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Featured USA Folktales

Der Belznickel
Der Belznickel

My sisters and my baby brother danced about the house, whispering to each other excitedly about the …

Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary

She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living i…


A Baker’s Dozen

Back in the old days, I had a successful bake-shop in Albany. I had a good business, a plump wife, a…

A Cave of Skulls

Near the upper Hiawassee is a cave where a pile of human skulls was found by a man who had put up hi…

A Gift from Saint Nicholas

Claas Schlaschenschlinger was a wealthy cobbler living on New Street in New Amsterdam. He was a cont…

Adventure On the Rogue

We were up-river with a tour group looking at all the natural beauties here on the Rogue River when …

Alicia

It was the sound of laughter and children’s voices that caught my attention. Curious, I materialize…

Amber

Oh, you hear the stories about how dangerous Ouija boards are, but hey—it’s just a game. Mary waited…

Arizona Weather

Well, some folks don't like the weather in Arizona, but I ain't one of 'em. Why, the air in Arizona …

Arkansas Traveler

One rainy autumn, a traveler got lost in the mountains of Arkansas. He was tired and hungry, and so …

Army of the Dead

A laundress, newly moved to Charleston following the Civil War, found herself awakened at the stroke…

Aunty Greenleaf and the White Deer

Aunty Greenleaf was a scrawny old woman with a wild thatch of gray hair and a crooked nose. She live…

Axe Murder Hollow

Susan and Ned were driving through a wooded empty section of highway. Lightning flashed, thunder roa…

Babe the Blue Ox

Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all the fish moved south an…

Banshee of the Bad Lands

“Hell, with the fires out,” is what the Bad Lands of Dakota have been called. The fearless nomenclat…

Bear Lake Monster

If you travel to Bear Lake in Utah on a quiet day, you just might catch a glimpse of the Bear Lake M…

Benny the Little Blue Ox

Because he was so much younger than Babe and was brought to camp when a small calf, Benny was always…

Big Liz

The Master of the plantation was a firm supporter of the Confederate President and had committed to …

Bigfoot Wallace and the Gray Bean

Turns out, the rough and tumble life of a Texas Ranger wasn’t enough to satisfy Bigfoot Wallace. No …

Bigfoot Wallace and the Hickory Nuts

Bigfoot Wallace was as crazy an individual as they come. He could spin a yarn better than anyone, an…

Bigfoot Wallace Runs the Mail

Bigfoot Wallace – that wild and wacky Texas Ranger — returned to the wilds of frontier life once th…

Birth of Paul Bunyan

Now I hear tell that Paul Bunyan was born in Bangor, Maine. It took five giant storks to deliver Pau…

Birth of the Jersey Devil

A storm was raging that night in 1735, when Mother Leeds was brought to bed in childbirth. The room …

Black Aggie

When Felix Agnus put up the life-sized shrouded bronze statue of a grieving angel, seated on a pedes…

Black Dog of Hanging Hills

He smiled as he sipped at his coffee. It had been an excellent hike. He was glad his friend had reco…

Black Magic

Mad Henry was a hermit who lived alone in a decrepit mansion at the edge of town. Rumors were rife …

Blackbeard’s Ghost

The nefarious pirate Blackbeard (who's real name was Edward Teach) was a tall man with a very long b…

Bleeding Sink

I found it extremely annoying that one of the bathrooms on my dorm was permanently closed. Especial…

Bloody Mary

She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living i…

Bloody Mary Returns

My stepmother was vile. I guess most kids think that when their father remarries. But in this case…

Bloody Mary Whales

Old Man Whales was an evil man who loved money more than anything in the world, except his wife.

Blow in the Dark

Farmer Manheim sat brooding in his farmhouse near Valley Forge, as his daughter, with a hectic flush…

Blue Denim

I asked my friend to come to my seaside cottage with me one weekend in early spring. I wanted to hav…

Blue Hen’s Chicks

A Delaware man went to war during the American Revolution. For entertainment, he brought with him tw…

Boo Hag

You know how they say some folks are lucky at cards and some are lucky at love? Well, that fit Bobby…

Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby

Well now, that rascal Brer Fox hated Brer Rabbit on account of he was always cutting capers and boss…

Brer Rabbit Earns a Dollar-A-Minute

One fine morning, Brer Fox decided to plant him a patch of goober peas. He set to with a will and be…

Brer Rabbit Falls Down the Well

One day, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox and Brer Coon and Brer Bear and a lot of other animals decided to …

Brer Rabbit Fools Sis Cow

Now Brer Rabbit was skipping down the road one day heading for his home in the briar patch when he s…

Brother Bear’s House

Well now, out of all the animals that live in the woods, Brother Bear had the biggest house. The ho…

