Bøger af Troy Taylor

DEVIL CAME TO ST. LOUISTHE UNCENSORED TRUE STORY OF THE 1949 EXORCISMThe 1949 exorcism that took place in St. Louis, Missouri, has become one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history. But is the story so mysterious because of the events that occurred -- or because so much of the story has been kept secret over the years? After the events in the story concluded, it was decided that further investigation of the case was "counterproductive", and details were buried. The identity of the allegedly possessed boy was hidden to protect his identity. If not for a series of coincidences, the story would have never likely been revealed at all and would never have inspired books, films, documentaries, and more.  Author Troy Taylor has spent more than two decades researching the facts behind this chilling story - searching through old records, visiting the sites that still exist, and interviewing the surviving witnesses to the strange events. But even when he published his first book on the case in 2006, it was nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction because so much of the story had been purposely hidden. He had also made a promise that he would not reveal the identity of the family - or that of the boy at the center of it - as long as he was living. This book is the result of a promise that he sadly no longer needs to keep.  In this updated and uncensored edition of his acclaimed book, he reveals the complete truth for the very first time, uncovering secret details, stories that have never been told, and a full accounting of a story that goes far beyond anything you''ve ever heard before. Read new interviews, never-before-published details, and chilling accounts - and then decide for yourself from this new evidence what you choose to believe - or not believe - about the time when the Devil came to St. Louis!

FORLORN HOPEA HAUNTED HISTORY OF THE DONNER PARTYBY TROY TAYLOR"In prosecuting this journey," warned an 1849 guidebook to the West, "the emigrant should never forget that it is one in which time is everything." It was the best advice that any settler going West was given during the days of the wagon trains to California. The clock ticked with each passing mile, sounding an alarm that meant success for most but doom for an unlucky few - like the Donner Party. In Troy Taylor''s latest book of historical horror, discover the true story of the Donner Party, which left Illinois in the spring of 1846 and traveled by wagon toward California. Most of us know how the story ends - with cannibalism in the mountains - but most don''t know how they ended up there, snowbound in a winter landscape of ice and snow.The Donners began their journey filled with hope and a hunger for new land in the sunshine, but they had no idea what awaited them on the overland trail. Cursed by bad luck, they made careless mistakes, took an untested shortcut, and were plagued by death and bloodshed along the way. Within these pages, you''ll travel along with them as they face horrifying storms, cut a new trail through the Wasatch, spend four days in the desert with no water, and banish one of the caravan''s best men after a murder in self-defense. They only had to cross the Sierra Nevada before the heavy winter snowfalls - but they didn''t make it. Trapped for months in the snow-covered mountains, slowly dying from cold and starvation, they did everything they could to stay alive - even the unthinkable. Discover the events that left them stranded at Truckee Lake, the plight of the first escape attempt by a snowshoe, the horrors found at the camps by the rescue parties, the desperate hunger that led to eating human flesh, the monster that acquired a taste for it and, finally, the eerie hauntings left behind in the wake of the tragedy. This is a story that we all think we know - but there''s much more to it than we hear about in school. This is one of the author''s strangest and most unsettling books so far!

ONE NIGHT IN WASHINGTONTHE TRUE STORY OF AMERICA''S MOST HAUNTED PRESIDENTBY TROY TAYLORFrom the backwoods of Kentucky and Illinois to the White House steps, the life of Abraham Lincoln has become one of America''s greatest legends. But there is much more to Lincoln''s life than you''ll find in any mainstream history book. Visited by eerie premonitions of death, omens and portents, and prophetic dreams, Lincoln embraced the supernatural from when he was a young boy to just days before his assassination. He had an innate faith in destiny and the ability of the dead to communicate with the living. Forget everything you think you know about Abraham Lincoln and take a trip back in time to discover the true story of our country''s most haunted president.Author Troy Taylor lifts the veil from Lincoln''s often macabre and eerie life, from his encounters with Voodoo predictions as a young man to his eerily accurate visions of the future and his embrace of Spiritualist mediums in the White House. Using forgotten newspapers and vintage sources, this is the most complete book ever published about Lincoln''s haunted life, and within these pages, Taylor reveals Lincoln''s dreams of death, spirits around the séance table, and how the occult affected Lincoln''s life until one tragic night at Ford''s Theater in Washington.He takes the reader along as he delves deep into the annals of history with unsettling accounts of the Lincoln Assassination and the spirits that lingered from it, the "Lincoln Curse," the haunted life of Mary Lincoln, mystery, mayhem, mummies, grave robbery, ghosts, and much more! There is no other Lincoln book like this one - and you''ll be turning its pages long into the night!

