Ghosts across Kentucky

Acknowledgments

Ac1mowledgments I began gathering the stories contained in this book during the early months of 1998 and continued on a regular basis through August 1999. The compilation of this collection offolk narratives about ghosts was greatly aided by the assistance of numerous persons. Were it not for friends, students, and other individuals who collected or wrote newspaper articles about these supernatural accounts across the years, this book would not have been possible . Thus my debt is heavy to many contributors, some of whom will be identified in the following paragraphs. All others are recognized as storytellers or collectors of these accounts in the notes to each of the stories contained on the final pages of this very special book. First of all, thanks to Roberta Simpson Brown, Judy Bryson, Berry Craig and Norman Goldstein of the Associated Press, Mary Ann Gentry, Frankie Hager, Stan W. Lemaster, Sara McNulty, Charles Mitchell, and Margaret Owens for granting permission to publish ghost accounts from some of their previous books or articles, all of which are identified in the notes. Newspapers from which some ofthe stories were gleaned include the College Heights Herald (Western Kentucky University), Columbia Daily Statesman, Green River Sprite, Knox Countian, Lebanon Enterprise, Lexington Herald-Leader, Louisville Evening Post, Madisonville Messenger, Murray State News, Nelson County Record, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, Ohio County News, Paducah Sun, RichmondRegister, and Kentucky Standard Thanks also to Max Heath, director of Landmark Enterprises, who supplied me with numerous names of newspapers and editors, as well as telephone numbers. Libraries and archives whose staff archivists proved so very helpful include the Southern Appalachian Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College ; Mt. SaintJoseph Archives, Maple Mount; Ohio County High School Library; Pogue Library, Murray State University; Special Collections and Archives, Margaret 1. King Library North, University of Kentucky; De- x Acknowledgments partment of Library and Special Collections, Folklife Archive, Western Kentucky University. Finally, my heartfelt thanks go out to student collectors at Western Kentucky University from 1969 to 1999, who acquired these supernatural accounts from peers, parents, grandparents, and older neighbors; also to Linda Anderson, Sister Emma C. Busam, Shirley Caudill, Elbert Cundiff, Dr. Ron Dobler, Dr. Terry Hall, Kay Harbison, Dixie Hibbs, Patricia Hodges, Dr. LoyalJones, Becky Leavy, Mabel Martin, Dr. Robert Rennick, Sue Lynn Stone,James H. Young, and to certain teachers and students in Albany, Burkesville, Campbellsville, Franklin, Madisonville, and Wallins Creek. Without the contributions of stories from these persons and others listed in the previous paragraphs and in the notes to each ofthe stories, this book would not have been possible. Thanks to all ofyou. ...