Cape Cod has a rich tradition of local lore, stretching back to a time before the Pilgrims arrived. Ancient Wampanoag legends like Granny Squannit and Princess Scargo are as familiar as tales of pirates and explorers, including "Black Sam" Bellamy and Donald Baxter Macmillan. Felines often blocked "Cat's Alley" in pursuit of food from fishermen's boats. The remnants of Billingsgate Island can be seen at low tide, and visits from Jenny Lind and Helen Keller contrast with the mysterious stor...

"Gripping. . . . An intrinsically thrilling tale." — New York Times Book ReviewIt was the Perfect Storm, but instead of raging far out in the Atlantic, the Great Hurricane of 1938 left a wake of death and destruction across seven states. Sudden Sea re-creates that terrifying September day in gripping detail, focusing on the intense human drama that unfolded as an unlikely alignment of meteorological conditions conspired to bring t...

Continuing the success of the nationally acclaimed Haunted America , a further investigation into historical ghosts from across all fifty states and Canada.Historic Haunted America is an engrossing investigation into North American ghost legends, a comprehensive compendium documenting yesterday and today's most shocking hauntings in the United States and Canada.From the ghost-ridden forts in Old Tucson to...

"Before there was the Perfect Storm, there was the Great Hurricane of 1938. A riveting and wonderfully written account." —Nathaniel PhilbrickOn the night of September 21, 1938, news on the radio was full of the invasion of Czechoslovakia. There was no mention of any severe weather. By the time oceanfront residents noticed an ominous color in the sky, it was too late to escape. In an age before warning systems and the ubiquity of television, this unprecedented storm...

"What Moby-Dick is to whales, Brilliant Beacons is to lighthouses—a transformative account of a familiar yet mystical subject." —Laurence Bergreen, author of Columbus: The Four VoyagesIn this "magnificent compendium" (New Republic), best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin presents the definitive history of American lighthouses, and in so doing "illuminate[s] the history of America itself" (Entertainment Weekly). Treating read...

"Fun, charming . . . includes not only locales with reported ghosts, but also sites with macabre (though not haunted) histories" ( True Crime Librarian).Visitors and New England natives alike will see a new side of the region through Thomas D'Agostino's road trip guidebook. He captures the reader's imagination with folklore and anecdotes, plus recommendations useful for any traveler. This guide uncovers lingering spirits across all six states in the region...

Restless spirits in seemingly tranquil summer cottages, specters watching for phantom ships from a sea captain's mansion these are among the ghostly residents of one of New England's oldest counties. The harshly beautiful coastline of York County has a long history of storm, revolution and violence that seems to lure deceased residents from the ether. From the otherworldly mariners in the Boon Island Lighthouse to the terrifying cells of Old Gaol, America's oldest prison, an abundance of m...

Discover the fascinating and nearly forgotten history amid Cape Cod's salty waves and sandy beaches—photos included.From Provincetown to Falmouth, the Cape's fifteen towns offer a plethora of hidden and enchanting tales. Learn why one of the most famous rescues in Coast Guard history spent nearly fifty years in the shadows without public notice. Discover which wild creature went from the nineteenth-century soup pot to enjoying conservation protection under state law...

Ghosts of Newport plumbs the depths of Newport's history and reveals a host of chilling tales in which fact and folklore intertwine. Today's Newport attracts countless visitors from around the world; its streets are alive with art, culture, wealth and beauty. Yet the city harbors echoes of a dark and turbulent past, including a variety of haunted sites: the Jailhouse Inn, Astor's Beechwood, the White Horse Tavern--America's oldest tavern--and many more. These stories show a side of Newport...

Mile for mile, St. Simons Island—one of Georgia’s Golden Isles—boasts as much history as any community on the East Coast. Originally an Indian hunting ground, it has been occupied or invaded by Spanish missionaries, British settlers, planters and their slaves, the Union army, the United States Navy, and developers and tourists. The seventeen narratives in Voices from St. Simons represent an “oral archaeological dig,” writes editor Stephen Doster. Many of those interviewed are desc...

See how the Chincoteague and Assteague Islands came about and developed into a tourist destination today. The thriving barrier islands of Chincoteague and Assateague entice over a million tourists to their shores every year. Adjacent to one another, these parcels of land jutting into the Atlantic have a symbiotic relationship - Chincoteague, a modern, developed community that thrives on tourism, helps attract visitors to neighboring Assateague, which in turn acts as a natural buffer agains...

Wellfleet is among the most picturesque villages on Cape Cod. Its rich history weaves a tale of sailors and boatbuilders, travelers and artists, and even ghosts and pirates. Here, in the pages of Wellfleet, trace the story of this fascinating village, from the old Congregational church steeple, which still tolls the hours according to ships� bells, to Billingsgate, the lost island whose lighthouse and village were swallowed by the sea. Wellfleet�s history is undeniably tied to the sea. Of ...