Maryland Legends: Folklore from the Old Line State

by Trevor J. Blank, David J. Puglia, Charles Camp (Foreword by)

Overview

The stories, folklore, and history surrounding Maryland's most haunted places. A must-read for fans of the supernatural and Maryland history.

The demon car of Seven Hills Road, the ominous Hell House above the Patapsco River, the mythical Snallygaster of western Maryland--these are the extraordinary tales and bizarre creatures that color Maryland's folklore.

The Blue Dog of Port Tobacco faithfully guards his master's gold even in death, and in Cambridge, the headless ghost of Big Liz watches over the treasure of Greenbriar Swamp. The woods of Prince George's County are home to stories of the menacing Goatman, while on stormy nights at the nearby University of Maryland, the strains of a ghostly piano float from Marie Mount Hall.

From the storied heroics of the First Maryland Regiment in the Revolutionary War to the mystery of the Poe Toaster, folklorists Trevor J. Blank and David J. Puglia unravel the legends of Maryland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625849519
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/20/2014
Series:	American Legends
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Trevor J. Blank is a folklorist, author and an assistant professor at SUNY, Potsdam. He has a PhD in American studies from the Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg. He is a native Marylander. David J. Puglia is a PhD candidate and lecturer at Penn State Harrisburg, and he is an alumnus of the University of Maryland, College Park. He is an award-winning author and is the president of the Middle Atlantic Folklife Association. Foreword writer Charles Camp is the retired Maryland State Folklorist. Camp received his PhD in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. He is on the faculty of the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Anne Arundel Community College.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Legend in Little America, by Charles Camp 9

Acknowledgments 13

Introduction 19

Part I Maryland's Haunted Places (Or, Ghosts Across Maryland)

1 Abandonment Issues: The Legend of Hell House (St. Mary's College) 31

2 Out of the Woods and Into the Park: The Enchanted Forest of Ellicott City 41

3 In the Shadows of Druid Ridge: The Cursed Statue of Black Aggie 45

4 Hell on Wheels: The Demon Car of Seven Hills Road 51

5 Bridges over Troubled Water: Headless Ghosts, Psycho Killers and Dead Baby Sightings 55

6 Baltimore's Ghostwriters: The Sun Shines a Light on Maryland's Shades 61

7 Terrapin Tales: The University of Maryland's Campus Legends 67

Part II Maryland's Legendary Creatures

8 Loyal to the End: The Blue Dog of Port Tobacco 83

9 From Fakelore to Folklore: The Snallygaster of North Central Maryland 87

10 A Dog Has Its Day: The Dwayyo of Gambrill State Park 95

11 Getting Maryland's Goat: The Goatman of Prince George's County 103

12 Strange Bedfellows: The College Park Cuddler 117

Part III Historical Maryland Legends

13 A Thin Line Between Victory and Defeat: Maryland's First Regiment, the Battle of Long Island and the "Old Line State" 123

14 Bravest of All in Frederick Town: Barbara Fritchie and the American Flag 133

15 A Tradition Nevermore: The Edgar Allan Poe Toaster, 1949-2009 143

Notes 149

Bibliography 177

Index 185

About the Authors 189