Brother Fox Catches Old Man Tarrypin

Well now, Brother Rabbit had made friends with Old Man Tarrypin, a big turtle that lived in the pond…

Brother Fox Goes Hunting

Well, it was a crisp autumn day, don't ya know, and Brother Fox, he decided he wanted to go hunting.…

Bunko Kelly and the Funeral Parlor

It seems the infamous crimper Bunko Kelly was commissioned one night by a ship's captain to find him…

Buried Treasure

There once was an evil priest who did not fear God or man. His duties for the church included counti…

Burnt Church

She was sophisticated, poised, and cultured. In retrospect, this should have made them suspicious. …

Callin’ the Dog

Tall talkin' in Mississippi has been termed "Callin' the dog" ever since that famous tall-tale sessi…

Casey Jones

Casey Jones, that heroic railroad engineer of the Cannonball, was known as the man who always brough…

Cherokee Rose

We lost everything after the treaty was signed. The white men wanted the Indian's removed, and so w…

Connecticut Yankee

Now, here in the South, we all do not approve of your so-called Connecticut Yankee peddlers. So when…

Cowboys in Heaven

After cow punching for nigh on fifty years, a Texas cowboy went on to his reward. There was consider…

Coyote and the Columbia

One day, Coyote was walking along. The sun was shining brightly, and Coyote felt very hot. "I would …

Coyote and Wishpoosh

Now Wishpoosh the monster beaver lived in the beautiful Lake Cle-el-lum which was full of fish. Ever…

Crow Brings the Daylight

Long, long ago, when the world was still new, the Inuit lived in darkness in their home in the fastn…

Dancing with the Devil

The girl hurried through her schoolwork as fast as she could. It was the night of the high school da…

Daniel Boone’s Dear

Late one night, Daniel Boone and a friend went out fire hunting. Fire hunting involves the shining o…

Davy Crockett and the Coonskin

Well, they say that Davy Crockett, the most famous bear hunter in the U.S. of A, once ran for electi…

Davy Crockett and the Frozen Dawn

One winter, it was so cold that the dawn froze solid. The sun got caught between two ice blocks, and…

Death Coach

It is midnight. The streets of Cohoes grow silent as the citizens turn off their lights one by one a…

Death Waltz

Within an hour of my arrival at Fort Union, my new post, my best friend Johnny came to the barracks …

Dem Bones

My granny was told as a child that Captain Kidd, knowing the law was on his trail, traveled up the J…

Der Belznickel

My sisters and my baby brother danced about the house, whispering to each other excitedly about the …

Dispatched

There was something odd in the tone of the dispatcher’s voice when he called to tell me a person nee…

Don’t Sell My House

Life seemed perfect to Mark when the widower brought his new bride Lisa home to the lovely two-story…

Don’t Turn on the Light

She commandeered the room in the basement of her dorm as soon as she realized she would have to pull…

Don’t You Fish on Sunday

Jonah was a big strong man who worked as a carpenter. Most everyone in town liked him, but they all …

Drought Buster

Back in the early days, the Plains folk were often in need of a good drought buster during the hot s…

Drowned Man

My supervisor radioed me just after sunrise on a warm summer morning in 1929 to report another incid…

Dueling Fiddlers

There was once a man named Joost who was plodding home on Saturday night, his fiddle under his arm. …

Dunkelberger Gravel Bar

The gravel bar on our left is called, Dunkelberger gravel bar. The reason I mention it to you, is b…

Eavesdropper

There is an old tale which claims that at midnight, on Christmas Eve, the cattle will kneel in the b…

Echoes

Following the Homestead Act of 1862, many Scandinavians pioneered the lands of the mid-West. These f…

El Muerto

After getting the lay of the land, so to speak, frontier man Bigfoot Wallace moved from Austin to Sa…

Enchanted

I roam alone in the woods, listening to the enchanted children's voices calling to me. "Little girl,…

Ethan Allen

Ethan Allen, the leader of the Green Mountain Boys, who defeated the British at Fort Ticonderoga, wa…

Express Train to Hell

For days, a ragged old man had hung around the Newark Central Station. The stationmaster kept runnin…

Fatal Glass Eye

My friend Liverpool Jarge was a small man, wiry and tough, but soft-spoken. Jarge had one glass eye…

Fifty-Cent Piece

There is a story told in Troy and Albany about a couple returning home from a trip to New England. T…

Fire

In the beginning of the world, it was Bear who owned Fire. It warmed them on cold nights and gave t…

First Things First

Well, the spring floods here in Vermont are mighty fierce, doncha know. One young farmer named Tom …

