Orlando's Historic Haunts

If you think Orlando, Florida, is only about everything Disney, you're missing out. Orlando was once an open frontier where cattle were herded to market, fortunes were made and lost, and citrus was king. Its history is studded with tales of restless spirits who can't seem to let bygones be bygones. Take a stroll through downtown Orlando, with its century-old buildings that used to house hardware stores, funeral parlors, hospitals, grocery stores, newspaper offices, hotels, theaters, and five-and-dimes. Over the years, these old-fashioned venues have been replaced by modern cafés, restaurants, bars, and assorted retail stores—but the ghosts that haunt them don't know that. They're still wandering original hallways, passing through walls that used to be doors, and ascending staircases long since sealed off.

Thomas Cook is a photographer and historian who specializes in the history of central Florida. He has called Orlando home since 1984 and has worked for the University of Central Florida’s History Department, the Orange County Historical Society, and the Orlando Public Library. He has also lectured and written numerous magazine articles on central Florida history. His love of history and his interest in the paranormal compelled him to create Orlando’s first professional ghost tours in 2000.