Local author publishes book exploring ghost stories and lore of southern Utah

ST. GEORGE — As Halloween approaches, a new book by a St. George-based author that explores the ghost stories and legends of southern Utah could help you get your spooks on early.

Darren Edwards, a high school teacher, came up with the idea for Supernatural Lore of Southern Utah as he taught a course on folklore.

"It was fun looking at things from a cultural angle instead of 'are they real or aren't they?' So that really intrigued me, because I've always been a skeptic who really wants to believe but doesn't — I'm just not convinced," Edwards says.

"But I love this stuff, so it was this new kind of way to approach these things without having to get into the discussion of, 'Are ghosts real or not?' But just look at it as: 'Why do we talk about ghosts?' 'What do the stories mean?'"

He said many of the ideas and themes found in folklore from around the world, including Ireland and the East, can be found in the local lore.

His publisher, the History Press, liked the idea.

Initially, he said he was concerned about whether he would find enough lore in southern Utah to "fill up a book." He took to social media to ask acquaintances and friends if they have stories. "Even looking at the things people have mentioned here, there's enough to fill up a book and explore," he said he discovered.

Edwards ended up with more than enough material, leaving him with an "odds and ends" chapter at the end summarizing stories for which he didn't have room.

While researching, Edwards studied folklore in historical records and archives, including newspaper articles. For example, he found numerous articles about the locally-famous ghost of Southern Utah University in the student newspaper. The teacher spent a day of research talking to seniors who were giving tours to incoming students, and listening to their own experiences with the campus ghost.

"It was finding the amount of stories and the diversity of stories that was really, really fascinating," he said.

He also joined groups on social media, including St. George Utah Memories, and the St. George Community Questions and Answers group, each of which boast thousands of members. There, he posted requests for stories, and even "one-off" comments prompted ideas for research. He sat down with some who commented in the groups and interviewed them.

Edwards also researched Indigenous issues because "so much of the lore ties into that," he said, as well as early pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Some of the most interesting stories he came across were "just not what I expected," he said.

While researching one of St. George's most prevalent pieces of lore, that of the pioneer headstone of Lydia Knight, he ended up delving into post-bereavement communication — which is when someone reports seeing or hearing a loved one who has passed on.

Knight's tombstone — which includes a large orb with the inscription "Not dead, but sleeping" — in the St. George Cemetery has been the source of ghost stories for generations, as some locals say she rises out of her grave or speaks when called by visitors.

Edwards spoke to a woman whose friends tried to capture Knight's voice on a recording. While they didn't hear her speak the night they visited the grave, the friend said the next day they heard a voice answer to Knight's name in the recording.

But Edwards' interview with that woman soon turned to her personal, spiritual experiences with lost loved ones.

While stories like those aren't part of the "broader lore" of the area, they threw "beautiful wrenches" into the research and shaped those chapters, Edwards said. The chapter about Lydia Knight also became about post-bereavement communication, which descendants told Edwards Knight experienced with loved ones she lost during her lifetime.

Sometimes, the research highlighted how difficult spooky experiences can be to explain to others. When interviewing people, Edwards often heard they visited a place like the ghost town of Grafton (or the allegedly haunted Dennys on Main Street) and "felt something" — which wouldn't exactly make for compelling reading in a book.

He'd sit down to interview someone, and the interview "would be 20 minutes of them saying, 'We went here and I felt a chill.'

"But I value those stories in showing the breadth of the lore," Edwards said.

He explored the history of places like Grafton, including pioneer history, the stories of teenagers visiting it as a ghost town, and Indigenous people's history in the area.

Edwards said he approached more sensitive topics like skinwalkers with caution because he didn't want to do more damage to a marginalized community. For that chapter, he spoke to members of the Navajo community, from which the belief arose.

The research became a family affair. The book has about 70 photos taken by Edwards as he explored different areas. He took his young son with him to Silver Reef and told him they were going "ghost hunting." The son suggested they use French fries to use as "bait" for ghosts. "Obviously, nothing got caught," he said.

Edwards said he worked in the book to address the difference between the "spooky" and the "spiritual." He believes exploring those questions "help us learn about ourselves by navigating them and mapping out that terrain."

He said his biggest takeaway from writing the book is the need for empathy for other's beliefs. Empathy helps one cross boundaries, and understand a place and its cultures, he said.

When he asked his students how they would feel if a friend who did not belong to the same religion told them about a spiritual experience they had, the majority initially said they wouldn't believe it. But when asked how they would respond if a friend told them first how important the experience was to them, the students said that would change the way they viewed it.

"I would have a harder time not believing, would have a harder time disregarding their experience," Edwards said his students responded.

"Supernatural Lore of Southern Utah" will be released on Sept. 12, and Edwards plans to participate in book readings across the state. The book will be available from major retailers including Barnes & Noble, Target and Amazon. It is now available for presale.

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