Fog

You can talk 'til you're blue in the face about the thickest of fogs in ye merry olde England, but I…

Frogs of Windham

Lawyer Elderkin stood on the porch looking up at the night sky. Clouds were rolling in, obscuring th…

Fur-Bearing Trout

Now it happened that there was a mining camp in Colorado where more than an average number of the mi…

Ghost Handprints

My wife Jill and I were driving home from a friend's party late one evening in early May. It was a b…

Ghost in the Alley

Rumors were rife about the alleyway behind the tavern. It was haunted, folks said. Haunted by the gh…

Ghost in the Stacks

I saw her out of the corner of my eye while I was studying in a remote corner of the second-level st…

Ghost on the Tracks

The train rumbled around him as he adjusted the throttle. The night shift was always the toughest, i…

Ghost Pilots of Times Square

He had just graduated from Harvard University and was living in Manhattan. He loved the city and was…

Ghost Ship of Captain Sandovate

When Captain Don Sandovate voyaged from Spain to the New World in search of treasure, he found gold …

Ghosts of Ringwood Manor

Ringwood Manor you say? A lovely old house. But no place, my child, to go on a dark night with no mo…

Girl in White

He was sulking a little, standing at the sidelines while all the other men danced with their pretty …

Goblin of Easton

There was once a monk at the mission who loved money and power more than he loved God. He would hear…

Going Courting

J. Dawson had two goals in life: to find a rich vein of gold and to find a bride. So far, he hadn’t …

Golden Hand

He never paid much attention to the neighbors living on his city block until the day the pretty midd…

Gollywhopper’s Eggs

Well now, when old Johnson came to town, I knew there'd be trouble. That Yankee Peddler was a scound…

Green Lantern

There once was a lighthouse keeper who had lived on St. Martin's Island with his children, whom he l…

Guardian of Yosemite

For many nights and many days, the guardian spirit of Tisayac watched over the beautiful valley of Y…

Hairy Toe

Once there was an old woman who went out in the woods to dig up some roots to cook for dinner. She s…

Hatchet Man

There were warnings all over campus about a Hatchet Man who was supposedly abused and killed a woman…

Haunted Christmas

The soft thud of following footsteps echoed behind him as he hurried through the snowflakes toward h…

Haunted Classroom

She was brand-new history teacher to the school and had been preparing her first lesson in her mind …

Healthy Climate

California must be the healthiest state in the union, yes sir! I know of one chap who's grandfather …

Heartbeat

Something was going on. Jason felt it in his bones. Polly was too happy, too cheerful. No woman coul…

Heron and the Hummingbird

Heron and Hummingbird were very good friends, even though one was tall and gangly and awkward and on…

Higher Mathmatics

Shmul and Benin, two of the wisest men in the town of Chelm, went one day to take a steam bath. As …

Hold Him, Tabb

Yep, I remember what it was like before the railroad came through these parts. I used to earn my liv…

Hoop Snakes

Now the Pennsylvania hoop snake is something to be reckoned with. It is long, and its colors vary wi…

Hoosiers

There's an ongoing debate here in the great state of Indiana over the origins of the word "Hoosiers"…

How Bigfoot Wallace Got his Nickname

Well now, Bigfoot Wallace was jest about the roughest, toughest Texas Ranger that ever rode west of …

How Brother Terrapin Rode in the Clouds

One day, old Brother Terrapin was a-grumbling and a-fussing, because he had to creep on the ground. …

How Mr. Coon’s Daughter Came to Marry Brother Terrapin

Well now, Brother Deer and Brother Terrapin were both courting of Mr. Coon’s daughter. Brother Deer …

How Selfishness was Rewarded

A young warrior came to the coast with his wife and mother one summer and settled in the place where…

How the Rainbow Was Made

One day when the earth was new, Nanabozho looked out the window of his house beside the wide waterfa…

I Know Moonrise

Mama told me I should never to walk along the marsh shortcut that led from our plantation to the tow…

I’m All Right

We knew right from the start that Johnny was going to be a soldier. Even as a child, all his concent…

I’m Coming Down Now!

