Annette,

You bring up some wonderful points. "Ghost stories" are a part of many cultures
as well as many historical or cultural sites. For that reason alone, they
shouldn't be dismissed. You don't have to believe in them but I think they are
a valid part of interpreting a site. Certain stories could lead to actual
historical happenings that would have not otherwise been discovered.

On the "Beloved" thread, Sharyn McCrumb writes some wonderful books set in a
small town in Appalachian, TN which feature a woman gifted with "the sight". I
think she does a wonderful job of weaving local history, culture and modern
fiction together. She also shows how people who claim to have such "gifts" are
both respected and feared by their local communities. I heard her speak once
and she talked about doing research for her books. One of the things that she
found is that rural communities like the town her books are based on, have at
least one person in each family that supposedly has "the sight" and it's
usually a woman.

I don't think we should sensationalize ghost stories but I don't think we
should completely ignore them either.

Plus, some of them are just fun. :)

Deb

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