Bio
Greg Caggiano is an award-winning historian, lecturer, author, and consultant. He holds a degree in history from New Jersey City University and NJ State teaching certifications in history and elementary education.
Since 2014, he has lectured as an instructor for Brookdale Community College in their Lifelong Learning department. In 2022, Greg was given the Invitational Lecture Grant Award by their Friends group for his presentation titled "Ernest Shackleton and the Age of Antarctic Exploration". He has also worked many years as a field guide for the Ocean Institute on Sandy Hook, which provides K-12 school field trips focused on local marine life, maritime history, and the history of the US Military’s presence at Fort Hancock. This program began at Brookdale and is now with Clean Ocean Action as the Seaside Environmental Academy.
Aside from Brookdale, Greg has spoken to groups of all ages at numerous locations including libraries, museums, historic sites, community and senior centers, active adult communities, a military base, and even a bar/speakeasy! In his spare time, he has served on the Board of Directors of two museums: the Proprietary House in Perth Amboy, and most recently the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society, housed at the Strauss Mansion Museum. As a firm believer in volunteering and giving back to the community, he has helped fundraise tens of thousands of dollars for historic preservation over the years.
Greg's first book, Investigating the Strauss Mansion, was published in 2014 by the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society. He currently has a second, Legends and Hauntings of the Jersey Bayshore, slated for publication in 2024 by Fonthill Media. In 2019, he helped co-edit the tour guide for the Strauss Mansion Museum, and recorded an audio version. Greg has also written for magazines such as Weird N.J. and Garden State Legacy. His work and research has been referenced in the New York Daily News, New York Times, Texas Monthly, Lancaster New Era, Asbury Park Press, NJ.Com, and Today.
You can reach out to Greg by using the contact form on this website. He is available for speaking engagements to your group or organization, and also for private consulting on writing, social media marketing, fundraising, historical research, and food/beverage/hospitality.
Presentations
Greg Caggiano is known for his energetic and passionate speaking style, and a penchant for making people laugh. Whether in-person or through Zoom, a lecture by Greg to your organization is sure to have your members asking for more.
He lectures on a wide variety of topics within New Jersey, American, and world history, as well as lighter subjects such as the histories of liquor and food. As an avid paranormal investigator and researcher, Greg also speaks on numerous topics relating to the paranormal, including investigating techniques and methods, ghost stories at famous historic sites he personally experienced, and various folklore, legends, and occult topics. Greg and his paranormal group Ghosts on the Coast are available for hands-on workshops, full paranormal investigations of your location, and even fundraising assistance for non-profits and historic sites.
These are some of the topics Greg can be booked for. They range from 60 to 120 minutes. Some can be custom-made to fit whatever structure or time-frame you require. Don't see a topic that interests you? Just ask! Greg loves to research new material and can put something together for your organization.
General American/World History
Booth, Lincoln, and the Shot that Changed America
The Titanic
Ernest Shackleton and the Age of Antarctic Exploration
Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life, Times, and Tragedies
How Did they Die? Famous Deaths of Famous People
A Journey Through the American Civil War**
Reconstructing Reconstruction**
Monmouth County, New Jersey History
Prohibition on the Jersey Shore
Mobsters and Mayhem
Colonel Tye and the Black Loyalist Movement in Monmouth County
Slavery in Monmouth County
A Virtual Tour of the Strauss Mansion Museum & the Victorian Era in Atlantic Highlands
The Life and Many Loves of Robert Mantell
Culinary History
The History of Liquor
Famous Feasts: The History of Food**
The History of Food Part II: Back for Seconds!**
Paranormal/Occult Subjects
The Haunted History of New Jersey
Ghost Hunting 101
Hands-On Paranormal Workshop
Vampires: History, Myth, and Film
The History of Witchcraft
The Devil: A Biography
Vampires: History, Myth, and Film
Hands-On Workshops (Co-Presented with Tanya Dinova)
Botanicals and Booze: The History of Herbs and Plants in Liquor Production
From Garden to Glass: Crafting Your Own Special Cocktails and Mocktails
**Denotes lectures that are multiple sessions
2024 Events
UPCOMING
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Ariel Club, Deal Golf and Country Club. Wednesday, May 1st. 2 PM.
"Booth, Lincoln, and the Shot That Changed America"
Jersey Shore Civil War Roundtable, Ocean County College, Toms River. Wednesday, May 8th. 7 PM.
