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 Want to purchase books from Jamie Pearce’s Historic Haunts series? All her books and other items are available through this website. However, if you have gift cards, Pearce’s books can be purchased through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books a Million’s websites. They are also available at many locations featured in the books and at local book stores.
Author and Historic Haunts Investigations founder is very proud that her ancestors were one of the first families to settle in Virginia.
Pearce is working on getting all the documentation in order to join the Order of the First Families of Virginia. She strongly believes that the future may learn from the past and she wants to preserve her family history for future generations.  Old Settlers Cemetery in downtown Charlotte is a small surprise in the middle of such a large city. The cemetery not only holds a lot of this town’s history but a few spirits as well.
We have witnessed shadow figures late at night in the empty graveyard. They are always small, as if the size of a child. Could they be the spirits of the children who died in the hospital less than a block away many years ago? Make sure to check out this little gem in the heart of downtown Charlotte next time you are there. ~Jamie Pearce Author/Founder of Historic Haunts Investigations  It was truly an honor to be interviewed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Anyone who knows me know how much I love history and preserving the past and I want to thank the NTHP for the interview. Please check out the article at their website and all the work they do preserving the past. The National Trust for Historic Preservation By: Lauren Walser Wednesday, October 28th, 2015 https://savingplaces.org/stories/seeking-spooks-and-specters-ghost-hunting-with-jamie-pearce#.Vji87ysWDm5 The Virginia Daily Press
Leah Price- Contact Reporter Monday, October 19th, 2015 Did you know that Halloween is one of our nation's favorite holidays — second or third, according to my (very unscientific) analysis of several online polls. As stated on thetoptens.com, which ranks Halloween second, "Who doesn't like free candy?" I'll rephrase as, "Who doesn't like scary stories?" Here's a sampling from our local authors. For many, the idea of frightening stories conjures up the name Stephen King. Williamsburg biographer George Beahm first wrote about King in his 1989 "Stephen King Companion" and followed it up with several more titles over the next decade. This year he has returned to the king of horror with his third iteration of the companion text. If you own the original, you'll want to check out the update. More than 200 pages have been added, bringing this version to almost 600 pages. Aptly titled "The Stephen King Companion: Four Decades of Fear from the Master of Horror," the new book breaks King's life down into eight parts, starting with King's roots in Maine and ending with "A Chronology of Stephen King's Life: Personal and Professional, 1947-2015." In between are more than 120 chapters that detail King's rise from his earliest literary attempts to his current world-wide success, and offer multiple ways to get to know King, such as top websites for King fans. And if you want images, you got 'em. Throughout the book, black-and-white photos, graphics and sketchings illustrate King's dominance over the world of horror fiction. The book, published by St. Martin's Griffin, is available in hardcover, paperback and e-book in prices ranging from about $26 to $13, respectively. Go to georgebeahm.com to learn more. While local authors might not have reached King's legendary status, their stories might get your pulse racing as well. Whether you're looking for light-hearted comedy, or a true scream-fest, you might find a new favorite. "Under A Blood Moon" by Rachel Graves, of Williamsburg. Urban Fantasy. When Mallory Mors, death witch and detective with Baton Rouge's Supernatural Investigative Unit, is called to the city's first zombie attack, the case quickly escalates to kidnappings and murders. Aided by her boyfriend, a 600-year-old vampire, and the supernatural citizens of her city, Mallory fights to end the blood-drenched crime spree. "Under a Blood Moon" is available from the publisher and major online retailers in trade paperback for $16.99 and in e-book for $5.99. After vacationing Williamsburg for many years, Rachel Graves became a resident in 2012. Allie Marie of Chesapeake will release "Teardrops of the innocent: The White Diamond Story" on Oct. 27. The light paranormal with romantic elements is set in Olde Towne Portsmouth, where heroine Stephanie Kincaid encounters the ghost of a young Colonial child and an evil spirit determined to keep family secrets concealed. With new love Gage Dunbar at her side, Stephanie weathers a violent hurricane while discovering how easily long-hidden secrets can be uncovered. Marie, a native of Portsmouth, found a career in writing fiction after retiring from law enforcement. For more, go to alliemariebooks.wordpress.com. From Kristine Overbrook, paranormal romantic suspense "Redeeming the Night" (Crimson Romance). Ashley, a succubus, risks the wrath of The Sisterhood when she teams up with private investigator Eric Adams, a newly turned werewolf, to free kidnapped girls from the clutches of a serial killer. Can love hold them together when her very nature may rip them apart? Overbrook grew up in Norfolk and lives in Virginia Beach with husband and children. "Redeeming the Night," her most recent release, is available at major online retailers in e-book and paperback in prices ranging from about $5 to $15. "Blood Moon" by Leah St. James is a paranormal suspense short story included in "Mysteries of the Macabre | A Halloween Anthology" (Edward Allen Publishing). Book reviewer Ronnie fears the Harvest Moon Slasher, who terrorized a strip of oceanfront in Virginia Beach 50 years earlier, has returned. St. James is the pen name of Leah Price, Daily Press book columnist. The anthology is available in paperback and e-book from major online retailers in prices ranging from $4 to $13. If you're not content to read about ghosts and are ready to go hunting in your neighborhood, there's no shortage of books to guide you to the perfect spot. Newport News author Tamy Kay Thompson recently released "Curiosities of Hampton Roads: Ghostly Colonists, Hidden Crypts, the Black Swan of Westover and More" (The History Press). From John Smith to Blackbeard, from Surry to Gloucester, Thompson touches on the familiar (and not-so-familiar) tales of the supernatural that have kept local residents wondering for years. The volume is about 125 pages but reads like more and is illustrated. It is available in e-book and print from major online retailers for about $6 to $22. Jamie Pearce, who describes herself as "a proud descendant of the Randolphs and former Williamsburg