Flatwoods Monster Museum Sutton West Virginia 2024

West Virginia is suck a great, "weird" state.   Two of my favorite "monster" stories originated there within a couple of hours from each other......  In Sutton, there is the great Flatwoods Monster Museum!

Driving around Sutton and Flatwoods West Virginia 2024

While in the area visiting locations associated with the Flatwoods Monster sighting, we drove around the sibling towns of Sutton and Flatwoods!

"Edgar Cayce's Hometown: Hopkinsville Kentucky" by William T. Turner and Chris Gilkey

"Edgar Cayce's Hometown:  Hopkinsville Kentucky" by William T. Turner and Chris Gilkey came out over a decade ago but I just found a copy recently.  This is a really fun book for anyone fascinated with Cayce and/or Hopkinsville.

Hoptown is a really interesting town with a lot of pop that doesn't get the attention it deserves.  There is a lot of interesting and other worldly legends around, not to mention nearby Civil War ties.

But, many people know about Hopkinsville as the hometown of Edgar Cayce.  If you aren't up on Cayce, google him.  He would go in to trances, and give medical advice, along with other thoughts that were new age.

So, Turner and Gilkey have put together a book (similar to the "Images of America" series) that shows various photos of Hopkinsville around the time Cayce would have been around (very late 1800s- through early 1900s).  There are few pictures of Edgar himself, but an impressive collection of pictures the "Sleeping Prophet" took himself, as he was a photographer.

Like I said, Hopkinsville doesn't get the attention it deserves, but it is a fascinating little town, and this is a great book to add to its underrated legacy.

Flatwoods Monster Convention West Virginia 2024

We had a really fun time at the Flatwoods Monster Convention in Flatwoods West Virginia!

San Francisco California Old Postcards

I love the vibrant colors on these two old linen postcards showing various landmarks in San Francisco California.  Both are unused and undated.

 

Seelbach Hotel Louisville Kentucky 2024

We had a great stay at the legendary Seelbach Hotel in Louisville!  We enjoyed their restaurants, took a historic tour, and learned about the famous ghost, The Lady in Blue!

Yankee Rebel Tavern Mackinac Island Michigan

We had a nice time at the Yankee Rebel Tavern while on Mackinac Island!

Coffee Connection Hopkinsville KY 2024

We found "Coffee Connections" in Hopkinsville kind of by accident, but we loved the vibe and the spirit of this coffee shop- where NOTHING is charged!

"Finding Daniel Boone" by Ted Franklin Belue

I read "Finding Daniel Boone:  His Last Days in Missouri & the Strange Fate of His Remains" by Ted Franklin Belue and I really enjoyed this one.

Most people in Kentucky and Missouri learn in elementary school that the remains of Daniel Boone and his wife were moved from Missouri to Kentucky years after his death.  Very briefly, some people from Frankfort hoped to sell some plots in their cemetery by getting Boone reburied in the state.  Through some slick talking (and promise of a new, grand memorial) they convince Missouri to let the remains go.

As the story progressed, a rumor starts that, instead of taking Daniel's remains, the remains of someone else were taken.  The rumor does reek of racism, as the story involves slaves, and Kentucky taking the remains of a black man instead of Daniel.  Also, multiple stories lead to this rumor, including confusion about where is grave was, and deception in other stories.

Many know the basics of the story, but Belue gets credit for tracking down the sources of the legends...  He tracks down who said what, and when.  He finds two source descriptions of the coffins (that are different).  He also tells how the transfer happened, and he paints a picture of the crowded city of Frankfort, when Daniel and Rebecca Boone are buried again.

MORE INPORTANTLY, he covers the fact that a cast and copies of parts of Daniel's skull were made.  He gets opinions from experts about whether or not the skull could have come from an elderly Caucasian. 
 

"The Big Muddy Monster" by Lewis/Voss/Nelson

While on our recent roadtrip going through southern Illinois, we stopped by Giant City State Park Lodge.  LOVED the lodge and park by the way.  I was really excited to see that the Lodge had a lot of cool local interest type books in their gift shop with many of them signed!