There was an abandoned house sitting in the middle of a fancy neighborhood in Calgary that nobody wo…

Idaho Potatoes

We here in Idaho are right proud of our potatoes. Our fields are so chock full of potatoes that you …

Invisible Hands

A couple of Welsh miners came to Nevada to help mine the Comstock Load. They were quite a pair of tr…

Jack and the Corn Stalk

Once, a Kansas farmer sent his son Jack to check on the growth of the corn in the field. Now Jack wa…

Jack and the Devil

Jack was a nasty fellow who beat his wife and kids and was an all around bad chap. So the Devil came…

Jack O’Lantern

After a long day of unlucky hunting, I found myself stuck in the middle of the marshlands for the ni…

Jean Sot Goes Fishing

Jean Sot was sitting gloomily on the dock of the marina casting a fishing line into the Bayou when h…

Jean Sot Guards the Door

One day, Jean Sot's mother wanted to go to town. "Now Jean," she said, "I want you to guard the door…

Jesse James and the Widow

One day, as Jesse James and his gang were riding through Missouri, they saw a farmhouse and stopped …

Joaquin Murietta: Bandit of the Goldfields

Joaquin Murietta and wife Rosita lived with his older brother Carlos in California. The three Mexica…

John Henry: The Steel Driving Man

Now John Henry was a mighty man, yes sir. He was born a slave in the 1840's but was freed after the …

Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed was a hermit and a wanderer who was welcomed wherever he went in the Ohio territory…

Joseph Bonaparte and the Jersey Devil

Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, was the King of Spain. Unsuccessful in defending Spain ag…

Jumbo Reilly

Jumbo Reilly was a giant of a fellow with the build and strength of a grizzly bear and a ferocious n…

Kate Shelley Saves the Train

One night, in 1881, a fierce storm broke over the Des Moines river valley. The storm raged through t…

Kayuta and Waneta

Waneta, daughter of a chief, had plighted her troth to Kayuta, a hunter of a neighboring tribe with …

La Corriveau

Marie-Josephte Corriveau was a beautiful but ruthless woman. She married a good-looking man but soon…

La Llorona

Once there was a widow who wished to marry a rich nobleman. However, the nobleman did not want to ra…

La Mala Hora

My friend Isabela called me one evening before dinner. She was sobbing as she told me that she and h…

Lady in Lace

There is a ghost that walks along the Seventeen Mile Drive on foggy nights. She is called the Lady i…

Lady in Red

We didn't believe in ghosts, so when the fellow checking us in warned us that our room on the sixth …

Last Darning Needle

Folks traveling the Oregon Trail looking for a new life left almost everything behind them when they…

Lincoln Death Train

I'd been transferred to the Hudson Division of the New York Central system, and was working the rail…

Llorona, Omen of Death

They say that the Llorona was once a poor young girl who loved a rich nobleman, and together they ha…

Maco Ghost Light

There was once a railroad conductor named Joe Baldwin who was working for the newly rebuilt Atlantic…

Madrone Monkeys

Something people often ask about, and you might be curious also, are the trees you see along the riv…

Mark of The Spirit Hand

Andover, New Jersey, was quaint and quiet in the days before the American Revolution. It offered few…

McLoughlin’s Ghost

Dr. John McLoughlin came to the Pacific Northwest with the Hudson Bay Company and fell in love with …

Michigan Winds

Michigan winds are fiercest in the spring. Why, just last year, the wind knocked one of our mountain…

Milk Bottles

She was just another poor, bedraggled woman, struggling to feed her family. He saw them all the time…

Mississippi Mosquitoes

A visitor to Mississippi decided to take a walk along the river in the cool of the evening. His host…

Moll DeGrow

Moll DeGrow was a wicked witch who once lived on Gully Road in what is now Newark, New Jersey. She t…

Mrs. Crockett Saves the Day

Shortly after I got married, I went to settle on the north side of the Big Muddy with my new wife, M…

Muriel

She climbed the sand dune swiftly, giggling nervously at her daring, as the soft mist of an early ev…

Never Mind Them Watermelons

Well now, old Sam Gibb, he didn't believe in ghosts. Not one bit. Everyone in town knew the old log …

Night Riders

Among the Berkshire Hills, more than a century ago, lived Francis Woolcott, a dark, tall man, with p…

No Fear

He had just passed an abandoned missionary Baptist church when the forest grew quiet around him. The…

No Room

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, on the night before Christmas, a little child was wandering…

No Trespassing

Peggy and her boyfriend Tommy were driving down a lonely stretch of highway at dusk when a thunderst…

Ocean-Born Mary

Elizabeth and James Wilson were Irish immigrants from Londonderry, Ireland. In 1720 they set sail fo…

Oklahoma Weather

To say that the weather in Oklahoma is subject to extremes is an understatement. Instead of rain sto…

Old Chestnuts and Dad Jokes

In folklore, "chestnuts" are old jokes that everyone seems to know.