IN THE BONEYARDHISTORY AND HORROR OF AMERICA'S HAUNTED CEMETERIESDeath is the final mystery at the end of life. We have feared and worshipped it since the beginning of time. All of us have contemplated the mystery of death, and we all wonder – no matter what our beliefs – what will happen to us after we die. Some believe we are born again in a new body with an old soul, while others believe our spirits pass on to another place – or perhaps remain behind as ghosts. The mystery of death has forced us to create rituals and practices to deal with it and to immortalize it with cemeteries, grave markers, and of course, dark and frightening legends and lore.Come along as author Troy Taylor takes you on a cross-country trip to the most haunted cemeteries and burial grounds in America. Within these pages, you’ll discover the traditions behind our funeral and cemetery customs and find out why a cemetery becomes haunted. On this journey, we’ll uncover forbidden and forgotten places, premature burials, grave robbery, desecrations, vampires, haunted cemetery art, curses, and a myriad of lingering spirits that will chill your blood. They are nightmarish stories that seem to be too good to be true – but, they aren’t. They are not tales from fiction, but authentic accounts from the dark side of American history, including the true story of one of the most famous cemetery phantoms of all time – Resurrection Mary.This collection of unsettling tales of boneyard ghosts and specters is the most chilling we have ever offered. Inside, we’ll explore both old favorites and reveal some of the mysteries of haunted cemeteries that may have eluded us until now. So, take our hand, light a candle, and let’s whistle as we walk past the graveyard tonight – and hope that nothing is waiting for us out there in the dark.

In this chilling book by author Troy Taylor, he shines a light on the darkest tales of horror and hauntings from American history and presents a terrifying collection of dark crimes perpetrated against our most tender victims - our children.

From the God-fearing Puritans to the aftermath of the Civil War, the Victorian descent into mourning to modern day funeral traditions, authors April Slaughter and Troy Taylor take the reader along on a journey through America's history with death, dying, and how they've shaped our society today.

Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. Author Troy Taylor shines a light in the dark corners of Missouri and scares those spirits out of hiding in this thrilling collection.

Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. From a gallows tree in Greene County where an apparition can still be seen hanging, to the lingering spirits of warring mobsters at the site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Illinois haunting abound.

Illinois's mysterious and often violent history has made the state a haven for restless spirits.

WEIRD HIGHWAY: MISSOURI ROUTE 66 HISTORY & HAUNTINGS, LEGENDS & LORE BY TROY TAYLOR "GETTING YOUR KICKS" ON MISSOURI'S ROUTE 66! There is no greater highway in American History than Route 66 - the legendary "Mother Road" - which began in downtown Chicago and stretched all of the way to the Pacific Ocean. For millions of people, it represents a treasure trove of memories and a link to the days of two-lane highways, family vacations, and roadside diners that vanished decades ago. For many, it conjures up images of souvenir shops, tourist traps, cozy motor courts, flickering neon signs, and roadside attractions that have blown away in the wind. To others, the highway holds stories of ghosts, haunted hotels, roadside spirits, mysterious vanishings, and bewildering anomalies from America's past. In the second books in the "Weird Highway" series, author Troy Taylor takes readers on a virtual road trip and journey back in time to one of his favorite eras in our history. Part travel guide, part crime thriller, part ghost book, this volume reveals everything from lost restaurants to outlaws like Bonnie and Clyde, forgotten towns, abandoned motels, haunted places, and restless spirits that still linger from the heyday of Route 66. This is not just another book about the Mother Road, but an entertaining trip along parts of the road that many have never heard about, or have forgotten altogether. Hope in, buckle up, and let us take you on a ride you'll never forget! Some of the stories in this volume include: * Spirits of St. Louis * Mystery at the Coral Court Motel * Times Beach: Modern-day Ghost Town * Legends of "Zombie Road" * Diamonds & the Tri-County Truck Stop * Meramec Caverns * The Man Who Would be "Jesse James" * "Mammoth Cave of Missouri" * Tribute to the "Trail of Tears" * Murder at Devil's Elbow * Ghosts of Fort Leonard Wood * Munger Moss Motel * The Story of "Nelsonville" * Spectral Soldiers at Wilson's Creek * Haunts of Pythian Castle * Ghosts of the "Brookline Massacre" * Hiding out with Bonnie & Clyde * Billy Cook's Unmarked Grave * The Hornet Spook Light * Kansas on Route 66 - and much more!

THE TWO LOST GIRLSTHE MYSTERY OF THE GRIMES SISTERSA "DEAD MEN DO TELL TALES" BOOK BY TROY TAYLOROn a cold night in December 1956, two young girls mysteriously vanished after a night at the movies on the Southwest Side of Chicago, beginning one of the greatest searches to ever take place in the history of the city. Three weeks later, the bodies of the two lost girls, Barbara and Patricia Grimes, were found on the side of a secluded, snow-covered road, miles from where they disappeared. The discovery of their battered corpses created one of the greatest unsolved mysteries to ever baffle post-war America. Where had the girls been for the past three weeks? Who had killed them? Why could no one determine their actual cause of death?The discovery of the two lost girls began a criminal investigation of epic proportions, involving hundreds of police officers and detectives, embattled coroners, thousands of potential suspects, eerie confessions, psychics, and puzzling questions that no one seemed able to answer. The authorities believed that the girls had died on the night they went missing, but how could they account for the scores of sightings of them that occurred days and even weeks later? What of the reliable witnesses that saw them or spoke to them in person, or during late-night phone calls? And the biggest question of all - why could no one find their killer?In this chilling entry in the "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" Series, author Troy Taylor explores this horrifying case and takes readers step-by-step through the case, pursuing the suspects, and exploring the links between other crimes that may have been committed by the same unknown killer who murdered the Grimes sisters and was never caught. This may be the most unsettling book from Troy Taylor that you''ve ever read!

