By Black Gate Photog Chris Z

So, sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…..

It was just another typical Friday night in the Goth Chick News bunker filling out expense reports for her Gothness when a call came in over “Zuni” (Goth Chick’s version of “Alexa”). It was the “Big Cheese” John O informing me that since GC is out on assignment (attending Gothicon… don’t laugh it’s a real thing) I would need to fill in on a ghostly adventure traveling to an exotic locale. Before I could even react, a puff of air, a prick on my neck and darkness.

Upon regaining consciousness, I found myself on the doorstep of Lewis and Clark College in Alton, IL. A sign welcomed me to the “Haunted America Conference.” Huh??? The HAC launched in 1997 by Troy Taylor is regarded as “America’s Original Ghost Conference” and is now in its 28th year.

The show boasts a weekend packed with vendors, speakers, how-to workshops, haunted tours and ghost hunts. Presentations included everything from “It’s in the Blood” (by Sherri Brake) covering how your blood type might affect your connection to the spirit world (spoiler alert negative is better) to “Haunted Dolls” (by Kari Bergen) answering why do dolls become haunted and practical advice on recognizing/interacting with them (looking at you Anabelle).

The halls were lined with vendors selling candles, runes, wall art, authors, haunting books and Rem pods (spirit detectors) in case you wanted to do your own exploration. You might even spot the Springfield chapter of the Ghostbusters booth in the back (Who ya gonna call?).

Leading the way was the main man himself Troy Taylor. Troy is a man of many talents which include author, historian, tour creator, speaker, founder of American Haunting Ink and American Hauntings Ghost Tour company. He’s written an incredible 153 books on ghosts, crime, and the unexplained. His latest book “Don’t You Wish You Were Dead?” is a look into the true stories behind America’s murder ballads. Other books include the history and hauntings of American crime mysteries, Haunted Locations (Illinois, New Orleans, St Louis, Louisville, etc. ) and Cabinet of Curiosities.

It’s this last book that took me on a quick field trip to Troy’s own museum “The American Oddities Museum” in downtown Alton. It turns out that Troy is also a collector of all kinds of, shall we say, eclectic items (GC would be jealous). His museum boasts an impressive collection of haunted history, supernatural, sideshow, serial killer, funeral and religious items. Each item is laid out beautifully with details explaining its significance and history. If you even find yourself in Alton, IL we highly recommend stopping by.

Making my way back to the conference I took a leisurely stroll thru the vendor area, and present you with some favorites.

Meet Amanda Woomer, she is a writer, anthropologist and former international English teacher born and raised in Buffalo, NY. Her resume includes being a member of the Society for Psychical Research and featured writer for Haunted Magazine and The Morbid Curious. What caught our eye was Amanda’s travel books, “America’s Haunted Breweries, Distilleries and Wineries” (need to do more research there) along with “Twisted Travel; Volume A-F & H-Z ”. These books allow everyday horror lovers trips to some of America’s most terrifying filming locations. You won’t need private tours of special connections to visit these locations. Visit the Exorcist stairs, swim with the Creature from the Black Lagoon, do the Time Warp at Frankenstein Place or possibly hang out on the trestle bridge from Lost Boys. You can find these books and more on Amanda’s website SpookEats.com.

Are you afraid of shadows? If you are, skip ahead to the next section, if not check this out. In 2022, husband and wife Mike and Ally Rinchiuso created a truly spooky small business. As you know, sometimes our eye can play tricks on us and see shadows that aren’t there. Mike and Ally took this phenomenon and created Kealite.

Kealite is a collection of silhouettes that when placed in a holder with a tea light create an eerie shadow on any flat surface. Silhouettes include horror icons, urban legends, spooky scenes and mythical icons. You can get them at their ETSY Shop for only $5.00 each (holder sold separately). Now you can find out what really happens in the shadows.

Last but certainly not least, what’s a haunted conference without Talking/Spirit Boards (also called Ouija boards). Jeff’s Traveling Boards of Wonders is a collection of over 180 examples of talking/spirit boards dating from 1891 to present.

The idea of the spirit board goes all the way back to ancient China, but it’s the Ouija board that most of us know. The original board was patented in 1891 and has been actively produced by several manufacturers to this day. Jeff’s collection includes antique, foreign and modern boards with every design you can think of.

The oldest board in Jeff’s collection is from 1891 and is said to be haunted (kept in a sealed glass case). Some of Jeff’s other boards also have a haunted history and are responsible for killing not only Jeff’s but also the original owner’s cats (had to step back from that one). If you want to see this amazing collection for yourself, follow Jeff’s Traveling Boards on Facebook.

So, whether you believe in spirits or not, the Haunted America Conference is for everyone and already planning for 2026. Also make sure to visit Alton IL, it’s a cool little town with tons to do during the daylight and embrace your spirit (undead or liquid) side at night with one of Troy’s tours. I’m sure Goth Chick News will make a return!

Speaking of spirits, I think I’ll go have a couple and try to figure out how to get back to HQ (didn’t think that one thru, did ya John).

Bye!

A huge thank you to Black Gate photog Chris Z for this excursion. Bringing you the spooky stuff definitely takes a village.