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From the Panhandle to Key
West, the state of Florida offers its visitors far more than sunshine and warm
temperatures during the year's colder months. Are you interested in a vacation that offers
"history and mystery" as well as wonderful food, pleasant surroundings, and
plenty of local color? If so, you can't go wrong with this combination travel guide and
ghost story collection. Florida, of course, has a
right to more ghosts than more recently settled parts of the United States. As Author
Walls points out, in 1620 when the Pilgrims reached Plymouth there was already a thriving
settlement at St. Augustine. The state's paranormal riches date back even farther than
that, though. The inhabitants of Crystal River State Archaeological Site's pre-historic
burial mounds make their continuing presence known, as do those of the Timacuan Indian
mound just north of the city in Ormond Beach. Tragic lovers. A little
girl playing jacks. A farmer who found a much easier (but horrific) way to get rid of his
migrant workers than simply paying them for their labors. A doll that, imbued with its
departed owner's personality, moves about its museum case and ruins the camera film of
anyone who tries to photograph it. An old lady whose body left her beloved home when she
died, but whose spirit continues to watch over the place with benevolent interest - except
when a female guest's skirt is too short, in which case she tries to pull it lower by the
hem! The ghosts that Walls describes are a varied lot, and an intriguing one. I believe I
would take her advice about the places of which she says, "If you go there, it is
wise to not go alone." I would also take her
advice about bed-and-breakfasts, inns, and eating establishments of all sorts. Her
descriptions of these made me want to pull up stakes and head a thousand miles south, to
sit on shady verandas and stuff myself with both gourmet and "plain old down
home" cooking. Good reading even if you're not planning to travel soon, in other
words! Reviewed by Nina M. Osier Whether you’re a
Pensacola-born Floridian like me, a history buff, a ghost chaser, or you’re simply
planning your first vacation to Florida, Florida’s
Phantoms is a must for your book collection. Kathleen provides an
enticing tour of some of Florida’s best recreation spots from a fascinating
historical perspective with an emphasis on the ethereal inhabitants of some the locales,
historic homes and buildings. Her book is filled with
the rich history of Florida intertwined with tales of hauntings by unrequited lovers,
victims of tragic love triangles, spirits of Civil War soldiers, and even the ghost of a
cat. Florida’s Phantoms will not only entertain
you, but also entice you to search out these historic Florida haunts to experience for
yourself. James A Graves, Jr. -
Author & Songwriter. James A Graves, Jr.
Aftermath I: The Fight For Survival Aftermath II: The Deadly Game www.music-gms.com/author
If you thought you
"knew" Florida, after reading Kathleen Wall's Florida Phantoms you will
realize that you did not. I have been to Florida many times but it took reading this book
for me to realize that there is much more to the "snowbird state" than sea, sand
and sun - and Disney World. Ms. Walls takes you by the hand and leads you through the
centuries of history - and ghosts - that make the beautiful state of Florida what it is
today. Kristie Leigh Maguire,
author of Desert Heat, No Lady and Her Tramp, Emails from the Edge Florida is a tourist
Mecca best known for beautiful beaches and Disney World. In Finding Florida’s Phantoms, author Kathleen
Walls provides readers with a unique twist to the tired old tourist guide. Walls
challenges readers to explore the “other side” of the Sunshine State – a
world of legends and lore that few have explored. The book is chock-full of wonderful
ghost tales interspersed with interesting Florida history and folklore. Walls also
includes comprehensive tourist information on locations throughout the state such as where
to stay, places to eat and unique attractions. As a Florida resident, I found the legends
and history included in the volume to be quite intriguing. I also learned about some
tourist spots I never knew existed. Finding
Florida’s Phantoms is a great resource for Florida natives and visitors alike and
is fascinating reading even if you never venture outside your own living room. This a book for anyone
who has ever jumped at a bump in the night, or for anyone planning on visiting the
"Sunshine State". Let me make it clear. You don't have to be visiting Florida to
enjoy this book, but if you visit Florida without this book, you'll be sorry. I sat down on a
Washington cold and dreary evening to review "Florida's Phantoms". Before the
first chapter ended I had been carried away to white sandy beaches, crystalline waters,
where headless maidens ran on the beach trying to catch up to the pirate lovers. By
morning I was trying to convince my family that we really needed a warm, winter vacation
in a state where we could swim with the manatee, and visit haunted buildings in the
evening time. Ms. Walls book is one
that will simply have to be stocked in every gift store, in every travel agency, almost in
every gas station in the country! What a travesty it would be to visit Florida without
seeing some of the rare or unusual sites that so completely pack this awesome book I had no intention of
visiting Florida when I reviewed the book. Now, I have no intention of not visiting
Florida and soon! I enjoyed the book for the pleasure of reading, but I learned so much
about Florida and it's inhabitants that I can't wait to go and meet them for myself! Melissa S. James Author of American