The third installment in Troy Taylor's travel guide to the weird side of Route 66

"A Whitechapel Press Book from American Hauntings Ink"--Back cover.

ONE AUGUST MORNING THE TRUE STORY OF LIZZIE BORDEN BY TROY TAYLOR LIZZIE BORDEN TOOK AN AXE... OR DID SHE? Lizzie Borden is a name that has lived in infamy. As everyone knows, she's the young woman who "took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks" and then "gave her father 41." Everyone seems to know the rhyme, but most people don't know the truth behind the grim story of one of America's most famous unsolved murders. In this new entry in the "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" series, author Troy Taylor delves into the true story of the Borden Murders, revealing what really happened on that morning in August 1892, how Lizzie was hounded by the police, prosecutors, and reporters, and then finally acquitted - yet always believed to be guilty. Was she a murderer or truly innocent? Did she swing the hatchet that killed her parents, or was Lizzie simply part of a plot that accidentally led to murders committed by a madman? You'll have the chance to decide for yourself as the suspects are revealed, the conspiracies unveiled, and the strange circumstances of this haunting case are presented. Forget everything you already think you know about this compelling case and discover what did - and what did not - happen in the story of Lizzie Borden! What dark secrets have never been told? What happened in the grim aftermath of the murder trial? Do the spirits of the dead still linger in the house where the Bordens were killed? You'll find these answers and more and you'll never look at this chilling story in the same way again! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Troy Taylor is the author of more than 110 books about ghosts, crime and the unexplained in America. He is also the founder of American Hauntings, ghost tours, books, events and excursions across America. He was born and raised in the Midwest and currently divides his time between Illinois and the far-flung reaches of America.

FEAR THE REAPER America's Rural Mysteries, Hauntings & Horrors by Troy Taylor and Rene Kruse The "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" series returns with a nightmarish journey into America's heartland in search of terrifying, gruesome and heartbreaking takes of murder, mayhem and ghosts! Far away from the bright lights of the big cities, such tales of depravity, violence and murder seem far removed from what appeared to be the peaceful countryside of the "good ol' days." But those days were often far from good, as killers, psychopaths and rapists often roamed the regions far removed from the reach of the law. The isolation, loneliness and despair of rural life often led to horrific acts that can hardly be imagined outside of our worst nightmares. From seemingly normal farmers who one day snap and slaughter their entire family to murderous hired hands, dangerous drifters, depraved lunatics and worse, this is a collection of dark tales that will have you turning the pages long into the night -- and making sure you lock the doors after dark! You'll be chilled by... * "Inhuman Butcher" Robert McConaghy * "Monster in the Shape of a Man" Anton Probst * "The Bloody Benders" * The "Northwood Murderer" * Joseph Lapage, the "Demon from the Bottomless Pit" * The Meeks Murders * Pearl Bryan, the "Headless Wonder" * Belle Gunness * The "Bluebeard of Quiet Dell" * The Clutter Murders of "In Cold Blood" * The Keddie Murders & many, many more! For those who believe that the most horrendous crimes in American history were confined to major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, you'll be both frightened and shocked by events that occurred in the bucolic countryside, along peaceful back roads, in the dark woods and in the small farming communities of America - and by the ghosts they left behind!

SOLDIERS & THE SUPERNATURAL America's Haunted Forts, Prisons, Battlefields and Military Ghosts Ask any ghost hunter where to find America's most haunted places and they are sure to point you to the battlefields, forts and former prisons that dot the historic landscape of our country. At places like the Alamo. Antietam, Gettysburg and Little Bighorn, terrified soldiers fought and died in the midst of blood, smoke and fire. The men who died in military prisons wished for death in battle. They faced a slow, excruciating, wasting kind of death, far from their brothers, their loved ones and their homes. Is it any wonder that such placed become haunted? Without a doubt, the horrific deaths, as well as the valiant deeds of soldiers on the fields of battle, create the hauntings we know today. History tells us the locations of troops, the number of dead and wounded, the quirks of generals and how one side maneuvered against the other, but if ghosts are born, they are born from humanity's most atrocious acts -- war and mortal combat. Authors David Goodwin and Troy Taylor have combined their knowledge of history, hauntings and military regimen to present a book unlike any other military ghost book you have ever seen before. No mere collection of folklore and spooky campfire stories, it presents a chilling account of life and death on the battlefield, in the fort and in the prisons of historic America. Interwoven with the supernatural and the macabre, these dark tales will have you believing that you hear the clash of battle and feel the panic, horror and sadness of the soldiers who have long since vanished through death's door.