"The Titanic"
Seabrook Village, Tinton Falls. Saturday, May 18th. 2 PM
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Deep Cut Gardens, MIddletown. Friday, June 21. 6 PM
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Middletown Township Public Library. Thursday, June 27th. 6:30 PM.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Deep Cut Gardens, MIddletown. Friday, July 5th. 6 PM
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Deep Cut Gardens, MIddletown. Friday, August 2nd. 6 PM.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Ocean County Library, Manchester Branch. Monday, September 16th. 7 PM.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Regency at Monroe, Women's Conference. Monday, September 23rd. 1 PM.
"Ghost Hunting 101" Workshop
Carteret Public Library. Thursday, October 3rd. 4 PM. (Children's Program)
Local Author Day
Copies of Legends and Hauntings of the Jersey Bayshore will be For Sale
Monmouth County Library, Manalapan Headquarters. Saturday, October 5th. 1 PM.
"Vampires: History, Myth, and Film"
Middletown Township Public Library. Thursday, October 10. 7 PM
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Monmouth County Library, Marlboro Branch. Thursday, October 17th. 1 PM.
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Old Bridge Public Library. Wednesday, October 23rd. 6:30 PM.
(Topic To Be Announced)
Monmouth County Library, Manalapan Headquarters. Thursday, October 24th. 6:30 PM.
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Monroe Township Senior Center. Monday, October 28th. 1:30 PM.
"Colonel Tye and the Black Loyalist Movement in Monmouth County"
Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. Wednesday, November 13th. 12:30 PM.
PAST
"Prohibition in Monmouth County"
Monmouth County Library, Eastern Branch, Shrewsbury. Wednesday, April 25th. 6:30 PM.
"Booth, Lincoln, and the Shot That Changed America"
Ocean County Library, Point Boro Branch. Tuesday, April 16th. 6:30 PM.
"The Titanic"
Ocean County Library, Toms River Branch. Monday, April 15th. 6 PM.
"Booth, Lincoln, and the Shot That Changed America"
Monroe Township Senior Center. Thursday, April 11th. 1:30 PM.
"The Titanic"
Fort Monmouth Recreation Center. Wednesday, April 10th. 7 PM.
"The Life and Many Loves of Robert Mantell"
Monmouth County Library, Manalapan Headquarters. Tuesday, April 9th. 6:30 PM. Virtual.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
The Villas of Jumping Brook, Neptune. Thursday, April 4th. 1 PM.
"The Titanic"
Ocean County Library, Brick Branch. Wednesday, April 3rd. 2 PM.
"The History of Food Part 2: Back for Seconds!"
Brookdale Community College. Wednesday, March 27th. 1 PM.
"Famous Feasts: The History of Food"
Brookdale Community College. Wednesday, March 20th. 1 PM.
"Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life, Times, and Tragedies"
Madison Library. Tuesday, March 5th. 7 PM.
"Ernest Shackleton and the Age of Antarctic Exploration"
Ocean County Library, Toms River Branch. Tuesday, February 27th, 6:30 PM.
"Colonel Tye and the Black Loyalist Movement in Monmouth County"
Seabrook Village, Tinton Falls. Saturday, February 17th, 2 PM.
"Booth, Lincoln, and the Shot That Changed America"
Franklin Township Public Library. Thursday, February 15th, 7 PM. Virtual.
"Colonel Tye and the Black Loyalist Movement in Monmouth County"
Atlantic Highlands Library. Thursday, February 22nd, 6:30 PM
"Booth, Lincoln, and the Shot That Changed America"
Livingston Public Library. Monday, February 12th, 7 PM. Virtual.
"The Titanic"
Canal Walk, Somerset. Sunday, February 4th, 2 PM.
"Ernest Shackleton and the Age of Antarctic Exploration"
Monroe Township Senior Center. Thursday, February 1st, 1:30 PM.
Coming Soon!
Get in Touch
For consultation and booking inquiries, please contact Greg using the form on this website.
Greg is available for speaking engagements to your group or organization both in-person and virtually through Zoom.
Check Out Greg's Local History Documentary Series!
"Haunted History" is a documentary series launched by Greg's paranormal team Ghosts on the Coast in 2023. Throughout the year, they feature new specials highlighting historic locations, discussing their history and folklore, and then investigating to see if they are haunted. Greg hopes these will stir up interest at sometimes forgotten historic sites, prompting people to visit them.
Selected Publications
Books and Journal Articles
Ghost Hunting Confidential: Investigating the Strauss Mansion
Atlantic Highlands Historical Society
William Franklin and the Price of Dissent
Garden State Legacy
The Invented History of Port Monmouth's "Spy House"
Garden State Legacy