Legends abound on Mount Misery, perhaps none so popular as those of the asylums which supposedly stood there in the past. Take a look at the facts and decide for yourself, the truth behind one of Long Island’s most famous urban legends, from the Gothic Curiosity Cabinet.
True Confessions: In which the author relates his own encounters in the land of Sleepy Hollow
Above: The shot I was taking in Washington Irving’s Sunnyside when the lady laughed. People are always asking me if I believe these stories, they say “Todd” … That’s neither here nor there. But I will offer up a couple of experiences I’ve had, both coming from the Sleepy Hollow area of New York.
M.R. James’ ghost stories written for Christmas strike an ominous chord year round
M.R. James’ ghost stories have been making people wary of the dark for well over a century now. James helped usher in a new era of horror, taking literature beyond the gothic ghost stories which came before, and in a real sense, brought contemporary situations to horror. Even if his protagonists led lives not shared by most […]
A Warning to the Curious by M. R. James
M.R. James is one of the best loved writers of ghost stories in the English language. An academic by nature and profession, as well as a devout Christian, James was cagey when discussing his own belief in the supernatural. His tales usually involved antiquarians who delved a bit too deeply into the mysteries they studied, […]
Halloween on Cape Cod, digging into the history for stories of Barnstable ghosts, witches and other curiosities
On Barnstable ghosts, witches and dark history, gathered on a dark, windswept Halloween visit to one of the oldest villages on Cape Cod. The day the sun disappeared It was May 19, 1780. The American revolution was raging, and in Barnstable, Massachusetts, a small, New England village on Cape Cod and a loyalist stronghold, something […]
The Black Flash of Provincetown, MA: Folk horror and hysteria from New England echoes in the midwestern countryside
The Black Flash of Provincetown, Massachusetts terrorized the seaside New England town in the early twentieth century. Was there something there, prowling the dunes and streets, or was it a mommy lie which got out of hand? The Provincetown Advocate, October, 26, 1939: Fall Brings Out the Black Flash. Hard Winter Certain As Cabin Fever […]
The roots of American folk horror stretch way back … Fine art prints from Haunted Travels in the Hudson River Valley of Washington Irving
American folk horror stretches back to the colonial era and beyond. Native American folklore blended with the tales brought by the colonists, which Washington Irving blended into two tales which destined him, and our early mythology immortality. Haunting and beguiling landscapes from one of the most beautiful regions of the world, available as fine art […]
Haunted Travels in the Hudson River Valley of Washington Irving … The Sketch Books Volume One
Journey from Sleepy Hollow to the Catskills, exploring the folklore, hauntings and magic of this historic region Order the Book Essays, travelogues – the story of my ramblings through the Hudson river valley, looking for the inspiration Washington Irving found and imbued into the landscape. With over a hundred original images, it’s a great companion […]
