American Ghost Society

The American Ghost Society is a paranormal-investigation group associated with ghost hunting, supernatural research, and public education across North America. It was established in 1995 in Alton, Illinois, by Troy Taylor and Amy Taylor under the name Ghost Society of Central Illinois. The organization adopted the name American Ghost Society in 1996, reflecting a broader geographic ambition, and began holding annual conferences during the same year. The society presents itself as an organization focused on investigating alleged paranormal activity through methods it characterizes as scientific or structured. Its approach distinguishes it from spiritualist séances, psychic readings, and similar practices centered on personal revelation or mediumship. A notable feature of its stated methodology is the restriction on digital cameras, indicating a preference for particular evidentiary standards or documentation practices, although the available reference material does not specify the technical rationale or the precise rules governing investigations. Membership expanded during the organization's early years. By 1999, the society reportedly had approximately 2,500 members, making it a substantial organized community within the period's American ghost-hunting and paranormal-interest scene. The group also offered certificates and training in ghost hunting, giving it an instructional role in addition to its investigative and membership functions. Its activities extended into publishing and commerce. The society published the quarterly magazine Ghosts of the Prairie, which served as a recurring outlet connected with regional supernatural subjects and the group's interests. It also operated an online bookstore described in the reference material as the largest online bookstore dedicated to the supernatural. The bookstore and magazine broadened the organization beyond field investigations by providing informational, cultural, and specialist reading materials for enthusiasts. The available sources do not establish the organization's current operating status, leadership, ownership structure, legal form, present membership, or current website. They also do not provide reliable information about later campaigns, major corporate transactions, financial performance, or formal relationships with universities, government agencies, or other investigative bodies. Accordingly, the American Ghost Society is best documented as a historically significant paranormal-interest organization founded in Illinois and expanded to a North American scope, rather than as a conventional commercial consumer brand.

The American Ghost Society originated in 1995 in Alton, Illinois, where Troy Taylor and Amy Taylor founded an organization called the Ghost Society of Central Illinois. Its original identity was regional, but the group expanded its intended scope soon afterward. In 1996, it adopted the name American Ghost Society, and it began organizing annual conferences in the same year. The renaming signaled an ambition to serve a wider community of paranormal enthusiasts beyond central Illinois. The society's core activity was paranormal investigation, particularly the examination of alleged ghosts and haunted locations. Its stated orientation favored methods presented as scientific or evidence-based, setting it apart from séances, psychic readings, and other forms of supernatural practice based primarily on spiritual or personal claims. The organization's rules reportedly prohibited the use of digital cameras, although the available source does not explain whether this was intended to address image manipulation, evidentiary reliability, historical equipment preferences, or another concern. Membership grew during the late 1990s. By 1999, the organization was reported to have about 2,500 members. This growth placed it among the more substantial organized groups serving the American ghost-hunting community at that time. In addition to membership and field-oriented investigation, it offered certificates and training in ghost hunting, giving participants a formalized way to learn the group's practices and to demonstrate completion of its instructional programs. The society developed several supporting activities around its central subject. It published Ghosts of the Prairie, a quarterly magazine focused on supernatural interests, and operated an online bookstore devoted to supernatural literature and related materials. The bookstore was described as the largest online bookstore dedicated to the supernatural. These publishing and retail activities helped the group function not only as an investigative society but also as a source of information, community-building, and specialist content. The available historical material does not document the society's later organizational development in detail. There is no supported information here about subsequent directors, changes in membership, legal incorporation, current conferences, present publishing arrangements, or whether the online bookstore and magazine remain active. Its current status is therefore recorded as unknown. The documented history nevertheless establishes a clear trajectory: a regional Illinois ghost-hunting society founded in 1995, renamed and broadened in 1996, expanded into conferences and training, and supported by specialist publishing and online retail.

• 1999

  Membership reached approximately 2,500

  [1]American Ghost Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was reported to have about 2,500 members, indicating significant growth during its first four years.

• 1996

  Name changed to American Ghost Society

  [1]American Ghost Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The organization adopted the American Ghost Society name as it expanded beyond its original central-Illinois identity.

• 1996

  Annual conferences began

  [1]American Ghost Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The society began holding annual conferences focused on paranormal and ghost-hunting interests.

• 1995

  Organization founded in Illinois

  [1]American Ghost Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Troy and Amy Taylor founded the Ghost Society of Central Illinois in Alton, Illinois, establishing the organization that later became the American Ghost Society.

A structured paranormal-research and ghost-hunting organization emphasizing purportedly scientific investigative methods rather than séances or psychic readings.

• Education and training

  Ghost-hunting certificates and training

  The society offered instruction and certificates related to ghost hunting. These programs formed an educational component of its paranormal-investigation activities and provided members or participants with structured training in the organization's preferred approach. The available source does not specify curriculum length, assessment standards, certificate levels, or whether the programs remain available.

• Events · 1996

  Annual conferences

  Annual conferences began in 1996 and served as public or member-oriented gatherings centered on ghost hunting and supernatural research. The reference material does not identify venues, speakers, attendance figures, or the current continuity of the conference series.

• Magazine

  Ghosts of the Prairie

  Ghosts of the Prairie was a quarterly magazine published by the society. It extended the organization's role into recurring supernatural-interest content and likely supported community engagement, although the available material does not provide a publication run, circulation figures, editorial staff, or present availability.

• Online retail

  Online supernatural bookstore

  The American Ghost Society operated an online bookstore specializing in supernatural-related books and materials. It was described as the largest online bookstore dedicated to the supernatural. No reliable current catalog, ownership information, sales data, or operating status is provided in the reference material.

1. 1American Ghost Societyen.wikipedia.org