Old Granny Tucker

There were just the two of us—Mama and me. The only other relative we had was a cousin — old Grann…

Old Man Moses

It's not hard to catch a meal in New Hampshire, no sir. Take my neighbor, Old Man Moses, who lives d…

Old Stormalong

Now everyone knows that Alfred Bulltop Stormalong was the ultimate sailor. He was the captain of a m…

Old Stormalong and the Octopus

One day Old Stormalong, the ultimate sailor, was sailing the Courser through the deepest part of the…

Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies

In the sun lives the Lord of Life. In the moon lives Old-Woman-Who-Never-Dies. She has six children,…

Olde Fort Mifflin

There is only one word for Fort Mifflin during a reenactment. LOUD! My ears were ringing as I hurr…

One Last Revel

“Young man, I'll give you five dollars a week to be caretaker in Printz Hall,” Mr. Quidd said angril…

One Short

There is a tale once told of a Mississippi riverboat captain who called all of the passengers to the…

Origin of the Wind

Napioa, the Old Man who made the earth, is determined to have the bags that hold the summer and wint…

Osseo, Son of the Evening Star

There once lived a man in the north, who had ten daughters, all of whom grew up to womanhood. They w…

Palatine

The Palatine gleamed in the sunlight as she set out with a full crew, a long list of passengers, and…

Paul Bunyan and the Frozen Flames

One winter, shortly after Paul Bunyan dug Lake Michigan as a drinking hole for his blue ox, Babe, he…

Paul Bunyan and the Log Jam

One spring day, the loggers on the Wisconsin River discovered a huge log jam, the biggest they'd eve…

Paul Bunyan Tames the Whistling River

The Whistling River – so named because twice a day, it reared up to a height of two hundred feet and…

Paul Bunyan’s Kitchen

One winter, Paul Bunyan came to log along the Little Gimlet in Oregon. Ask any old timer who was log…

Pecos Bill and Slue-foot Sue

Now, Pecos Bill had a way with wimmen. No doubt. He had dozens of wives during his time. But his one…

Pecos Bill finds a Hard Outfit

Well now, Texas jest became too tame for Pecos Bill once he killed off all the bad men, so he struck…

Pecos Bill Rides a Tornado

Now everyone in the West knows that Pecos Bill could ride anything. No bronco could throw him, no si…

Pele’s Revenge

Ohi'a and Lehua loved each other from the moment they first saw each other at a village dance. Ohi'a…

Phantom Diner

A couple were driving through Spokane, Washington one evening. They were hungry and tired and neede…

Phantom Drummer

Now when Colonel Howell of the British Army chanced to meet the daughter of the wealthy farmer Jarre…

Phantom Hiker of Grandfather Mountain

When the guys proposed we take a day-hike on Grandfather Mountain, I agreed with enthusiasm. Grandf…

Phantom Lovers of Dismal Swamp

He couldn't believe it when she fell ill just a few short weeks before their marriage. His betrothed…

Phantom Train Wreck

The passengers were grumpy and heavy-eyed as they boarded the train in Salisbury during the early mo…

Pickled!

Dr. William Kiel, a radical preacher who broke from the Methodist church, formed his own church and …

Piece By Piece

There once was a crazy ghost over Poughkeepsie way that got folks so plumb scared that nobody would …

Pink

She was always in the garden. Day after day after day. It drove him crazy. Supper never came when…

Playin’ Piano

Dah-dah-dum-dum-BLAT! Charlie winced when his wife hit the wrong note on the piano for the thirty-se…

Pray for your Soul

He was a jolly, round little man with a cherry red face and a button for a nose. He sat every day in…

Prison Break

Callahan was huddled in a cavern near the Pacific Ocean when the Feds closed in. There were still s…

Rabbit Plays Tug-of-War

Now Rabbit had a favorite place on the river where he always went to drink water. It was on a bend i…

Rainbow Crow

It was so cold. Snow fell constantly, and ice formed over all the waters. The animals had never seen…

Rattlesnake Ridge

Adam Gimble was the very best fiddler in Texas. Folks came from miles around to the weekly barn danc…

Raw Head and Bloody Bones

Way back in the deep woods there lived a scrawny old woman who had a reputation for being the best c…

Red Dwarf of Detroit

The infamous Red Dwarf (Nain Rouge) of Detroit was reputed to be the foul offspring of the Stone God…

Resurrection Mary

There was a dance that night at the Oh Henry Ballroom, so he slicked back his hair, jumped into his …

Riverboat Racing

An old lady from Kentucky was going to New Orleans with a load of lard to sell. It was her first tim…

Round River Drive

Well now Paul Bunyan scouted around the north woods of Wisconsin for quite a while afore he found th…

Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett

Davy Crockett done married the prettiest, the sassiest, the toughest gal in the West, don't ya know!…

Sam Hyde

Many years before the American Revolution, there was an old man named Sam Hyde who became famous thr…

Sangamon County

One of the old timers who lives here in Sangamon County, Illinois is always saying that Sangamon Cou…

