🌿 Folk Magic

Haunted Virginia Beach

✍️ Chewning, Alpheus J
Reader Score
4.6
(6 reviews)
$21.99
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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

Drawing from local newspaper archives, personal interviews, and eyewitness reports, author Alpheus J. Chewning examines forty unusual apparitional occurrences throughout Virginia Beach. The collection covers accounts ranging from historical pirate legends like Blackbeard to modern spectral activity in local landmarks and dangerous roadways. Chewning brings first-hand knowledge as a resident and local ghost tour owner to every account, balancing public historical records with private encounters.

🌿
Folk Magic
🏛 History Press 📖 128 pages 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781596291881
Fun Fact
Chewning succeeds in humanizing the supernatural by anchoring hauntings in tangible local history and personal testimony. The strength lies in his dual role as historian and witness, offering a credible, albeit chilling, perspective. However, skeptics may find the lack of empirical proof frustrating. It occupies a unique niche between travelogue and paranormal investigation, ideal for those who believe places hold memory.
📚 This Book in Collections

📝 Description: Haunted Virginia Beach

In this paperback collection from History Press, long-time local resident and Ghost Tours of Virginia Beach owner Alpheus J. Chewning documents the eerie paranormal history of a famous coastal resort. The work gathers forty distinct spectral accounts drawn directly from historical newspapers and personal interviews, alongside Chewning's own experiences with ghosts. Among the specific incidents detailed are unpredictable elevator movements and inhabitant deaths at the Mayflower Apartments, a ghostly wailing woman inside the old Coast Guard Station, and unusual supernatural activity provoked by two friends. Other accounts detail the spectral legends surrounding Blackbeard's buried treasure, a deadly stretch of road linked to eighty-nine fatalities over thirty years, and the fatal story of a military wife titled Don't Make Mom Mad. Organized into individual narrative accounts, the book presents folklore, Native American studies, and unexplained supernatural phenomena from the region's past and present. Chewning uses his background as a local tour operator and resident to illuminate how a prosperous daytime tourist destination transforms into an otherworldly landscape after dark. The volume suits readers seeking local Virginia folklore, documented apparitional encounters, and regional ghost stories. It will not suit readers looking for broad international history or theoretical paranormal guides.

💎 Expert review

“
💎
Esoterica Books editorial team
Occult literature desk
Chewning successfully transforms a sun-drenched vacation spot into a realm of profound supernatural intrigue through forty well-researched narratives. While the blend of objective reporting and personal spectral encounters creates an engaging atmosphere for fans of local folklore, it may not suit readers seeking rigorous academic historiography or those who prefer strictly fictional horror. The focus on specific locations like the Mayflower Apartments might feel niche to outsiders, but for locals or visitors interested in the uncanny aspects of American coastal towns, it offers a unique and intriguing glimpse into the region's shadowed history. It is a solid contribution to the genre of regional paranormal non-fiction.
✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who delight in uncovering the hidden layers of familiar places will find this book a captivating companion. If you enjoy traveling to popular vacation spots only to discover their shadowy underbelly, Chewning’s meticulous research offers a compelling alternative perspective. The blend of archival newspaper accounts and intimate interviews provides a rich tapestry of spectral secrets that goes far beyond typical ghost stories. It is ideal for those who appreciate local history presented through an esoteric lens, offering both educational value and spooky entertainment. By peeling back the tourist-friendly veneer, the book invites you to see Virginia Beach not just as a beach destination, but as a landscape steeped in fatal lore and historical mystery.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —
⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5
★★★★★
Readers fascinated by true paranormal investigations, local history buffs, and those seeking authentic ghost stories beyond standard horror fiction.

Reader rating

4.6
Based on 6 reviews
5
4
4
2
3
0
2
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1
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A
Ashley B.
March 3, 2026
Worth every penny

Bought this as a gift for my sister and ended up ordering a second copy for myself. It connects ideas I'd only seen treated separately elsewhere. It pairs well with more modern commentaries on the same tradition. A keeper.

H
Henry E.
July 13, 2025
A serious text

My book club chose this last month. You can tell why this work has endured. Challenging in places, but never needlessly obscure. Highly recommend to serious students.

E
Eric L.
March 10, 2025
Deep and rewarding

Exactly what I was looking for. The ideas are old but land with surprising force today. Highly recommend to serious students.

T
Thomas J.
December 7, 2024
Worth every penny

Arrived faster than expected and well packaged. A text you study rather than simply read. Great value for what you get.

J
June G.
September 13, 2024
Worth the read

My third book from this store and this one might be the best. Challenging in places, but never needlessly obscure. The font runs small in the appendices. Still worth having on the shelf.

E
Esoterica Books editorial team

Chewning successfully transforms a sun-drenched vacation spot into a realm of profound supernatural intrigue through forty well-researched narratives. While the blend of objective reporting and personal spectral encounters creates an engaging atmosphere for fans of local folklore, it may not suit readers seeking rigorous academic historiography or those who prefer strictly fictional horror. The focus on specific locations like the Mayflower Apartments might feel niche to outsiders, but for locals or visitors interested in the uncanny aspects of American coastal towns, it offers a unique and intriguing glimpse into the region's shadowed history. It is a solid contribution to the genre of regional paranormal non-fiction.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Chewning grounds his accounts in newspaper archives and personal interviews, presenting them as reported phenomena rather than pure fiction, though they retain the ambiguity of oral tradition.
Yes, as a long-time resident and tour guide, Chewning interweaves his personal spectral encounters with the broader historical narratives he has collected.

📖 Who should read this

Readers fascinated by true paranormal investigations, local history buffs, and those seeking authentic ghost stories beyond standard horror fiction.

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Urban Hauntings

Historical True Crime

Local Folklore

📜 Historical context

This work sits within the rich tradition of American regional ghostlore, echoing the style of early 20th-century paranormal investigators who documented local hauntings. It bridges the gap between academic folklore studies and popular supernatural literature, preserving the oral histories of Virginia Beach as it evolved from a coastal village to a major tourist hub, capturing the tension between its bright present and dark past.

📚 Glossary

Mayflower Apartments
Spectral Details
Tourist Hot Spot

📔 Questions to reflect on

  1. What places in your own hometown hold secrets that contradict their public reputation?
  2. How does the presence of tourism or commercialization affect the way we perceive local history and hauntings?
  3. In what ways do personal encounters with the unexplained challenge our understanding of a location's safety?

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