'Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma' by Mike Ricksecker

The jury is still out for me. I’ve purposefully gone to numerous places in search of ghosts. I’ve felt the chills from being in the dark as my mind played tricks on me, but so far no ghosts, no moving objects and no disembodied voices. I suppose that makes it a little odd that someone who sounds skeptical would be writing the review for this book so I should clarify it’s not that I don’t want to believe, it’s more I am waiting to believe.

There are believers out there who search out places that have stories of the supernatural with instruments and recording equipment to capture whatever they can. The first such team I ever heard of was from the popular TV show ‘Ghost Hunters’. I used to watch that show a lot, but never thought of other people doing the same kind of work. So I was surprised to find out not only that there really are paranormal investigation teams but also by how many there are.

I met Mike Ricksecker when he came to work at the office with me as a programmer. I was caught off guard when he said he investigated hauntings and found myself asking him question after question, which I’m sure were the same as what he had been asked a hundreds of times before - what have you seen, scariest incident, etc - but he happily answered all I asked with a knowing look in his eyes. He also mentioned that he was writing a book coming out soon covering some of their group’s investigations throughout Oklahoma, which is what you’re reading about today.

I think it’s also fair to tell you that I am a recent transplant to Oklahoma. I know very little about the city and state I live in. That’s one of the reasons why my favorite parts of the book were the history, which Mike included for each of the places the team has researched. Oklahoma seems like it hasn’t been a state for very long. Some historians say that the people here still have some of the pioneer spirit in them going back to the time of the land run of 1889. Reading and hearing about the past 100 years of Oklahoma let’s me see that the state has had various times of prosperity, periods of decline and a few dark days as well. Some of the darker times led to the stories and legends of the supernatural that in turn led to the investigations that created this book. Overall it’s the history told through the perspective of ghost stories that made me want to keep turning the pages the most and makes me want to to travel all over Oklahoma to stand in these places of Oklahoman history and maybe even see a ghost or two.

The first section of the book is also my favorite. I’ve visited Guthrie several times and could tell by the downtown area that it has a lot of history before reading even one marker. But my visits were always short and as limited as what I knew about the place. For instance I didn’t know Guthrie has its own Boot Hill. When I was younger I thought Boot Hill was one place somewhere out west, but I discovered years ago that it referred to multiple cemeteries throughout the old west primarily for gunslingers. Guthrie’s Boot Hill cemetery is near what was called the Black Jail. Like it’s name it’s a place where dark shadows of its former occupants of notorious gangs and outlaws can be seen still lurking its corridors.

Guthrie also has some bawdy locations as well such as the Blue Belle Saloon where at one time you could find a bordello. The building has changed names and owners many times and it’s suggested it’s because of all the supernatural activity seen there of apparitions, objects moving on their own and disembodied voices.

Another fascinating haunt is the Santa Fe Depot and the Harvey House. The Harvey House sounds something like a Cracker Barrel but along railway stops instead of interstates. The staffing options were very limited though because not just any girl could be a ‘Harvey girl’ and many of the stories of supernatural activity come from the dormitory the girls stayed in upstairs above the restaurant.

One of the haunted locations I’ve been to in Guthrie covered in the book is the Logan County Memorial Hospital. I parked on the streets out front and stared up at the windows where supposedly you can see the apparition of someone walking around on the third floor.

I also visited the Stone Lion Inn for one of their Murder Mystery dinners. It’s a bed and breakfast and according to the book there was an unusual amount of activity there that was captured not only by the team Mike works with, but also by the team from the TV show ‘Ghost Hunters’. It’s been called the most haunted place in Oklahoma and I want to go back and stay the night and listen for the sounds of the ghost of the little girl who still walks the halls and asks for people to play with her.

The next section is also a favorite because it’s about the hauntings in Oklahoma City itself. It starts off with the history of the Overholser Mansion, where it’s said Anna Overholser can occasionally be seen wandering the 11,000 square foot dwelling. Perhaps she is one who opens and closes curtains, leaves impressions in the beds and makes people feel like they are being watched.

The ghost of a young woman is also part of the stories of the Skirvin Hotel. I’ve been to the Skirvin a few times and once specifically to look for the ghost. The version I heard was of a young woman named Effie who committed suicide by leaping from the one of the windows. The hotel has many other mysteries associated with it including one item investigated by the Oklahoman concerning the death of Fred Scherubel that despite some inconsistencies was ruled a suicide. Whoever the ghosts may be, many of the guests, including pro basketball players, have reported seeing apparitions, being touched by something they couldn’t see and hearing voices in the air including a crying baby. If you go to search for the ghost start by looking on the eighth floor.

After a few other stories in Oklahoma City the book moves on to the accounts of Northeast Oklahoma. There you will hear stories about people feeling someone or something touching them at the 101 Ranch, a ghostly gunshot and female apparition at the Constantine Theater in Pawhuska, mysterious equipment failures at the Brady Theater in Tulsa, objects moving at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa and voices asking “Who are you?” at the Belvidere Mansion in Claremore.

Leaving the Northwest the book moves on to Southeast Oklahoma. You can read stories about the apparition of Aunt Jane and lights dancing around Fort Washita near Durant, catch a glimpse of the shadow of a long lost lover at the Ritz Theater in Shawnee, see mannequins move on their own in the dressing room in the Eskridge Hotel in Wynnewood and hear the ghost of a young boy say he’s thirsty at a shop in Shawnee.

