‘Haunted Holley’ shares stories of ghosts, unexplained mysteries

Raymond Santoro’s new book is a hot-seller

Photo by Tom Rivers: Raymond Santoro hold a copy of his book, “Haunted Holley – Tales of Ghosts, Miracles and Unexplained Mysteries.” The 144-page book shares some of the supernatural experiences Santoro has experienced or heard about in the Holley area.

HOLLEY – Raymond Santoro suspects everyone has had experiences with the supernatural, but they probably don’t talk about it too much.

They don’t want people to think they’re strange, or to say things that may seem contrary to their religious upbringing and views. They also might not be certain about just what they saw, or heard, or felt.

Santoro has compiled a book about some of his experiences, and those that his Holley friends and neighbors have shared. The result is a 144-page book: “Haunted Holley – Tales of Ghosts, Miracles and Unexplained Mysteries.”

“I wanted to write this so people would know that if these things happen to you, you shouldn’t feel afraid or embarrassed,” Santoro said. “I wanted people to know you’re not alone.”

Provided photos: Raymond Santoro holds a copy of his book during an event Oct. 18 at the Hillside Cemetery Chapel.

He has sold about 400 copies of the book already in the first two weeks it has been out. He signed copies on Saturday at the Murray-Holley Historical Society from noon until 3 p.m. He had a book talk on Oct. 18 at the Hillside Cemetery Chapel and sold about 100 copies for $10 each.

Santoro will give a talk “Tales of Ghosts and Unexplained Mysteries” and sign copies of his book at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Gaines Basin Schoolhouse, 3286 Gaines Basin Rd.

Santoro, 64, is retired from the U.S. Postal Service. He splits time between Holley and Arizona. He has written books about his family, including a 30-year project, “From Italy to the United States – The Santoro Family,” which came out in 2019.

“Haunted Holley” is his first book for the general public. Santoro said it has people talking, and sharing some of their own experiences with ghosts or some supernatural force.

He has received the most comments about an anecdote with his childhood friend, Paul Rocco. It was December 1974, and Santoro was using a Ouija board with some of his buddies. They asked the board who would be the next person to die in Holley. The board spelled out Paul Rocco, and said he would die by strangulation. Paul was only 12 at the time.

A few days later, Santoro heard the sirens in Holley. Paul was out using a snowblowing and his long scarf got caught in the machine. It pulled the scarf tight around his neck. He was choking and turned blue. The ambulance crew was able to be revive him and Rocco went on to be a music star, playing guitar with the Chesterfield Kings. Rocco would die at age 47 from liver complications.

Santoro, a founding member of the Murray-Holley Historical Society in 1985, has spoken with many people in Holley and he concludes many of the homes are not necessarily “haunted” but “occupied” by ghosts and a supernatural presence.

People tell him about doors that open and close mysteriously, including one at a home on West Albion Street that not only shut, but was bolted mysteriously, with the owners locked out and needing the police for help to get inside. Santoro said the residents in the home reported seeing an apparition of a scary man upstairs “dressed funny.” Other times an unplugged microwave came on, prompting the owner to throw it outside.

“My key take away from this collection of experiences is there is definitely an afterlife,” Santoro writes in the conclusion of the book. “I know some of these stories may be in direct conflict with the Good Book, but I can say with absolute certainty that earthly death does not necessarily mean the end.”

A good-size crowd turned out for Santoro’s book-signing and talk on Oct. 18 at the Hillside Cemetery Chapel. He will be signing copies of the book at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Gaines Basin Schoolhouse.

Santoro believes there are ghosts that are harmless, and others that are more sinister. He said people need to be wary about inviting in an evil presence.

“There is some form of continuation beyond this reality, and I will leave it to the philosophers and clerics to debate and hammer out the specifics of what that may be,” Santoro concluded.

The book is available at the Author’s Note bookstore in Medina, Cobblestone Museum in Gaines, Clarendon Town Hall, Community Free Library in Holley, and the Murray-Holley Historical Society.