Book Review-A Haunted History of Columbus

Title: A Haunted History of Columbus, Ohio
Author: Nellie Kampmann
Published: 2011 by The History Press
Amazon Info

I try not to share too many book reviews this close together, but I wanted to review this while it was still fairly fresh in my mind…and of course, before the start of Vampire Week!  If you follow my blog, you might remember that I took a trip to Columbus, Ohio last week and visited one of the most awesome bookstores that has ever existed–the Book Loft.  Whenever I travel, I like to pick up a collection of regional ghost stories from that area.

A Haunted History of Columbus, Ohio is a rather slender collection as opposed to several other haunted history collections published by this particular publishing house, but it was packed full of Columbus’ most spooky tales.  In an ironic twist of fate, we ended up getting lost on our way FROM the bookstore to a local restaurant, and drove right past the very first location discussed in the book…a school built atop the former site of the Franklin County Poorhouse.

Over the course of 16 chapters, various locations throughout Columbus are discussed, and there’s a pleasant mix of historical research and eye-witness testimony.  There’s also a healthy mix of more popular, well-known stories, and those that you probably aren’t going to find anywhere else.

This was a very well written and researched book, albeit by the end, I was sick of the word “interloper,” lol…my only complaint would be that I would like there to have been MORE stories added!  Surely, such a large and historic city has more than 16 ghost stories, and I was slightly disappointed to not see the antique mall I discussed in my last Columbus post among the gems.  I highly recommend this book to anyone visiting or living in the Columbus area, or anyone who just wants a quick read of some really spooky and sometimes touching ghost stories!

*Here’s my post about my Columbus trip*