Moving to the other end of the state you can read the legend of John Wilkes Booth who somehow escaped the burning barn and lived under a different name in Northwest Oklahoma. If the story is true then his body was eventually mummified and used as an exhibit before it eventually disappeared leaving only his ghost to haunt the Grand Avenue Hotel in Enid. You can also read stories about disembodied footsteps at the Knox Building in Enid, see stunted dark shadows scratch at your car windshield at the Black Bear Church in Olive Township, see an old man walking along Route 66 near El Reno in the pouring rain only to vanish if you stop to ask if he needs a ride and see a young girl peer at you through the broken windows of the abandoned Woodward Hospital.

Heading back down to Southwest Oklahoma you can read stories of a ghost hanging from a noose in Fort Sill and see the apparition of a bruised little boy disappear in front of you at the Riverside Indian School in Anadarko. The scariest of all the stories is recorded in this section of the book. The former Missionary Baptist Church in Eldorado will remind you of the Amityville Horror. This church that was later used as a family home has been the subject of a television show. Pets would start barking at something unseen in the kitchen, people attacked by flies that appeared and then disappeared into thin air, people feeling a presence that caused their hair to fall out, a menacing growl throughout the house and voices saying “Get Out!”.

There are other stories and sections of the book including maps to all the places mentioned. The book is a great read for those who love history and ghosts stories alike. Mike weaves the bits of history together into a narrative using evidence and tales from eyewitnesses that’s both fun and at times may make you feel a bit of chill. Is it what you’re reading that has your hair standing on end or maybe it’s the ghosts and legends of Oklahoma following along with you.

Mike Ricksecker is the author of the Chase Michael DeBarlo mystery series, Ghosts of Maryland, and Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma. As a paranormal investigator and “ghostorian” with Society of the Haunted he has appeared on Animal Planet’s The Haunted

Color Photos of New York from the 1940s

A modern New Yorker will see at a glance how the city has changed since Cushman snapped these photos. Some of the most iconic buildings were demolished long ago, and neighborhoods like the Lower East Side have transformed beyond recognition. But certain features are unmistakably familiar: the wry smiles on the faces, the charm of the street vendors, even the hodge-podge of old and new architecture. At a time when Americans are remembering the fall of New York's tallest edifices, these images remind us that a great city has a spirit that grows up alongside its buildings, and ultimately transcends them.

Read and see more images at TheAtlantic.com.

100 Years of East London Style in 100 Seconds

This video was used to announce the grand opening of Westfield Stratford City.

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith

For a long time now I've been reading non-fiction books by authors like Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Ariely and Daniel Pink, and so it was easy to see this book as something to skip over. It sounded like it would be something more like a novelty. However I discovered that the book was going to adapted for a movie, which intrigued me a bit, so I decided to take a closer look.

Part of the premise is that there are numerous records about the life of Abraham Lincoln - what he said, where he was, his accomplishments - but even with all the records we have there are still gaps in the information. That's what Seth Grahame-Smith focused in on for his story. A kind of "what if" that filled in some of the missing narrative of Abraham Lincoln's life, a narrative that remained secret until his journals came to light.

The journals are introduced to us through a mysterious character named Henry who entrusts the pages to a young writer asking him to create a book from the work. The journals paint a supernatural picture of Lincoln never considered before where at a young age Lincoln not only discovers that vampires exist but is given a strong reason to see them all destroyed. Lincoln discovers allies along the way to help him in his quest to exterminate vampires, including one ally of supernatural origin. This ally warns Lincoln of a much larger plot by many of the vampires that culminates into the real reason behind the civil war.

Seth Grahame-Smith creates a well-written story carefully interwoven with the known records of Abraham Lincoln giving it a historical feel, complete with footnotes, as if it may actually have happened. That "realistic" feel is one aspect of the book that I found the most intriguing. It's a very enjoyable read though I'll probably miss his other work called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

Seth Grahame-Smith is an American best-selling author, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. He is best known as the author of The New York Times best-selling novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, both of which are being adapted as feature films. Grahame-Smith is also the co-creator, head writer and executive producer of The Hard Times of RJ Berger, a scripted television comedy appearing on MTV.

Hasselback Potatoes

Finally back from vacation and I have to admit to my friends who also spend time in the kitchen that I didn't cook a thing. I didn't even reheat in the microwave. Uh uh. Not when I'm on vacation. But now I'm back in OKC and it's back to normal.

Vacation was GREAT. I spent my mornings on the beach reading and working on my tan. In the afternoons I spent time with family and friends. I got to see some of best friends from high school, some of my best friends from college and of course my mom. I'm positive I gained weight because all we did was eat out. If there was a downside it was driving all the way back across the country, but even that has an upside because I was driving my new truck. It's a Toyota Tundra and I love it.

Tonight's recipe doesn't have too much to it but I'll post it anyway. If you're looking for a side item then try this. It will take about an hour to cook, but looks great and goes well with steak, which is what I had tonight along with Sonoma Cutre for the wine.

Time/Servings:

• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour
• Makes: 1 potato per person

Ingredients:

• Medium sized potatoes
• 1 clove fresh garlic, very thinly sliced
• Butter
• Coarse salt (sea or kosher)
• Pepper
• Sour cream (optional)
• Dill (optional)
• Fresh chives (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay each potato on its flattest side. With a potato peeler, peel the skin off the tops of each potato, but leave the bottoms of the skins in tact.
2. Take a sharp knife, and very carefully cut thin slices all along the tops of the potatoes, about two thirds to three quarters of the way down. Be careful not to slice all the way to the bottom. Slide a garlic slice or two into a couple of the slits of each potato.
3. Place potatoes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Dab the tops of the potatoes with butter and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
4. Bake for 1 hour, or until the tops are golden and crispy. Dollop with sour cream, and garnish with dill, chives, and more Italian seasoning.