Author Denver Michaels

There is a historical marker just off I-64 at Exit 156 near Sam Black Church, WV that tells of the Greenbrier Ghost: Interred in nearby cemetery is Zona Heaster Shue. Her death in 1897 was presumed natural until her spirit appeared to her mother to describe how she was killed by her husband Edward. Autopsy on the exhumed body verified the apparition's account. Edward, found guilty of murder, was sentenced to the state prison. Only known case in which testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer. Indeed, I’m not sure that I have read another ghost story in which the ghost of the deceased secured a murder conviction! The story began in the fall of 1896 when a young Zona Heaster met E. S. “Trout” Shue. Unfortunately for Zona, it would not come out until later—after it was too late—that Shue had been married twice. His second wife died under mysterious circumstances and his first marriage ended in divorce. Shue's first wife accused him of “great cruelty.” Shue was a drifter

In today's post, I wanted to share an excerpt from my book Giants: Men of Renown, published by Adventures Unlimited Press. This is the tale of a red-haired giant king, named Datha, that ruled in the present-day southeastern United States: Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón (1475–1526) set up the first Spanish colony on the North American mainland. The location of the colony is disputed; some believe that from his starting point in present-day South Carolina, Ayllón headed north and possibly went as far as Virginia. Others think that Ayllón may have headed southwest into Georgia to establish the colony. Regardless of its location, the colony, named San Miguel de Guadalupe, became the site of the first slave rebellion in North America. The slaves that were brought to the colony and forced to clear land for crops and housing rose up and revolted against their cruel taskmasters. San Miguel de Guadalupe ended up a complete failure and lasted only three months. A harsh winter, lack of suppli

In early-January 2022, I spent some time in southern Georgia along the coast. I could not help but think of the legendary beast, the Altamaha-ha while I was there. "Altie" is a water monster that frequents the Altamaha River and the endless marshes in the area. I wrote about Altie in my book   People are Seeing Something . The following is an excerpt: The Altamaha-ha The marshy, briny waters of southern Georgia are home to an unusual creature known as the Altamaha-ha. The monster takes its name from the Altamaha River, which is the third largest contributor of fresh water to the Atlantic Ocean on the East Coast. The Altamaha’s watershed contains 14,000 square miles, and the Altamaha River basin drains almost one quarter of the state of Georgia. 1 With its many swamps, creeks, rivers, abandoned rice fields, and brackish marshes, the Altamaha River Basin provides an extraordinarily rich habitat for a large cryptid. In addition, the Altamaha River with its marshes and swamps ar

Throughout Appalachia , there are tales of "phantom dogs" and it is widely believed that these stories were carried to the New World by European immigrants long ago. The most famous of these ghostly dogs has to be the Snarly Yow, but my favorite tale is of the "Black Dog of the Blue Ridge." It is the story of both a frightening apparition and a loyal companion to the end—and beyond. Writing in the Journal of American Folklore in 1907, Mrs. R.F. Herrick recounted the tale: In Botetourt County, Virginia, there is a pass that was much traveled by people going to Bedford County and by visitors to mineral springs in the vicinity. In the year 1683, the report was spread that at the wildest part of the trail in this pass there appeared at sunset a great black dog, who, with majestic tread, walked in a listening attitude about two hundred feet and then turned and walked back. Thus he passed back and forth like a sentinel on guard, always appearing at sunset to keep his n

The Minhocao is a giant, burrowing creature whose name means “giant earthworm” in Portuguese. Tales of the Minhocao were widely reported during the 1800s, and native legends go back for centuries. However, by the 20 th century, the creature seemed to have become inactive or gone extinct. The Minhocao is black in color. Size varies, but some reports say the creature can reach a whopping length of 150 feet and a width of up to 15 feet. It is covered with an armor-like hide, and has horns on its head. The creature is known for its destructive burrowing. When it burrows, trees are uprooted; river channels are created; large trenches are cut into the landscape; roads are collapsed and destroyed; homes are often damaged as well. The Minhocao even causes tremors with its underground movements! In 1847, the American Journal of Science ran an article titled "On the Minhocao of the Goyanes." I have reprinted the piece in its entirety below: "Luiz Antonio da Silva e Souza, whose

In 1977, a Bigfoot-like creature dubbed "Hawley Him" was making headlines in Texas.  The Corpus Christi Caller-Times  ran an article about the creature on July 7,  1977. The following is the article printed in its entirety: Abiline (AP) -- Neighbors, some with tongue in cheek, listened today to stories about the so-called "Hawley Him" -- described as a hairy, 7-foot tall monster -- roaming the countryside. Three teen-agers told of dodging rocks hurled at them yesterday by the ape-like creature on a ranch outside Hawley, a community 5 miles north of Abilene in West Central Texas. "Whatever it was, he looked like kind of an ape but was still a man," said Larry Suggs, 15. "He had huge arms -- they hung to his knees. "You'd have to see him to believe it." One of the rocks hit Suggs' right leg, he said, and others narrowly missed his companions, Tom Roberts, 14, and Renee McFarland, 15. Young Suggs and Roberts, who live at Abilene Boys R

According to local legend, there is a phantom hitchhiker named Lucy along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This trail is a six-mile, one-way drive that cuts through a dense tree canopy. Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is easily accessible from downtown Gatlinburg and lands you a world away from the busy streets in mere minutes. The trail follows Roaring Fork, a beautiful cold-water stream typical of those found in the Great Smoky Mountains. The white-water crashes against large boulders and there are small waterfalls and deep pools of frigid mountain water along the way. Mills, old structures, and historic homesites are scattered along the trail—a reminder that people used to live and work here. One of those old mountain folks that lived along the trail in the early 1900s was Lucy. As the story goes, Lucy was a young lady who died tragically when her family’s cabin burned down. Sometime after her death, a man named Foster (I don’t know if this