Want a NOOK? Explore Now
Pull up a chair or gather ’round the campfire and get ready for twenty-five creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences in the state of Florida. From the ghost car of Islamorada that is literally blown off a bridge along Highway 1, to the hermit of the Fort Myers swamplands who takes revenge on a pirate who murdered his son, the stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and again.
Florida folklore traditions are kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S. E. Schlosser and through artist Paul Hoffman’s evocative illustrations. You’ll meet ghosts and evil beings, hear things that go bump in the night, and feel an icy wind on the back of your neck on a warm summer evening. Whether read around the campfire on a dark and dreary night or from the backseat of the family van on the way to Grandma’s, this is a collection to treasure.
Map x
Introduction xiii
Part 1 Ghost Stories
1 The Antique Car: Islamorada 2
2 Skyway: St. Petersburg 8
3 In the Elevator: Coral Gables 15
4 Might 401: The Everglades 21
5 Old Red Eyes: Jacksonville 26
6 Diamond Ring: Pensacola 37
7 The Wedding: Maitland 42
8 Shell Mound: Cedar Key 47
9 Ghost Baby: Orlando 54
10 The Phantom Coach: Tallahassee 61
11 The Cypress Tree: Pensacola 70
12 Dark Dreams: Miami 75
Part 2 Powers of Darkness and Light
13 Tailybone: Walton County 84
14 Little Lucy: Putnam County 92
15 Roses: St. Augustine 101
16 The Watermelon Thief: Gainesville 107
17 True Love: Key West 116
18 The Hermit: Fort Myers 121
19 Spook Hill: Lake Wales 138
20 Pink: Daytona Beach 144
21 Spanish Moss: The Florida Coast 152
22 Mystic Music: Manatee County 152
23 The Choking Doherman: Tampa 158
24 The Witch's Curse: Fort Lauderdale 163
25 Initiation: Miami 175
Resources 180
Additional Chapter 185
About the Author 191
About the Illustrator 192
Overview
Pull up a chair or gather ’round the campfire and get ready for twenty-five creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences in the state of Florida. From the ghost car of Islamorada that is literally blown off a bridge along Highway 1, to the hermit of the Fort Myers swamplands who takes revenge on a pirate who murdered his son, the stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and ...