author
Walter Hubbell
1851–1932
Best known for chronicling the famous Amherst haunting, this 19th-century writer moved between theater, investigation, and family history. His books mix firsthand storytelling with the curiosity of a man determined to witness strange events for himself.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in 1851 and died in 1932, Walter Hubbell is remembered today mainly for The Haunted House—later republished as The Great Amherst Mystery—his account of the alleged paranormal disturbances surrounding Esther Cox in Amherst, Nova Scotia.
Sources available here also show that Hubbell described himself as having lived in the house for a time while investigating the events, which helped give his writing its vivid, eyewitness tone. Beyond ghost-story readers, he is also associated with History of the Hubbell Family, a large genealogical work tracing the Hubbell line.
That combination of sensational supernatural narrative and careful family record-keeping makes him an unusual figure: part showman, part recorder, and part historian. His work survives because it captures both a famous haunting legend and the strong 19th-century appetite for true mysteries told by someone who claimed to be there.