Sasquatch

I got up at the crack of dawn and drove to Larry's place to pick him up. We were going hiking along …

Sasquatch and the Bear

Take a look over at this gravel bar on our left. It's called Bony Point, and we saw something here …

Satin Dress

She worked in a box factory, and her salary was not large. She made just enough to cover the cost of…

Saving Time

Shmul was on his way to the market in Chelm one afternoon when he saw his good friend Bein on the st…

Scraping the Clouds

Long ago, on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, two Inuit boys were walking from their own home to a fa…

Screaming Jenny

The old storage sheds along the tracks were abandoned shortly after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad wa…

Shadow Train

A miner was on his way to Dos Cabezas, where here heard there was good prospecting, when he found hi…

Sheep Herder’s Lawsuit

A sheep herder from Montana fell afoul of the law and hired a lawyer to get him off if he could. The…

Sifty Sifty San

There was once a beautiful old house right on the edge of a lake, surrounded by woods. But no one wo…

Sinks

Nevada rivers empty into a series of small lakes which have no visible outlets. These lakes are call…

Slide-Rock Bolters

Way up in the mountains of Colorado lurks the slide-rock bolter. This creature has a huge head, slit…

Spirit Lodge

The great chief Quaquahela lived in peace with his people on the banks of the River Styx where it en…

Spuyten Duyvil

Once in old New Amsterdam, there was a brave trumpeter named Anthony Van Corlaer who would blow his …

Storm Hag

She lurks below the surface of the lake near Presque Isle, her lithe form forever swimming through t…

Storm Man Brings the Summer

Long, long ago, on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska, there lived an old woman with her little grandson.…

Storm Ship of the Hudson

It was noised about New Amsterdam, two hundred years ago, that a round and bulky ghost ship flying D…

Strangers

Wallen's Ridge, a rough eminence about a dozen miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee, was once an abidin…

Swept Over: Ghosts of the Lower Falls

Today the water drums of the Lower Falls in Yellowstone beat strongly, just as they did back in 1870…

Teething Toy

Well now, you've probably heard it rumored that here in Deadwood we have such a tough neighborhood t…

Telltale Seaweed

Two sisters were motoring through Cape Cod late one stormy night in the early 1900's when their car …

The Barn Dance

As I drove down the seemingly endless dark road, I cursed my friends. “A quaint little bar in the mi…

The Birth of Pecos Bill

Well now Pecos Bill was born in the usual way to a real nice cowpoke and his wife who were journeyin…

The Black Cat’s Message

I came home late one night after work and found my wife Ethel puttering about the kitchen with a big…

The Bloodstain

The Phelps place was an old, abandoned property with a monstrous, decrepit Victorian house that was …

The Bloody Mary Ritual

We were having a sleepover at my house that Saturday night. Me and my four best friends; Alex, Bian…

The Blue Rocks

The story was told furtively, in lowered voices. Buried treasure. Near the blue rock. A long time a…

The Brick Wall

Massey was a soldier unfortunate enough to cross me, his commanding officer. He did not live to reg…

The Brothers’ Revenge

The blizzard was raging fiercely around them as the brothers stumbled down the long road. they were…

The Canary and the Wasp

“Why do people not treat me as they treat you?” said a Wasp to a Canary on bright summer morning. "…

The Catskill Witch

At the peak of this mountain lived the Catskill witch who managed the weather for the whole of the H…

The Crows are in the Corn

It happened in Georgia not long ago, that a farmer and his wife decided to sleep late, like the rich…

The Crystal Mountain

According to the latest reports, there is a crystal mountain residing somewhere in Wyoming. You can'…

The Cursing of Colonel Buck

Now Colonel Buck was not what you'd call the most virtuous man in town. No sir! He had an eye for th…

The Cussing Quilt

A man ignores a promise he made to his dying wife, with dire consequences.

The Cut-off

The devil was in the Mississippi River that night. You could feel it with every eddy swirling agains…

The Death of Pecos Bill

Now, Pecos Bill didn't live forever. Nope, not even Bill could figure out how to do that. Here's how…

The Devil’s Christmas Gift

Away down South, an old custom dictates that if someone comes up to you on Christmas Day and says "C…

The Doctor and the Ghost

Little Simeon came running into the surgery. He bent over, winded, and gasped desperately several ti…

The Eagle’s Revenge

Once a hunter in the mountains heard a noise at night like a rushing wind. He went outside his tepee…

The Face

The medical student toppled into love as soon as he set eyes on Sheila, the beautiful new transfer s…

The Fighting Roosters and the Eagle

“That’s it!” Black Rooster crowed to himself when he spotted Red Rooster flirting with the hens agai…

The First Christmas Tree

At the time when the Christ Child was born all the people, the animals, and the trees, and plants we…

The First Tears

Once long ago, Man went hunting along the water's edge for seals. To Man's delight, many seals were …

The Fisherman and the Bear

One fine day an old Maine man was fishing and fishing on his favorite lake and catching nary a thing…

The Fox’s Tail

A Man caught a Fox, and asked her: "Who has taught you Foxes how to cheat the dogs?"