I picked up "The Big Muddy Monster:  Legends, Sightings, & Other Strange Encounters."  It has been a fun read, giving info on all of the sightings involving "The Big Muddy Monster."  It also covers a lot of the other strange history in the area.  The book has a great chapter by Kevin Lee Nelson going deep in to explanations for the supernatural and sightings.  It is a smart and thoughtful chapter.

I really enjoy a book that is a complete, deep dive into a legend, and the authors of this book have done that, and they have done a good job.

It seems that the area is getting a related festival going too!
 

"Somewhere in Crime" by Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone

I picked up "Somewhere in Crime" by Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone while we were on Mackinac Island.  It was a perfect book to read in the area where the book was based.

A bit about the book...  It is a book about a young boy staying on Mackinac Island and trying to solve an unsolved murder, while the filming of the legendary film "Somewhere in Time" is going on.  The entire book is pure fiction, EXCEPT for the movie.  The movie (and it's stars) are legendary, but the story in the book is all made up.

I love the movie, and figured this would be a lot of fun to read while in the same area described in the book.  I was right.  I got my copy at the great book store "Island Bookstore" while there.

This is a really fun read from a 1979 perspective of a 12 year old boy on the Island.  He and some friends realize there is an unsolved murder, reward money, a cute new girl on the island, AND some A list actors are around to make a movie!

It is a very fun adventure, and had a great flow to it.  Its an easy 300 page read, and its the kind of book that keeps you interested, and feels believable.  
 

"Waverly Hills Sanatorium: A History" by Lynn Pohl

 I wanted to quickly mention "Waverly Hills Sanatorium:  A History" by Lynn Pohl.

I really don't know a ton about the historic building located in Louisville.  Heck, I have seen the usual ghost shows, and other brief documentaries on it, but I wanted something with a bit more RESEARCHED and historical information on the place.

Pohl's easy to read volume was exactly what I wanted!  You won't find any ghost stories here, this is all facts.

Actual facts, and authentic records are hard to find, and the author acknowledges, many were destroyed (thanks to the 1937 flood and many others were destroyed after the closing of the sanatorium in the early 60s).  She was able to piece a lot of the story together from some interesting sources, giving credit to the photo collection of a resident/employee in the 1910s and 1920s.  A black newspaper provided a lot of info to her also.

What is seen in Louisville now is the only surviving structure of a once massive campus.  There were facilities for men and women, and also for black and white patients (you can guess which facilities were lacking in quality and resources).

The author talks a lot about TB and how it was treated nationally, and how trends affected Waverly Hills and its residents.  The rise of factories, and military bases affected things, as groups of people suddenly found themselves closer together.

Again, Pohl doesn't cover the overly told stories about ghosts, but she doesn't really need to.  The facts relating to a facility like this can be sad and terrifying enough.  She dismisses the often quoted death numbers of 50,000 and higher, but shows that there were still several thousand.  Documentation of the "Death Tunnel" and it's use is rare, though employees have reported that it was used to transport dead bodies.  One of the most disturbing parts of the book involved some suggestion about how Waverly disposed of General Hospital's garbage AND amputations.

This book gets a big thumbs up from me.  Pick this one up when you can!

"Mayhem on Mackinac Island" by Johnathan Rand

While we were on Mackinac Island, I found this cute young adult book.  I liked the cover enough that, even if the book was terrible, I would still be happy with the purchase.  Luckily, it was a fun book too.  AND, when I bought it, it was only 6 or 7 bucks, so I bought one for a young friend in Ohio too!

It seems that author Johnathan Rand has written a TON of these books- kind of fantasy books for young readers.  In general, I don't like fantasy books, but this one was fun, and if I were a kid, I would devour them.

I liked the fact that the book is set on Mackinac Island, and it was fun reading it while there.  I read it in a couple of settings.

A couple of siblings have an adventure on an alternative version of Mackinac Island with some strange characters and an evil skull castle.  Through some magic objects, they are able to fly and crawl up walls.  They do eventually find their way back on the REAL Island but they have some scares getting back.

