas tree in the public library and notices a man watching her. The apparition is described as "dressed casually" and "solid like any other human being." So it is not entirely clear how she knew that he was a ghost. She didn't run screaming, she just continued decorating the tree. It sounds like he was just some confused old guy who had wandered in off the street. Libraries are full of them.

On page 69 she claims that Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY, is haunted "Much like the ghostly goings-on at several other ancient New York forts ..." I don't know about the other forts but I do know that Fort Stanwix was built between 1974 and 1978. It wasn't there when I was growing up. The original Revolutionary War fort may or may not have been in that exact spot. If there are ghosts there they were probably victims of the quack doctor who had his own private hospital on that site before they built the fort.

On page 73 we are told that you can tell that the Lynch House in Syracuse is haunted because the earlier residents' cats slept under the bed, which is "behavior that is totally out of character." I know of any number of cats, my own and those belonging to friends, who sleep under the bed. All of our houses can't be haunted. I'm pretty convinced that my house is not haunted and there are two cats under my bed right now. The third is up in the cupola.

I would recommend [b:Things That Go Bump in the Night|218368|Things That Go Bump in the Night |Louis C. Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1258478973s/218368.jpg|211424].… (mais)