Book Review for Paranormal Files: West Virginia

Title: Paranormal Files: West Virginia

Authors: David Weatherly, Ross Allison, and Dave Spinks

Published: 2019 by Eerie Lights Publishing

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You know me…I can’t resist a book about West Virginia’s paranormal history!  One of my latest acquisitions is Paranormal Files: West Virginia, a collaboration between three well known authors— David Weatherly, Ross Allison, and Dave Spinks. 

I have quite a few books about haunted locations throughout the Mountain State, so I was pleasantly surprised by this book’s unique format in sharing West Virginia’s ghost stories. Both well known tales, and more obscure haunted locations are represented in three different sections covered by a separate author.  David Weatherly starts off with the Ghosts of Harpers Ferry. Stories such as Screaming Jenny, John Brown’s Ghost, and Dangerfield Newby at Hog Alley are covered from a historic standpoint, but the author also discusses his own personal experiences and investigation data from both the former Hilltop Hotel and a private residence in the area.  

The second section of the book, authored by Ross Allison, is dedicated to West Virginia’s haunted campuses. I’m pretty sure there isn’t an institute of higher learning anywhere in the state that doesn’t have at least one ghost story, and quite a few are represented in the book. Marshall, WVU, Glenville State, and others are featured, and there seems to be quite a bit of details added to the history of these haunted locations that tends to be largely left out of other works.

Paranormal Files: West Virginia wraps up with a chapter from Dave Spinks on the Haunts of Greenbrier County. As Dave is an active paranormal investigator in the state, this section strays from the simple re-telling of a ghost story.  Rather, Dave investigates each location mentioned in this section, including The General Lewis Inn, the ‘Angel of Death Statue’ of Old Stone Church’s burial yard, and the Greenbrier Ghost. 

Also included in this book are the individual tributes of each author to the amazing Rosemary Ellen Guiley. Rosemary was an author and researcher who dedicated quite a bit of time in researching ghosts and monsters of West Virginia.  She tragically passed away July 18, 2019, leaving a void in the paranormal research community.  Ending the book with these touching remembrances was a sweet way to wrap up a volume of West Virginia ghost stories.

So what did I think of the book as a whole?  As stated, I thought the format was pretty unique. Having each author cover a small subsection of West Virginia’s haunted history made for a fast and entertaining read. Each author brought his own writing style and point of view to the book. Aside from a few minor, yet distracting editing issues, each section was well-written and was full of information, both of a historical and a haunted nature.  This is definitely a book I’m glad to have on my shelf, and if you’re a collector of paranormal non-fiction, or just love to read the haunted history of West Virginia, you’ll want to add it to your shelf, too! 

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