• A dejected young woman in a ball gown wails along a shadowy underpass in Jamestown, begging for a ride home. Those who have seen her know her as Lydia, and soon learn that she can never go back home.

• A Coast Guard rescue team found dinner served aboard the shipwrecked Carroll A. Deering- but the crew and navigational tools were lost forever. What force led the voyage of the “ghost ship of Diamond Shoals” into the unknown? Why do the voices of the missing crew still haunt Hatteras?

• He flicks off the theater lights, she buttons the Edwardian costumes. Often felt but seldom seen, they can’t seem to give up the stage. Who are these elusive spirits whose presence haunts Wilmington’s Thalian Hall?

Enjoy an excerpt from The Best Ghost Tales of North Carolina

Tragedy Aboard the Queen of Sounds

Corporal Pierre Godette, or “Frenchy” to those who knew him, was station at Roanoke Island during the Civil War. The young man took to the area like a fish to water. When the war was over, he wrangled a government job on the island. Some years later, Godette was forced to find other means of employment when the government did away with the position. Fun-loving Frenchy had managed to save a fair sum, but it wasn’t enough to support him for the rest of his life.

The reveler came up with a creative solution that would keep him gainfully employed without having to leave Roanoke Island. He used his savings to have a showboat built. Powered by steam engine, the three-level vessel was made with the finest timber and imported furnishings. The main level held the ballroom and bar, which also contained gaming tables. The top deck had promenades and luxurious private rooms. Godette had spared no expense. He even had a player piano specially made for his gambling and party boat.

The vessel was christened the Queen of Sounds. The tunes the piano cranked out could be heard even by those on shore, which drew many people to wave and watch as the showboat chugged by. The concept was well received. The Queen of Sounds made multiple day stops at Elizabeth City, Currituck, and Manteo. Performers were hired from as far away as Philadelphia to act in plays. The boat ran during the spring, summer, and fall. In the winter, necessary repairs were made. To most folks, Frenchy seemed to be on top of the world. He was doing what he loved and the boat was making him a great deal of money.

But Godette was drinking too much and it was clouding his judgment. He had always enjoyed whiskey, but now was consuming more than he used to. It could have been from boredom, but many believed it was the influence of his new girlfriend. She practiced black magic and got Frenchy heavily involved as well. All the chants, invocations, sorcery, and related mumbo-jumbo deeply confused him and brought out a dark side that he ahd trouble coping with, so he drank all the more.

One summer night, he announced to some patrons that he was going to conjure the Devil himself to come aboard his boat! What’s more, he proposed to do it Sunday night. This was considered blasphemy by all who heard his proclamation. Many begged Godette not to go through with his plan. These were God-fearing people and they knew no good could come of it, but there was no talking the man out of the notion.

That Sunday night, the boat was closed to all but Frenchy Godette and his crew. What happened aboard the vessel that night will remain a mystery. Area residents said they heard the player piano. Some claimed to have seen Godette standing on the top deck. The ship’s lights went out several times. Figures were seen moving around on the decks, but witnesses couldn’t determine who or what they were. At midnight, a horrific scream was heard just before the ship exploded. Those who say it say there was a flash of light (but not like lightening) and then Queen of Sounds seemed to come out of the water intact but then burst into thousands of pieces. Afterwards, sulfur could be smelled as far as two miles away.

There were no survivors to tell what happened that night. Many theories have been brought forth. The most plausible is that the boiler blew up. Some swear the Devil came and reclaimed Frenchy Godette.

Legend has it that if you stand near the bridge that joins Nags Head to Roanoke Island, you just might see the reflection of lights on the water. It’s believed they belong to the Queen of Sounds.