Civil War GHOSTS at Fort Delaware [Paperback]

Ed Okonowicz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1890690163 | ISBN-13: 978-1890690168

Ghosts roaming a Civil War ishalnd prison—plus eerie tales in nearby Delaware City and Olde New Castle—come alive in this haunted history of Pea Patch Island. The small spit of land in the Delaware River, between Delaware and New Jersey, held 33,000 Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. Those who died on the island took a final ride on the "Death Boat" to be buried on the New Jersey mainland. The author, co-developer and host of the island's Ghost/History tours, shares spooky stories—and more than 70 photographs—of haunted locations, fort history and restless spirits. Comments by fort staff and visitors, plus an apparition captured on film, make this a great book for both Civil War fans and ghost hunters. Also, a tombstone ranking rate's the haunted prison's most spirited sites.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ed Okonowicz is a regional author or 24 books on folklore, history and ghost stories. Along with Delaware state parks historians, he co-hosts the Fort Delaware evening Ghost/History Lantern Tours, which have been featured on the television special "Ghost Waters." The author also appeared in 2005 on The Learning Channel special "Possessed Possessions," and he has written two books on this topic.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Myst and Lace Publishers Inc. (March 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890690163
• ISBN-13: 978-1890690168
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,146,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunted Dungeons and Lost Gold, July 31, 2006

By 

Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Civil War GHOSTS at Fort Delaware (Paperback)

Ed Okonowicz has become the foremost authority on ghosts and haunts of the Delmarva area and it is obvious from his writing that he loves this area and his subject very much. He has written several very good books about the ghosts of this area and this book covers a field where he is especially knowledgeable because he has for several years led ghost tours of this old fort.

Fort Delaware was built as part of America's coastal defenses but during the Civil War it became a POW camp housing thousands of Confederate soldiers as well as a few of the Lincoln administration's political prisoners, many of which died in captivity. I can't think of a more perfect place to hunt ghosts and in this case the author has actually had an experience of his own.

Unfortunately many of the stories in this book have little or nothing to do with ghosts and some of those that do are rather shallow. There are however some real gems to be found in this book and they contain everything a good ghost story should. There is a history of the haunt and interviews have been conducted with those who have experienced the haunt. As is the case with some of this author's other books there is also a rating given to many of the haunts by a group of local paranormal investigators, a handy dandy feature if you ask me.

Normally I wouldn't be at all happy that stories that do not relate to ghosts have been included in this type of book but in this case the stories in question are so good that I really can't complain much. For instance there is a story about a portrait of Zachary Taylor that hangs in the old fort and a picture of this portrait is included. At first glance it looks like an ordinary painting but if one squints just right another image emerges and an eerie image it is. This picture is so amazing that it alone is well worth the price of the book.

The book concludes with a rather long story that also has nothing to do with ghosts but it is one of the most fascinating stories that I have come across in a long time. It involves secret escape tunnels, government denials, spies and lost Confederate gold. Need I say more?

This may not be strictly speaking the best book of ghost stories you will ever come across but it is certainly a very good ghost book. Add to the very good ghost stories a strong visual effect and a few other extraordinary tales told by a superb storyteller and the end result is a book that I can highly recommend.