In her book, Haunted Southern Tier, Elizabeth Tucker, professor of English at Binghamton University, presents an expansive, detailed, and at times very engaging anthropological, sociological, and historical examination of the inhabitants and the cultures present in the Southern Tier region of New York. Tucker mixes in brief ghost or spirit narratives with the examinations of the different populations that have at one time or another resided in this region. In the introduction, the author clearly articulates that the purpose of her text is to show how the Southern Tier spirits express their former life force, and to decipher the reason(s) these spirits have returned. Unfortunately, Tucker falls somewhat short of fulfilling her purpose because she dwells on the historical and anthropological aspects of the region rather than focusing on analyzing and interpreting the ghost narratives she puts forth. Additionally, a number of the author’s interpretations concerning the reasons behind some of the haunted occurrences described in her text are extremely vague or unsubstantiated due in part to the small amount of information about the hauntings that is presented to the readers.
The text is broken down into seven main chapters and includes an introduction, a notes section, and a works cited. Tucker starts her introduction in an academic manner by first presenting a review of current and older articles and books detailing the haunted history of New York’s Southern Tier. In this section she notes where and how her current work fits into the continuum of scholarly research on this topic. She then goes on to identify and define key terms that will be used throughout the book such as “ghost” and “spirit.” Tucker notes the importance of collecting and sharing ghost narratives: “Most of the stories I’ve collected have been told as true, reflecting personal experiences that are important to their tellers” (13). Therefore, collecting and sharing these stories is important because it is a way to share the storyteller’s thoughts, fears, and experiences. Also, by sharing these stories, readers are given a rare glimpse at a layer of history about a certain place or a certain culture that is seldom seen by outsiders. After this compelling and interesting academic start to her introduction, Tucker overwhelms her readers with an extremely in-depth assessment of the history of the Southern Tier and of the various peoples who have called this region home. Because of the copious amount of historical information Tucker presents, the reader loses sight of the main purpose of this text, which is to tell and examine ghost narratives of the Southern Tier and to speculate on possible interpretations and motives for these haunted occurrences. There needs to be a stronger connection between the historical information and the text’s main purpose throughout the entire introduction.
In the first chapter of her text, Tucker presents a small sampling of ghost narratives told by Native Americans about their own culture as well as stories told by outsiders about the Native Americans who inhabited New York’s Southern Tier. The main difference that comes to light between the narratives told by the Native Americans and the narratives told by outsiders is that the narratives that were told by the Native Americans themselves were believed to be true by the tribes that told them. There is an intrinsic connection between the thoughts, fears, and beliefs of the Native Americans and the events that take place in the narratives. Conversely, the narratives told by the outsiders about the Native Americans take on the characteristics and feel of tall tales, where some aspects of the stories might be true or believable, but for the most part, the stories are exaggerations or transferences of prejudices toward, or common misunderstandings of, the Native American communities.
The second chapter of this text deals with religion and spirituality. Tucker’s assertion in the introductory paragraphs of this chapter that “Respect for diverse religious beliefs has enriched the Southern Tier and facilitated the circulation of ghost stories” (39) leads the reader to believe that this chapter is going to be fraught with ghostly encounters and spiritual happenings. Sadly, that is not the case. Only one of the vignettes (“The Heavy Ghost of Joshua Whitney”) presented in this chapter depicts truly paranormal/ghostly happenings. The section, A Young Medium, depicts an underdeveloped story about a young medium’s interactions with and connection to her deceased grandmother. The other two vignettes presented in this chapter do not offer any really tangible ghostly hauntings or spiritual encounters.
Chapter 3 and chapter 4 of this text provide stories that deal with ghost sightings and unnatural occurrences that take place in homes and are perpetrated by former owners, some of whom encountered untimely and often gruesome deaths. Chapter 3 provides very interesting and succinct stories about three different mansions in the Southern Tier where multiple individuals have described having ghostly encounters and experiences. In this chapter, Tucker has done a very good job of including detailed descriptions of the sensory impressions experienced during each of the encounters, which adds a great deal of credibility to the narratives presented. However, in chapter 4, where Tucker describes ghostly occurrences and encounters in smaller homes, there is noticeably less concrete description of actual encounters and occurrences and significantly more unsubstantiated speculation, which makes this chapter seem more forced and less convincing than the previous chapter.
As most folklorists and ghostlore enthusiasts know, most colleges throughout the nation have their own unique urban legends or ghost stories that circulate freely among students. Chapter 5 of this text presents a somewhat random sampling of ghost narratives from four-year colleges located in New York’s Southern Tier. Though there does not seem to be a specific type of haunting or a particular theme that connects the ghosts that readers encounter in this chapter, there is, if the reader really works to find a connection between all of the stories, a very interesting message that can be discerned. The message being that the ghost narratives that originate on college campuses often illuminate the universal anxieties students bring with them to college.
In chapter 6, Tucker presents a very well-developed and interesting analysis of roadside ghost narratives, which follow the universal motif of the “Vanishing Hitchhiker.” The author does an excellent job of highlighting the various adaptations of this universal motif circulating through the Southern Tier. She notes that these adaptations or variances coincide with changing technology such as the transition from horse and carriage to the automobile. Tucker also shows a clear motive behind the continued telling of this type of narrative. Roadside ghost narratives can be viewed as a means to enforce social morals and encourage younger generations (by attempting to scare them) to act in a responsible manner.
The final chapter of Tucker’s text is titled “Spectral Patients.” However, only about half of the material presented in this chapter actually deals with this topic. The first part of the chapter investigates herbal cures such as swamp root. This section of the chapter presents no ghost narratives or haunted occurrences; it is simply a history of the maker of swamp root, an herbal concoction, and a history of the cure itself. The second half of the chapter does present ghost narratives about spectral patients and provides an interesting look at how tortured souls can serve as warnings or remembrances of past atrocities.
Tucker’s book might be of great interest and serve as a very good source of information for anthropologists or sociologists who are interested in studying New York’s Southern Tier. However, individuals interested in ghostlore or readers whose interests were sparked by the book’s title and cover hoping for ghoulish, scary stories are going to be somewhat disappointed.
--------
[Review length: 1273 words • Review posted on September 5, 2012]