Tales of Coles County, Illinois

The sixth and final edition of Tales of Coles County, Illinois combines the original Tales of Coles County, the Legends and Lore of Coles County, and a new third section on the hidden history of Coles County with updated pictures, additional legends, and new stories.

First published in 2004, Tales takes an entertaining look at local history through vivid historical fiction. When four EIU students are stranded during a violent storm, they seek shelter with an strange elderly couple. The four will never look at Coles County the same way. With each story, they learn more about the place they've come to call home.

Legends and Lore reveals over a dozen hidden stories from the from the area's past and present, including ghost stories, folk tales, and other lore. When did a poltergeist terrorize one rural family in Pleasant Grove Township? What is the real story behind the "Mad Gasser of Mattoon"? Why do they call one stretch of road "Dead Man's Curve"? The answers to these questions and more can be found in this definitive volume.

Part three, Hidden History, examines events some believe are better left unremembered. What is the history of Coles County's ghost towns? What were some of its most infamous murders? What happened in the Tornado of 1917? Never-before published information about Mattoon's battle with Prohibition and even a chapter on the 1920s KKK is inside.

Author: Michael Kleen
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Lake Ridge Press
Published: 09/10/2020
Pages: 236
Weight: 0.67lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.51w x 0.54d
ISBN: 9781618760241
6th Edition

About the Author
Kleen, Michael: - Michael Kleen is a writer, historian, and folklorist from Illinois. He has a M.A. in History from Eastern Illinois University and a M.S. in Education from Western Illinois University. He is best known for his work about Illinois folklore, but he is also a freelance columnist and public speaker. He has spoken about local history and folklore at conventions, libraries, cafes, schools, and colleges; and he has presented research papers at the 2007, 2010, and 2011 Conference on Illinois History in Springfield. Michael has written several books, including Haunting Illinois: A Tourist's Guide to the Weird and Wild Places of the Prairie State, Paranormal Illinois, and Witchcraft in Illinois: A Cultural History.