The Future

She was nervous and excited as she approached the psychic's store. Normally, she didn't go in for f…

The Ghost Land

The young wife of a chief’s son died, and the young man was so sorrowful he could not sleep. Early o…

The Ghost of Misery Hill

Tom Bowers, who mined on Misery Hill, near Pike City, California, never had a partner, and he never …

The Ghost of Sunrise Rock

Some years before the outbreak of the Civil War, a man with his wife and daughter took up their resi…

The Ghosts of Red Creek

A small party of gentlemen on the day before a crisp, cold Christmas, started from Gulfport in a lar…

The Giant’s Drum

Long ago, in a village in Alaska, there lived a man with his wife and five sons, of whom they were v…

The Golden One

He was a bright, sunny child from birth, with blond curls and a sweet smile and fabulous, shining bl…

The Grave

A young woman lay suffering on her deathbed, her stillborn baby lying against her chest. Her young h…

The Greenhorn and the Mule Egg

Well now, there was a chap that got real sick of working in the big city. One day, he quit his job, …

The Grocer

It was a very hard time for the newly wed couple. The Depression had hit hard, and the young husban…

The Gulls

In the year of our Lord 1848, vast swarms of crickets descended upon our settlement. Twas a judgment…

The Handshake

Polly was the sweetest, prettiest girl in Goldsboro, yes sir. All the local boys were chasing her, …

The Headless Bride

Once there was a lovely young woman growing up in a wealthy shipping family in New York. In those …

The Headless Horseman

One cold winter night, early in the New Year, a certain Dutchman left the tavern in Tarrytown and st…

The Headless Sentry

A wealthy businessman who worked behind the political scenes both in Georgetown and Charleston owned…

The Hitchhiker

Our friends Josh and Sandy were firm believers in ghosts and claimed to have seen the mysterious red…

The Hook

Excerpted from Spooky Campfire Tales The reports had been on the radio all day, though she hadn&#821…

The House Accursed

The house was called the Isle of Pines, after a buccaneers' rendezvous in the West Indies, and the o…

The Jersey Devil and the Dog

It was a week of pandemonium! In January of 1909, the Jersey Devil emerged from the Pine Barrens and…

The Jersey Devil and the Hat

I was putting the finishing touches on a nice big dinner – meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, p…

The King of Sharks

One day, the King of Sharks saw a beautiful girl swimming near the shore. He immediately fell in lov…

The Lady in the Veil

He had not expected to meet the woman of his dreams, but there she was strolling along in the moonli…

The Legend of Babouscka

It was the night the dear Christ-Child came to Bethlehem. In a country far away from Him, an old, ol…

The Little Red Hen

Little Red Hen found a Wheat Seed that, if planted, would grow up and when ripe it could be made int…

The Maid of the Mist

She lost her husband and her hope at a young age, and the beautiful girl could not find her way thro…

The Melt Shop

All the men working in the Melt Shop of the steel mill soon learned to be very careful around the fu…

The Old Bridge

Old Man McManor was the foulest-tempered fellow you ever did see; but he owned and operated the only…

The Old Clock

She lived alone in a rickety house in White Plains, and the only thing of value she possessed was a …

The Origin of Corn

In times past, a poor man was living with his wife and children in a beautiful part of the country. …

The Peaches

A Farmer went to town, on a market day, and bought five peaches. He gave one to his wife, and one to…

The Phantom Bellman

I gasped a bit as I wheeled my heavy bag toward the white-trimmed double doors leading to the hotel …

The Rising of Gouverneur Morris

Gouverneur Morris, American minister to the court of Louis XVI, was considerably enriched, at the cl…

The Rooster and the Pearl

Scratch. Scratch. Peck. Cock was strutting around the yard, busily looking for good things to eat…

The Salt Witch

A pillar of snowy salt once stood on the Nebraska plain, about forty miles above the point where the…

The Shaggy Dog

There once was a woman traveling home from England who lost her pooch somewhere between Salem and Sp…

The Shrouded Horseman

When the Civil War ended, Jeremiah Jones, found himself a free man. Eager to make a new life for him…

The Skeleton

The boy had been out looking for work all day with no luck. When night fell, he was far from home. H…

