Published in 1963, two years before Telltale Lilac Bush, these 23 stories also chronicle the old time stories of West Virginians.

This often-overlooked collection deserves a spot in the collection of any fan of West Virginia ghost stories.

Tales of early pioneer life, Indian tales, haunted houses, moonshiners, and the uncertainties of the Civil War are told with inspiration and dedication to preserving these stories that otherwise would have been lost to time.

Author William B. Price grew up in Salem, WV and collected tales from the surrounding hillsides for over 40 years. He used the tales very successfully in an unorthodox way; using them as a teaching device to inspire his students.

Price taught in one-room schoolhouses, grade schools, high schools, and at Salem College. He was so successful bringing these stories to light that others slowly started to understand the importance of our oral history.

One award bestowed on William Price said, ” he had an innate desire to serve…searcher for truth hidden in fields, forests and streams: easily attracting youth by legend and lore of the Indians and other primitive peoples….The young people of the Mountain State are richer and finer indeed….”

All of the older stories are told in the vernacular of the time the tales took place, not only preserving the stories, but the language we spoke then.

More modern stories involve the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, a vitally important engine of change to the people in the state.

Stories include, among others:

The Gun Barrel Tree

Tokens of Death and Popular Superstitions

Fishing

The Phantom of Silver Run

The Smallpox Victim and His Ghost

Tales of A Mountain Still

Sha-A-A-A-Ave Me

The Hibernation of Gilpin Pyles

165 pages, with illustrations, value priced at $12.00

McClain Printing, Publisher.