Halloween Local News Ghost Stories Roundup

Every October, newspapers and local tv stations dust off old ghost stories, or send their lifestyle reporters out to ghost tours and haunted spots.

I myself fall victim to this temptation. On Friday, I led between 15 - 27 people on a tour of various haunted and hideous places in downtown in New Orleans. Some of the best stories are also history lessons in microcosm, reminding and reflecting on the changes a location has undergone. Of course, they are also good for a scare.

So here are some of the dozens of such ghost story articles that have crossed my desk in the last few days. I'll comment on them as needed, and note in bold some of the more interesting.

Typical example from Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Haunted Cemetery - Louisville, Kentucky

Ghosts of Mississippi

Haunted House in Saratoga Springs, NY

Ghostly Art Gallery, Vancouver

Spirits from Insane Asylum Cause Road Landslide Outside Pittsburgh - Ok, this one is sort of unique, at least for the US (Iceland has been in the press for curving roads around alleged fairy spots)

Illinois Ghosts - Despite originating, most likely, in New York State, the Phantom Hitchiker has become firmly associated with Chicago.

Ghost in a Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio

Haunted Scranton, PA

There are others, but these are the old-style articles.