13 Ghostly Tales and Yarns of the Navesink river is a collection of ghostly folktales in which each story is based upon actual events or series of events from local history. Each tale includes provides the reader with the factual historical account and the circumstances associated with the event. It then goes on to mesh the historical elements with the paranormal and oral histories shared over the years by locals. The origins of these stories has been mined from the archives of local newspapers, as well as the records of local historical associations and libraries.

The local historical record of the Navesink is both colorful and lively. When folklore overlaps history one discovers phantom ships, peculiar mariners, as well as giant sea creatures. There are specters of lost soldier and glimpses of a cruel slave owner’s ultimate punishment. The accounts include a war fought only on the Navesink, and a haunted house that floated across the river. Others tell of a local valley where early Americans refused to live, of an Indian wizard who could foretell the future.  The collection includes a Victorian party that goes terribly awry, and a local ghost with a police record.

The collision of history and folklore creates savory reading ! Just published in time for the bewitching season.