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JOMC 50 CLASS ASSIGNMENT
Ghosts and Legends in the United States
Section I:
A:
Belief in ghosts is one of the oldest superstitious beliefs in many societies. Ghosts have been discussed in everything from plays (such as Hamlet) to the Old Testament of the Bible. Superstition was presumably more common hundreds, even thousands of years ago before many natural occurrences could be explained. Yet still in this modern day of technology and science people believe in ghosts. How many people believe in them? What are some of the more modern legends within the last 250 years or so and why can they still not be explained? How do people hunt for ghosts? This is a topic that probably appeals more to a younger audience, say 30 and under, since it is probably likely that younger people tend to believe in superstitions more.
B: Keywords
UNC Library Catalog:
ghosts OR haunting
ghosts OR haunting AND Carolina
E-Databases:
ghosts OR haunting OR folklore NOT book reviews
ghosts AND Carolina
ghosts AND USA
Web:
ghosts AND Carolina
ghosts
ghosts AND haunting
Section II:
More Ghosts…From Haunted Carolina. Videotape. Dir. Bob Newman Jr. CV Studios, 1997. 67 mins.
Call Number: C398H373m1 Library: NCC
Huntsinger, Elizabeth Robertson. Ghosts of Georgetown. Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair, Publisher, 1995.
Call Number: GR110.S6H85 Library: Davis
Roberts, Nancy. North Carolina Ghosts and Legends. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 1992.
Call number: C398R64 Library: NCCSection III:
Connery, William S. "City on a Hill- Haunted White House." World and I Nov. 2000, Expanded Academic ASAP. Online. 16 Sept. 2001.
Ebenkamp, Becky. "They're Giving Ghosts a Ghost of a Chance." Brandweek 13 Nov. 2000, Expanded Academic ASAP. Online. 16 Sept. 2001.
Luley, Jennifer. "Construction Boosts Spirit Sightings." Lodging Hospitality Aug. 2000, Expanded Academic ASAP. Online. 16 Sept. 2001.
Maher, Michaeleen C. "Quantitative Investigation of the General Wayne Inn." The Journal of Parapsychology. Dec. 2000, Expanded Academic ASAP. Online 16 Sept. 2001.
Nichols, Andrew, and William G. Roll. "Two Photographic and Video Recording of 'Ghost Lights' at Two Reputedly Haunted Houses." The Journal of Parapsychology Sept. 2000.
Section IV:
Title of Web Site: Ghosts of the Prairie: American History and Hauntings
Web Address: prairieghosts.com
Brief Description: This website offers a smorgasbord of ghost related topics. It a variety of ghost related topics including haunted places, histories and research. It also has information on ghost tours, festivals and ghost related books. The website has information on ghost clubs and provides photos.
Source of Website: Ghosts of the PrairieTitle of Web Site: News Channel 12
Web Address: www.wjtv.com/unexplained/index.shtml
Brief Description: This website is for CBS channel 12 news station in Mississippi. The "unexplained" portion of the site offers articles about unsolvable mysteries about strange occurrences.
Source of Web Site: News Channel 12Title of Web Site: Ghost Research Society
Web Address: www.ghostresearch.org
Brief Description: This organization's, to be featured on the Discovery Channel, website features information on haunted sites, ghost investigating methods, tours, and photos.
Source of Website: Ghost Research SocietyTitle of Web Site: Anything Southern: Ghosts and the Haunted South
Web Address: http://www.anythingsouthern.com/listing.asp?CategoryID=86
Brief Description: This is a section put out by Anything Southern that feature many links leading to everything from haunted places to tours to information on the Ghost Preservation League.
Source of Web Site: Anything SouthernTitle of Web Site: Ghost Preservation League
Web Address: members.nbci.com/ghostleague (link no longer active)
Brief Description: This well recognized group's web site features haunted places, theories, investigations, ghost documentations and photos.
Source of the Web Site: NBCiSection V:
Ghosts and Legends in the United States
Topic Area: Treasure Hunt Topic
The Capitol building had been a second home to many powerful and influential people throughout its history. Many major events have happened within the wall of the Capitol. John Quincy Adams delivered a speech. Lee and Grant shook hands. General John Logan looked for his hoarse. Congressman William Taublee was said to trip reporters. All these events were reported to have happened years after their deaths (Connery).The list of places reporting unexplained "hauntings" goes on. Ghosts are part of America's superstitious culture. In a resent Gallop poll published in Brandweek 33 percent of Americans say they believe in ghosts. The result is even higher in the category of 18 to 29-years-olds where 44 percent say they believe in ghosts (Ebenkamp).
Why do so almost one third of Americans believe? One reason may be that despite this age of science and technology there are still ghostly phenomenons that cannot be explained. One of these is "Devil's Tramping Ground." Outside of Siler City, North Carolina in the middle of the woods is a perfect circle barren to any vegetation except wiregrass. Sticks place in the circle are gone the next morning. Maybe the most starting discovery is that the soil within the circle when tested by North Carolina State Department of Agriculture was found to be sterile. The circle is thought by locals to be haunted by the devil who according to legend walks the circle every night (Roberts 93-96).
In another ghost study, published in Parapsychology Press, ghost hunters found unusual "unusual magnetic properties" around a supposedly haunted house in Vicksburg, Mississippi. They also recorded and observed orbs and measured the orb's temperature, which was 10 degrees warmed than the room (Nichols).
The existence of ghost is very debatable. Still many people believe and many "ghostly" phenomenons that still cannot be explained.
Works Sited:
Connery, William S. "City on a Hill- Haunted White House." World and I Nov. 2000, Expanded Academic ASAP. Online. 16 Sept. 2001.
Ebenkamp, Becky. "They're Giving Ghosts a Ghost of a Chance." Brandweek 13 Nov.2000, Expanded Academic ASAP. Online. 16 Sept. 2001.
Nichols, Andrew, and William G. Roll. "Two Photographic and Video Recording of 'Ghost Lights' at Two Reputedly Haunted Houses." The Journal of Parapsychology Sept. 2000.
Roberts, Nancy. North Carolina Ghosts and Legends. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 1992.
Web Sites:
Title of Web Site: Anything Southern: Ghosts and the Haunted South
Web Address: http://www.anythingsouthern.com/listing.asp?CategoryID=86
Brief Description: This is a section put out by Anything Southern that feature many links leading to everything from haunted places to tours to information on the Ghost Preservation League.
Source of Web Site: Anything SouthernTitle of Web Site: Ghost Preservation League
Web Address: members.nbci.com/ghostleague
Brief Description: This well recognized group's web site features haunted places, theories, investigations, ghost documentations and photos.
Source of the Web Site: NBCiTitle of Web Site: News Channel 12
Web Address: www.wjtv.com/unexplained/index.shtml
Brief Description: This website is for CBS channel 12 news station in Mississippi. The "unexplained" portion of the site offers articles about unsolvable mysteries about strange occurrences.
Source of Web Site: News Channel 12