Johnathan Rand has written a massive series of similar books for kids, all taking place in various towns in Michigan.  he also has his own bookstore!


 

National Cave Museum in Kentucky

I FINALLY got to visit the National Cave Museum....  Home of THE Floyd Collins Rock!

"The Civil War at Perryville: Battling for the Bluegrass" by Christopher L. Kolakowski

I wanted to mentioned the cool volume, "The Civil War at Perryville:  Battling for the Bluegrass" by Christopher L. Kolakowski which I picked up recently.

This is another nice little volume from History Press covering a specific moment in the Civil War.  I really like these books because they are just a good starting point for someone new to the Civil War, or just developing an interesting in a specific battle.
 

The author does a nice job of explaining how the battle gets set up....  Both the Union and the Confederacy are kind of hesitant to do much with Kentucky at first, as Kentucky tries to stay neutral.  Leonidas Polk (CSA) ends up being the guy to upset the balance, and kind of get things rolling in the blue grass state.

Kolakowski explains how things evolve (or devolve) from there.  Lots of action in Tennessee bleeds over to this conflict too.  Political manuvering in Frankfort and Bowling Green (nicely explained by the author) contribute to the conflict too.

The Grand Hotel Mackinac Island 2024

We stopped by the legendary Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Michigan!

Ace Coffee Co Cave City Kentucky July 2024

Cave City has a GREAT new coffee shop!  Check out Ace Coffee Co next time you are in the cave region!

"The View from Karen's Book Barn: Stories from La Grange, Kentucky" by Scott Houchin

The other day I was at a Half Price Books, and I found a book there, named after another bookstore.

I LOVED the now defunct Karen's Book Barn in La Grange.  I mentioned it here on this blog years ago.  It was a perfect little place, with a great selection of books and magazines, and they also had coffee!

I was happy to see this book, for the great cover alone.

Fortunately, the book itself is a very pleasant read!

Scott Houchin has written a very nice book about his life circling around where he grew up- in La Grange Kentucky.  The stories are sweet and easy to understand.  He talks about childhood friends, reconnecting with them years later, and even dealing with their deaths.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the entire community getting behind the the local high school basketball team.  

Scott would later find himself scattered in different places across the US, but he still thought of La Grange as home.  

I could relate to this book with my own small town Kentucky experiences, and moving away later in life (and then coming back).  I know about finding old friends, and dealing with their passing.

This is a sweet, easy to read short book that would be a nice gift for a younger reader, or an older reader.
 

Alanson Michigan 2024

And we took a quick drive through Alanson Michigan!

Sammies Sandwiches Union City TN

We visited Sammies Sandwiches in Union City Tennessee and we really liked what they are doing!  I cant wait to get back to town to enjoy a meal there again!

Daniel Boone Coffee Shop Slade Kentucky

I have mentioned it more than once, but I love this place.  Daniel Boone Coffee is a great place to relax while in the Red River Gorge area!

Mackinac Island Carriage Ride 2024

May 2024 we took a nice carriage ride around Mackinac Island.  This was a great way to take in a lot of the sights around town.

Trail of Tears Commemorative Park and Heritage Center Hopkinsville

You have to check out the Trail of Tears site in Hopkinsville Kentucky!

"Haunts of Mackinac" by Todd Clements

I read both of Todd Clements' books on the "Haunts of Mackinac" before our trip to the legendary island.  They were both fun and quick reads.

The first volume really covers a lot of ground, and even includes fascinating facts on shipwrecks in the area, the Mackinac Bridge, the Grand Hotel, and just about everything else of note on and by the island.

I did not know that two cars have gone off of the Mackinac Bridge, or that a plane clipped it and ended up going down.

Ghost stories are told, legends of fairies, graveyards (some moved, for the most part), and old buildings are covered.
 

Ferry Ride to Mackinac Island May 2024

Here is a video of our ferry ride over to Mackinac Island!