Adirondack Ghosts: Stories of Spirits in New York State's North Country

"Adirondack Ghosts" is a fascinating series of shorts that is several steps above camp fire ghost stories, as the writer has actual testimonies from living people. Many of the stories are handed down from generation to generation. Others are taken straight from historic sites such as Fort Ticonderoga, the Lake Placid Club and various famous local mansions and estates.Although most of the activities seem to revolve around poltergeist activity (objects being moved about, sometimes in sight of the visitor), many are true ghost sightings. Several employees of a restaurant (The Anvil in Fort Edward) experienced objects and noises until they actually witnessed the ghost standing in a doorway. An apparition appeared over the water near Pulpit Rock in Lake Placid several times until divers found a woman's body intact thirty years after she disappeared - at the very same spot (the temperature is frigid). The most harrowing is probably the author witnessing a ghostly apparition hovering over the waters of Big Moose Lake. Grace Brown was drowned there by her lover Chester Gillette in 1906. The story has been made into a novel ("An American Tragedy") and a film ("A Place In The Sun"). This chapter is full of accounts describing odd happenings, electrical appliances not working and many other ghost sightings by employees and guests.For a relatively short book, there is a large variety of ghost stories ranging from old folklore to modern day terror. All are interesting, but it would have been great to know more about the history of these ghosts in some cases, such as the Grace Brown murder. However, these simply made me want to study more into the history on my own. I recommend you read this by candlelight.

I highly recommend this pamphlet-size book for anyone interested in the basic facts of the area's ghost stories. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because it leaves the reader wanting to learn more about the stories contained therein.