Kentucky Ghosts

Introduction

Introduction This book contains eight scary stories. All of them are set in Kentucky, and all are told to be true. They tell about death and the return of the dead as spirits, or ghosts. Many readers may think that ghosts are not real. People may only imagine that they see, hear, or feel them. Whether ghosts are real or not, someone you know may believe that they are real. The main thing to keep in mind as you read these stories is that they were told as truth. The ghosts were very real to those who saw or heard them. Stories like the ones in this book are told by people all over the world. Every group has its own name for the spirits described in these scary tales. Here in Kentucky we mainly refer to them as "ghosts," "hants," or "haints " You will see all three words used in the stories. They all mean the same thing. They refer to the spirits of dead people or animals that have a strong urge to return to the land of the living. These ghosts sometimes come back to do evil. However, most of them return to aid or comfort old friends or relatives in need. The stories you will be reading are a part of what is called folklore. This means that they were l passed on by word of mouth from one generation to the next. Ghost stories have been told and passed on this way for hundreds of years and are still told today. The tales in this book are based on real accounts told by Kentuckians from the 1930s to the present. Some stories were taken from my book called Ghosts Along the Cumberland. Others came directly by word of mouth. I have added details to make the stories more readable, but I was careful to retain the original core of each story. I had a purpose in making the stories longer. I wanted to give you a deeper insight into the lives of the Kentuckians who told these wonderful stories. These accounts will also introduce the reader to the past. By describing old buildings and common events, they tell us much about local history and the way people lived back then. I also tried to make the reader hear the voices of the people who told these stories aloud. While reading Kentucky Ghosts, keep two things in mind. First, the stories are rich in history. Second, they tell about spirits that were very real to the people who saw them or felt their presence. While you may not believe in ghosts, most likely one or more of your grandparents did. And they told stories about the ghosts in their lives. 2 I challenge you first of all to read Kentucky Ghosts to yourself. Then share the stories with your children or grandchildren, or the children who live around you. They'll enjoy them just as much as you do. Once you have read them, you may want to tell them to others. And, who knows, perhaps you will become a master storyteller as well as a fine reader. 3 ...