'Ghosts and Legends of Oklahoma' by Mike Ricksecker
Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 12:03PM
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


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.
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.