Haints of the Hills (Haunted North Carolina)

Haints of the Hills collects ghost stories from North Carolina’s mountainous west as part of the Haunted North Carolina series. This book includes stories told around campfires, in grandma’s attic, and on nighttime drives on the curvy roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is a story for each county in western North Carolina, twenty-seven in all, among them tales of ghosts, witches, demons, spook lights, unidentified flying objects, unexplained phenomena, and more. Readers will be chilled to learn of the red-and-white-striped monstrosity that may still inhabit the Valley River at the site the Indians called the “Leech Place,” as told in the Cherokee County story, “The Giant Bloodsucker.” They’ll be warmed by the Christ-like stranger who came to Bat Cave to repair a rift between neighbors, then vanished as mysteriously as he arrived, as revealed in the Henderson County story, “The Carpenter.” They’ll want to travel the lonely stretch of road in Avery County where locals have witnessed the spirit of Captain Robert Sevier, the seven-foot-tall hero of the American Revolution, as laid out in “The Long Trek Home.”Haints of the Hills contains a new foreword by Scott Mason, WRAL’s “Tar Heel Traveler” and author of three North Carolina guidebooks. Other books in the Haunted North Carolina series feature tales of the coast, Seaside Spectres, and tales of the state’s central region, Piedmont Phantoms.

About the Author

Daniel Barefoot, former member of the North Carolina Assembly, historian, folklorist, and magician, is the perfect guide to the diverse supernatural history of the state. He is the author of twelve books, including Haunted Halls of Ivy: Ghosts of Southern Colleges and Universities, Hark the Sound of Tar Heel Voices, and Spirits of ’76. From 1998 until 2002, Barefoot served three terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 44th district. He has served as the city attorney for Lincolnton, North Carolina. He is a frequent speaker to cultural, civic, and church groups throughout the Southeast.Scott Mason has 35 years of experience in television, and since 2007 he has been WRAL’s “Tar Heel Traveler,” a segment in which Mason takes viewers around the state to meet the locals, sample the fare, and explore North Carolina’s fascinating history and culture. His more than 100 journalism awards include 14 regional Emmys and three National Edward R. Murrow awards, one of broadcasting’s highest honors. He has twice been named North Carolina Television Reporter of the Year. His books include Tar Heel Traveler Eats: Food Journeys Across North Carolina and Tar Heel Traveler: Journeys Across North Carolina, a new edition of which will be issued in May 2019.

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