The stunning mountains of Virginia offer spectacular views and endless outdoor activities, yet they also hold secrets. A nineteenth-century cache of gold is buried in the hills. Nine-foot giants once walked the ridges, pre-Columbian explorers built homes on isolated mountaintops and a ghost town lies deep in the Jefferson National Forest. The mountains conceal canines that walk upright, black panthers and a resurgent mountain lion population. The hide-and-seek champion of the world, Bigfoot, lurks in the dark hollows, phantom dogs pace the back roads and aggressive monkeys swing through the trees. UFOs crisscross the skies, and ghosts haunt the caverns below. Join Denver Michaels, local author and explorer of the unexplained, as he explores these mysteries and many more.

The abolitionist John Brown still roams the West Virginia panhandle--and beyond. In Lexington, a statue sheds real tears, mourning Virginians killed in battle. Decades of abuse at a sanatorium unleashed malevolent entities in Staunton. Spirits of Native Americans, Civil War soldiers and children frequent natural springs in Frederick County and caves near Strasburg. Ghosts stay free of charge at the nation's oldest inn in Middletown, and at the Natural Bridge Hotel, phantom children play in the halls. Visitors from beyond the grave enjoy live performances at several theaters in the region, while spectral soldiers gather for combat in the battlefields scattered throughout the area. Join Denver Michaels as he delves into folklore, eyewitness accounts and urban legends to bring you the best ghost stories from the Shenandoah Valley.

Hauntings lurk and spirits linger in the Old Dominion State Reader, beware! Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. Author L. B. Taylor shines a light in the dark corners of Virginia and scares those spirits out of hiding in this thrilling collection. From poltergeists that make trouble at Blue Ridge Pottery, to a phantom light on Holston Mountain, to specters haunting the battlefield of Cedar Creek, there’s no shortage of bone-chilling tales to keep you up at night. Around the campfire or tucked away on a dark and stormy night, this big book of ghost stories is a hauntingly good read.

This “interesting collection of Southwest Virginia ghost stories” is packed with pictures and Appalachian lore (Roanoke Star-Sentinel). A Confederate soldier forever lost at Cumberland Gap. The wispy woman of Roanoke College. The spectral horse that runs the streets of Abingdon. These are just a few of the restless spirits of southwestern Virginia. Join local author Joe Tennis as he takes readers on both sides of the Blue Ridge to explore the ghostly tales of Appalachia and the Crooked Road. Peer over the rim of the New Castle Murder Hole, dive into the mysteries of Mountain Lake, and wander among the lost graves of Wise County to discover the haunted lore of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands. This book bridges the Blue Ridge Parkway and follows the entire length of the Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. It explores a couple dozen counties, with tales of towns called Fincastle and Saltville tucked away in Virginia’s scenic southwestern corner. Each chapter is based on a blend of folk legends, longtime traditions, historical research, and firsthand accounts—and the book also includes a bibliography, a map, and forty-five photographs.

New construction seems to be taking place all around. In every direction, there is another shopping center, neighborhood, or business park being built. With all the commotion and progress, it can be easy to forget what was. We tend to neglect the old, abandoned buildings around us, leaving them to decay or suffer a brutal demise by the cold, hardened steel of heavy equipment. In the world of photography, there are those who seek out these forgotten pieces of history in hopes of capturing what's left on camera, thereby preserving them in their own way. Author Sean Toler is one such photographer. Traveling the roads of Virginia, he has photographed numerous old, abandoned buildings in an effort to make them last a little longer. Knowing that some of the buildings he has photographed no longer stand, he is grateful that he was able to capture them before they disappeared from the landscape forever.

More than 100 of the best, most thrilling accounts of hauntings from the Mountain State from one of the nation's leading experts, including... • Headless ghosts and wandering soldiers at Droop Mountain • The Weeping Woman tombstone at Riverview Cemetery in Parkersburg • John Brown's restless spirit in Harpers Ferry and Charles Town • The violent ghosts at the Western State Penitentiary in Moundsville • Hauntings of the murdered Mamie Thurman • Tortured spirits of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston

Have you ever driven past a dilapidated old building, with broken windows and covered in ivy, and wondered what happened there? How long has that building been vacant and left to be consumed by nature? This book takes you on a photo tour of such buildings in Virginia, all forgotten and falling apart. There is an Art Deco city skyscraper, which formerly held a bank, complete with a bank vault. Another property contains a sprawling complex of a former Catholic high school. Additional locations include houses, schools, commercial warehouses, and even a former outdoor Renaissance Faire. Sometimes there is available information about how these buildings became abandoned. In other cases, the story is a complete mystery. Regardless of the details, there is something intriguing about seeing a structure that has slowly decayed, a once pristine place being transformed into broken glass and crumbling ceiling tiles. The people are long gone, but you can still see what remains of something they have left behind, just waiting to be discovered with a camera.