WARREN, Ark. – 4-22-25 – In recognition of World Book Day, readers are invited to rediscover a hidden gem of Arkansas history through Ghosts of the Saline River by Ron Moseley, Ph.D., D. Phil., D. Litt.–a richly layered book that delves into the long history of one of the state’s most storied waterways.
Stretching over 200 miles through southern Arkansas, the Saline River has borne witness to centuries of life, loss, and lore. Moseley’s volume captures this story in 293 compelling narratives, each offering a glimpse into the lives of forgotten villages, lost river towns, and curious characters who once made their home along the riverbanks.
This is not just a book for historians–it’s a tapestry of folklore, family legends, and frontier spirit. From towns like Lick Skillet and Slab Town, to eerie tales of white horses on the water–long considered omens of misfortune–Ghosts of the Saline River is brimming with local color. Each chapter reflects the region’s strange blend of the historical and the haunted.
The book explores places like Henderson’s View, where a moonshine-fueled vision gave rise to a river myth, and Bull Bayou, named after a butchered bull drifted into the Saline at that very spot. Other stories cover steamboat landings, Civil War labor, and unexplained phenomena–from creatures falling from the sky to riverbank ghost hunts using dip sticks.
The titles alone stir curiosity: “The Jackman Trail Monster,” “Gold in a Blue Granite Basin,” “The Bat Dung Curse,” and “Stanley’s Human Tooth Necklace” are just a few of the evocative names that fill the table of contents. Each vignette is short and approachable, yet deeply researched, appealing to both casual readers and serious students of Arkansas lore.
Dr. Moseley, with his triple doctoral background, brings both academic rigor and a love for storytelling to this work. His writing invites readers to look beyond facts and dates, instead asking them to consider the meaning and memory tied to a river that has shaped communities, economies, and spiritual identities.
On this World Book Day, Ghosts of the Saline River stands as a reminder of the power of place in shaping human story. It’s a celebration of a river that once bustled with steamboats and sawmills, of a wilderness haunted not just by ghosts, but by the echoes of lives that helped build Arkansas from its banks up.
The book is available for purchase at Amazon, and is a must-read for those who love southern history, folklore, or the enduring mystery of a river’s current.
Whether you’re a lifelong Arkansan or just discovering the South’s rich cultural past, Ghosts of the Saline River promises stories as winding and unforgettable as the waterway it honors.
