Ghost Stories

A new book declares Greene County the most haunted county in America. Haunted Hills and Hollows: What Lurks in Greene County, Pennsylvania by Rosemary Ellen Guiley and Kevin Paul explores the otherworldly side of Greene County.

Kevin, a Greene County native, grew up hearing local folklore and stories from his grandparents. Out of all the folklore and tales Kevin remembers, one story really stood out above the rest. When he was about 10 years old he read a news story about Point Pleasant, West Virginia and the appearance of one of eastern America’s most well known cryptids – the Mothman. The article Kevin read in the paper left a lasting impression; it terrified him, but also sparked an interest in the paranormal.

Kevin says he has frequently experienced the paranormal in his life, seeing shadow apparitions and having apports (an apport is the paranormal movement of an item from one place to another).

“When I worked for the county, I was sent to Pitt for a class. We received certificates after completing the class and mine disappeared,” Kevin reveals. “Sometime after that we moved. One day in the new house, I went upstairs and there was the certificate, lying on the pillow on my side of the bed. I asked my wife about finding it and she hadn’t.. It just popped up from where it had been.”

Writing about these experiences had never crossed Kevin’s mind. It was once he connected with Rosemary Ellen Guiley that his research into the paranormal really started developing.

“I was listening to Coast to Coast AM with George Noory and she had been interviewed,” Kevin says. “I sent her an email telling her about everything happening in the area and invited her to visit. I didn’t really expect her to reply, but she did. She started visiting and did a lot of research over two to three years. She suggested that we should write a book about it.”

At her urging, and advice from a previous professor of his at West Virginia University, Kevin decided to do just that. Kevin and Rosemary worked on the book over a couple of years, compiling research and organizing narratives. The stories in the book mainly came by word-of-mouth, most from people that Kevin knew. It wasn’t too difficult to gather the stories - once a few started coming forward with their stories and realized Kevin and Rosemary could be trusted to take them seriously, the stories started rolling in.

Since the release of the book in May, Kevin says they’ve been inundated with new stories. So many new stories, in fact, that they hope to release a sequel in May 2019. The new book will focus on new stories, but include some follow-up on previously discussed topics, like the rectangular UFOs.

While researching the novel, different, unheard of local folklore caught Kevin’s attention. A story from the book that personally interested Kevin was the Lizard Man.

“I had never heard of the Lizard Man until I started doing research. I was researching obituaries in a local newspaper and discovered an article about a Lizard Man being spotted in Franklin Township in the 1890s. I thought it was just something to sell newspapers at the time,” Kevin shares. “But then I had a woman come and share something her daughter saw 100 years later that was very similar to the initial sighting.”

“That was one of the things that I found interesting about the whole process. I’d hear a story about one location and then I’d hear about it from someone else that didn’t know about the other story. There was a lot of corroboration.”

In addition to an audio book coming out in October and a sequel next year, the authors are working on a self-guided tour of locations from the book. Many people in the first book remain anonymous, not just for their safety but because the activity is on private property. The locations that are public – 10 locations at this time – will be part of the self-guided tour. These include Crow’s Rock and the site of the Davis and Corbly massacres. The tour will provide a downloadable PDF map and a list of places where travelers can scope out some haunted history, grab a bite to eat, or spend the night while visiting. If you would like to be part of the tour, email the authors at hauntedgc@yahoo.com for more info.

“The book has been an interesting experience,” says Kevin. “I thought I’d get pilloried but I haven’t. It’s an Amazon bestseller, it’s selling in 15 countries and Kindle is cranking up in sales, too. The reviews have all been very positive and supportive.”

If you would like your own copy of Haunted Hills and Hollows, you can find copies, Kevin, and locally produced meat, produce and dairy products at the Fencerow Farmer’s Market in Waynesburg. Copies are also available online at Amazon.com. It’s even available in Kindle format for you e-readers out there.

Published in October 2018 GreeneScene Magazine.