Haunted, Ghosts of South Arkansas
From my new novel, Haunted. Chapter one.
“The boundaries which divide life from death are at best shadowy and vague.. Who shall say where one ends, and the other begins?” Edgar Alan Poe
Summer 2009
Before we delve into the paranormal occurrences, stories of scandals, and tragic misdeeds in downtown El Dorado, and specifically in and around the Rialto Music Hall, let’s take a look back at the early history of the town. I believe some of the earliest events which occurred set the stage for what seems to be a concentration of supernatural spirits, bizarre events, and violent acts. Why and how this seemingly average, mid-south town, which today has a population of around 20,000, collected such a combination of strange characters, macabre incidents, and whispered lore is fascinating.
The deeper I delved into the paranormal history of this little village the more fascinating I became. Of course, as in any accounting of ghosts, paranormal occurrences, and even reports by eyewitnesses, absolute facts are hard to come by.
However, when the stories come from independent witnesses over different time frames, and when the rumors are laced with numerous eye-witnesses accounts and hard physical evidence has been gathered by paranormal investigators, then the stories take on a solid believability. And even the most skeptical will nod in agreement, because the old Rialto Theater, now the Rialto Music Hall, and the area around it is undoubtedly the most haunted neighborhood in America.