Woman American Strong and Stolen in the Storm
Finding Florida’s Phantoms By Kathleen Walls Enjoy a good ghost story? Want to go sightseeing with the hope of catching a glimpse of a spectral body? Does your idea of a good time include investigating haunted lighthouses, inns, cemeteries and other historical spots? This entertaining guidebook will beckon you in the right direction. Ms. Walls takes the reader on a guided tour of the entire state of Florida, with each chapter devoted to a particular area. Amelia Island, Jacksonville and the Beaches, St. Augustine, and the Lake City/Gainesville area are well represented. In each area she explores sites believed by residents to be haunted. The author makes no attempt to validate the ghostly tales, simply recounts them as told to her by local folks. Among local haunts, The Florida Theatre in downtown Jacksonville is reputed to house the spirit of one of the original technicians from the 1920’s. “Doc” has been sighted and was actually investigated by a parapsychologist. He reportedly turns lights on and off in the balcony, and has been helpful on at least one occasion. According to Sandra Floyd, director of rental operations, on one occasion rowdy children touring the theatre were playing with the projectors. “Mrs. Floyd told them that the ghost does not want them to do that and he will become upset and turn the lights off if they continued. The children were unconvinced, and the lights actually did go out in that area.” The popular Stonewood Grill on Baymeadows has had its share of strange occurrences. “The disturbances began almost as soon as it opened… the staff began hearing noises. The fire came on under pans that had been turned off.” Once a levitating sign spooked the night manager. The site has never been a cemetery and no one has died in the restaurant; it is a new building. However, rowdy patrons used to party at a bar next door. Several people reportedly got knifed there and the owner committed suicide inside the building. According to Ms. Walls, “Perhaps some of those wild spirits are still looking for a little excitement.” The Olustee Civil War battlefield park near Lake City has had its share of sightings. “Photographs taken at the re-enactment several years ago showed ‘orbs’ over the battlefield. Several visitors also physically saw the strange glowing lights there. They seem to reoccur annually at the re-enactments.” Many other ghost tales are recounted, along with a written tour of selected points of interest, bed and breakfasts and restaurants throughout the state. If you like your touring and dining seasoned with the supernatural, this book is definitely for you. Freelance writer Kathleen Walls is a St. Augustine resident. Her other books include companion volume “Georgia’s Ghostly Getaways,” “Kudzu,” a historical novel, “Manhunt – The Eric Rudolph Story” and “Last Step,” a novel of drugs and murder set in Jacksonville. “Finding Florida’s Phantoms” can be purchased at bookstores or on line through www.katywalls.com. Lydia Filzen is an Orange Park author writing as Lydia Hawke. Her novel, Firetrail, is available through Wings Press and www.lydiahawke.us. She can also be contacted at 272-0726. Walls' book guides you to spooky Florida haunts ByLEIGH NEELY FEATURES EDITOR
One of the most interesting aspects of Florida is its old and rich history. Along with history comes a multi-tude of secrets and mysteries. Kathleen Walls has uncovered a great many of them inher book, "Finding Florida's Phantoms."
Not only is this little book filled with some wonderful ghost stories and scaryplaces, it also has all the information a traveler might need to find a great place to eat, stay or see a local spirit.
Walls
has the contents divided by areas of the state, including Central Florida, which has
listings for Ocala, ghost stories, Walls gives you a list of things to see and do in the area. She provides everything'you'll need, including visitor's bureau information and historical museums. There are also black-and-white photos throughout the book so you'll know what building you're looking for.
Walls writes in an easy, conversational style, which makes her stories even more interesting. She'll introduce you to fascinating characters like Judy, who lives in the well-known Seven Sisters Inn in Ocala. Walls talked with Bonnie Moreland, who owns the two Victorian homes that make up the inn, and she recalled seeing the spirit. "I was going from the kitchen to Bonnie's room, which is on the first floor. This is the only time in 13 years I actually saw her. She appeared to be from the Civil War area. She was wearing a long gray skirt and a white blouse. Her hair was up in a bun," Moreland said.
In Winter Park, you'll learn about lovely Annie Russell, who spent most of her life involved with the col- lege and theater that bear her name. As Florida's oldest university theater, it has the aura of another era and is supposedly still home to Annie. "She has been sighted in [the] balcony of 'her' theater many times. She always sits in the second seat of the last row on the far left. So common are the occurrences it has come to be known as 'Annie's chair,"' according to Walls.
Whatever traveling you plan to do in Florida, you can make it richer by seeking out the interesting places Walls has written about. And if you spot any of the aforementioned spirits, let me'know.l love a good ghost story. I give this one five out of five bookmarks for good storytelling and an excellent travel guide. Leigh Neely is features editor with The-Daily Sun. She can be contacted at 753-1119, ext.324. or leigh.neely@thevillagesmedia.com.
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