resident," is a real-life ghost hunter and has written about her experiences in several books. Among them: "Historic Haunts of the South" and its two follow-up books (II and III), which feature sites in our area, including many in Williamsburg's historic district, Berkley Plantation, Red Hill, Tuckahoe Plantation and Bacon's Castle. Pearce wrote in an email, "Many of the locations I have investigated myself or have at least had a personal experience while visiting them" The books are available in print at major online retailers and www.historic-haunts.net Chesterfield author Pamela K. Kinney has released a number of books about Virginia haunts, including "Virginia's Haunted Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Other Haunted Locations" (Schiffer Publishing). In her latest, "Paranormal Petersburg, Virginia, and the Tri-Cities Area," she explores that area's legends, including sightings of still-battling Civil War soldiers, tales of runaway slaves sipping tea at a local parlor, and the "Goatman" who stalks young lovers. The paperback is available at online retailers for about $15. Kinney is a frequent writer guest at Williamsburg's Marscon. A listing of local "ghost" writers wouldn't be complete without a nod to L.B. Taylor, Jr. who, before his death in March 2014, penned 25 books on ghosts in Virginia. If you haven't yet read them, hunt them down at your local library. Or go to Amazon.com and search "L.B. Taylor in books" and you'll find them still available. The Williamsburg author didn't constrain himself to writing ghost stories. According to his obituary that ran in the Daily Press, he wrote 50 nonfiction books and more than 300 magazine articles. A scan of his Amazon author page reveals three pages of titles in additional subjects from to terrorism to electronic surveillance. Price can be reached by phone at 757-247-4745. More Writers Block Price writes about local authors and local reader events. If you have news to share, contact her at ldprice@dailypress.com.  The Mountaineer
Jamie Pearce Author/Founder of Historic Haunts Investigations Friday, October 31st, 2008 As a Florida girl, I love the sunshine, the surf, warm weather, scuba diving, and Walt Disney World. Still I will never forget my time living in North Carolina. Especially living in a haunted house! We used to jokingly call our place the House on Haunted Hill (which is my favorite Vincent Price movie). The house sat at the top of a hill in Canton overlooking downtown. We had a gorgeous view of the town and the mountains. The house was originally built in 1909 and at the time consisted of only four rooms. It was also situated further down the hill. Later it was moved up the hill and shortly after the move several more rooms were added. When my parents bought the house in 1993 it was in sad shape and needed a lot of work. Many things had to be done before we could even move in. Eventually, after a lot of hard work and elbow grease we were able to move in and continue working while we lived there. Our very first night in the house is when the unusual activity started. We heard footsteps on a hardwood floor above us as if someone were walking around upstairs. The problem with this was, there was no upstairs or hardwood floor anywhere in the house. When we moved in we had brand new thick carpet and padding installed throughout the house. There also was no entry into an attic. As time passed we experienced more and more paranormal activity. We would often hear an old Victrola playing music, the sound of a percolator brewing coffee and we could actually experience the phantom smells of the coffee. We noted that things started disappearing and reappearing in other rooms. Eventually a shadow figure began appearing. A male entity would manifest which even our cat Cosmo would witnessed and react to. The paranormal activity kept increasing, and culminated one night around 2 a.m. I had to get up and use the restroom. Along the way to my surprise, I encountered a ghost sitting on top of the ladder in the dining room, the transparent apparition of an older man looking down at me (my mom had been painting and had left the ladder in the room). I looked up at him and smiled and he smiled back and nodded his head at me, then vanished. I wasn’t "scared" startled perhaps since I wasn’t expecting it, but the next morning I couldn’t wait to tell my mom what I had seen. Encountering the apparition of the old man seemed to motivate the genealogist in me and I felt the urge to deeply research the situation. I was determined to find out more about the history of the house. I learned where it was originally located and I came across the former owner who died in the house including discovering his obituary and photo (which looked just like the man I had seen in the dining room). The man who I'm going to dub "Jack" since he still has family in the Haywood County area had passed in the home in 1984 of a heart attack. We knew him to be a very friendly spirit and before learning his name we often affectionately referred to him as Casper. After my research, when things started to disappear we would now call out, “Jack, give that back!” Nine times out of ten, the items would show up within a few minutes in another room. Despite the fact that we now seemed to have a handle on our resident spirit and his activities, when my parents finished flipping the house and tried to sell it in 2000, everyone who came and looked at it loved it, but no one wanted to buy it. In some cases citing some inexplicable reason or feeling that it was not for them. I told my mom we needed to sit down and tell our ghostly resident that if the house sells he could go with us. She laughed, but we sat down and talked to our spirit and the very next day a woman came to the house loved it, and bought it! Needless to say…"Jack" came with us. There have been several owners since my parents sold the house and it seems spirits can get attached to people (and I don’t mean possess them). None of the more current residents in the home-as far as I know-have experienced Jack’s ghost. He seems to have moved once again with my parents as he's continued to do through several house flips. My parents are now back here in Florida ten minutes down the road from me. I guess he is still enjoying keeping an eye on my family as my mom still tells me stories of his activity. One last parting comment, my mom does have a few artifacts from the home. She kept one of the glass door knobs, an iron cross from the top of the old fence, and the key face plates from the old door on the home. Could "Jack" have some attachment to the objects or is he just enjoying relocation? As an author of several books on ghosts in the sunshine state, I can tell you Florida does seem to draw a lot of people later in their lives (or in their hereafter). |
Jamie PearceFounder of Archives
November 2024
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