The Skeleton Thief: A Halloween Treasure Hunt

In this Halloween Treasure Hunt, a rascally skeleton steals a cauldron of candy right out of the hal…

The Skeleton’s Lantern

We were on our way back to Yuma following a futile attempt to find Pegleg's lost gold mine out in th…

The Soldier’s Ghost

I'd just reached the old the hunting trail that led to the other side of the low gap. It was a short…

The Talking Mule

A farmer owned a mule which he used for work all week. But being a Church-going man, he let the mule…

The Thunderers

Three men set out on a hunting expedition, but when one breaks his leg, the others abandon him in a …

The Trapper’s Revenge

About a mile back from the river stood the cabin of Nick Wolsey, who, in the 1800s, was known to the…

The Trickster Tricked

Rabbit and Terrapin met near the stream one morning. It was a lovely clear day, and they both basked…

The Twist-Mouth Family

A while back there was a family I know of – a mother, a father, and several children. Four of them h…

The Wailing Woman

Once a Spanish soldier married a beautiful native woman and they had two children whom the soldier l…

The Wampus Cat

They say that the Wampus cat used to be a beautiful Indian woman. The men of her tribe were always g…

The White Dog

A traveling salesman came to Goshen Hill for a few days, selling his wares from door to door. He was…

Three Billy Goats Gruff

Snippity-snip, snap and swill, The tale begins upon a hill… The air was crisp and cool. The sky was …

Tommy Knockers

Tommy Knockers are the spirits of departed miners that help miners find ore. They also knock on the …

Turnabout is Fairplay

Everyone laughed at jumpy Uncle Phil, who believed the world was largely populated with monsters and…

Two Ghosts

There lived a hunter in the north who had a wife and one child. His lodge stood far off in the fores…

Underground

We timed our visit to Pendleton to coincide with the Roundup, and managed to snag one of the very la…

Vampire Hermit

She was nervous when her husband said they were to stay in the abandoned house, for it contained th…

Vengeance

When the samurai warrior Kane first came to California from Tokyo, be brought his new wife, the beau…

Vision of War

I don't do battlefields. Oh, it's not because I am against history. Nope, the truth is I'm psychic…

Wait Until Emmett Comes

A preacher was riding to one of the churches on his circuit when darkness fell. It was about to stor…

Wendigo

The storm lasted so long that they thought they would starve. Finally, when the wind and swirling sn…

Werewolf’s Bride

There once was a beautiful girl engaged to a soldier who caught the eye of an evil woodsman who had …

Where’s My Liver

“Go straight to the store and don’t fool around,” his mother said sternly as she handed over the mon…

Whirlwind

In hindsight, I suppose it wasn't a good idea to go ancestor-hunting in the local cemetery at dusk, …

White Lady of Durand Eastman

In the early 1800s, the White Lady and her daughter were supposed to have lived on the land where th…

White Riders

They were not even close to the main camp when the sandstorm storm hit, blasting hot sand into their…

White Wolf

She snapped awake out of a deep sleep, screaming aloud in terror. In her nightmare, a large white wo…

Why Dogs Chase Cats

Once long ago, Dog was married to Cat. They were happy together, but every night when Dog came home …

Why is a Black Cat bad luck?

Black Cats weren’t always considered bad luck. In early Egyptian times, dating back as far as 3000 …

Why Lizards Can’t Sit

Back in the old days, Brother Lizard was an awful lot like Brother Frog, meaning he could sit uprigh…

Why Opossum Has A Bare Tail

One day, Opossum was walking in the woods around sunset when he spied Raccoon. Now Opossum had alway…

Why Opossum has a Pouch

One evening, Opossum was playing in a field with her babies when Big Bat came swooping down and grab…

Why Sis Pig Can See the Wind

Did you hear how come that old Sis Pig can see the wind? You never heard that? Well, maybe you have …

Why the Possum Plays Dead

Rabbit and Possum each wanted a wife, but no one would marry either of them. They talked over the ma…

Wild Goose Island

In the middle of St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park is a small island halfway between two shores…

Wraith of the Creek

When he left his tribe to work with the white lumbermen, he changed his name to William Cloud, and t…

Wrong Side Up

One spring in the early 1880s, a North Dakota pioneer was plowing his land. As he broke through the …

Yancey’s Ghost

Yancey was a quirky old-time pioneer, gold prospector and Civil War veteran —perhaps the last of tha…

Yellow Ribbon

Jane wore a yellow ribbon around her neck everyday. And I mean everyday, rain or shine, whether it m…

Yellowhammer

Once long ago, Sam, a young slave from Alabama, was sent to the market in Georgia with his master's …

You Can’t Get Out

One dark, windy night, the town drunk was meandering his way home after the bar closed. Somehow he g…