Bio
Greg Caggiano is an award-winning historian, lecturer, writer, 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, Greg has worked as an instructor for Brookdale Community College in their Lifelong Learning department and as a field guide for their Ocean Institute on Sandy Hook, which focuses on local marine life, maritime history, and the history of the US Military’s presence at Fort Hancock. In 2022, Greg was given the Invitational Lecture Grant Award by the Friends of Lifelong Learning for his presentation titled "Ernest Shackleton and the Age of Antarctic Exploration".
Aside from Brookdale, Greg has spoken to groups of all ages at numerous locations including libraries, museums, historic sites, 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 writing has been featured in Weird N.J. and the history magazine Garden State Legacy. He has also been quoted or linked in the New York Daily News, New York Times, Texas Monthly, Lancaster New Era, and Asbury Park Press. Greg is frequently interviewed for local history columns in two area newspapers, the Two River Times and The Journal. Non-writing related, he is an avid hockey fan, coaching the sport at several schools and institutions for more than a decade.
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 and American history, as well as the history of liquor and Prohibition. As an avid paranormal investigator, Greg can also speak on numerous topics relating to the paranormal including investigating techniques and methods, ghost stories at famous historic sites he personally experienced, and various folklore 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 45 to 120 minutes but 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
American Civil War and Reconstruction
Booth, Lincoln, and the Shot that Changed America
How Did they Die? Famous Deaths of Famous People
Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life, Times, and Tragedies
JFK Assassination: Assessing the Conspiracies
The History of Liquor
Famous Feasts: The History of Food
The Titanic
Ernest Shackleton and Antarctic Exploration
Monmouth County, New Jersey History
Slavery in Monmouth County
Prohibition on the Jersey Shore
Mobsters and Mayhem
The American Revolution in Monmouth County
Colonel Tye and the Black Loyalist Movement in Monmouth County
A Virtual Tour of the Strauss Mansion Museum & the Victorian Era in Atlantic Highlands
Paranormal/Occult Subjects
Ghost Hunting 101
Paranormal Investigating in New Jersey
Haunted History of New Jersey
Hands-On Paranormal Workshop
The History of Witchcraft
The Devil: A Biography
Vampires: History, Myth, and Film
2023 Events
UPCOMING
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Friday, September 22. 5 PM. Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown.
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Wednesday, September 27th. 7 PM. Woodbridge Public Library.
"Haunted History of the Jersey Bayshore"
Thursday, October 5th. 7 PM. Atlantic Highlands Library.
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Tuesday, October 10th. 7 PM. Ocean County Library, Toms River.
"Vampires: History, Myth, and Film"
Thursday, October 12th. 7:30 PM. Barron Arts Center, Woodbridge.
50th Anniversary Screening of "Theater of Blood" (1973)
Saturday, October 14th. 7:30 PM. Strauss Mansion Museum, Atlantic Highlands.
"Ghost Hunting 101"
Tuesday, October 17th. 6:30 PM. Monroe Township Library.
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Wednesday, October 18th. 7 PM. Ramsey Free Public Library. Virtual.
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Wednesday, October 25th. 7 PM. Monmouth County Library, Shrewsbury Branch.
"Ghost Hunting 101"
Thursday, October 26th. 7 PM. Middletown Township Library.
"The Haunted History of New Jersey"
Monday, October 30th. 7 PM. Somerset County Library System. Virtual.
"The History of Food" Part 1
Wednesday, November 8th. 6:30 PM. Monmouth County Library System. Virtual.
"The History of Food" Part 2
Wednesday, November 15th. 6:30 PM. Monmouth County Library System. Virtual.
Past
"The Titanic"
Tuesday, August 29th. 2 PM. Monroe Township Senior Center.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Friday, August 4th. 6 PM Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Thursday, August 3rd. 6 PM Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown.
"How Did They Die?"
Thursday, July 27th. 7 PM. Middletown Township Library.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Friday, July 7th. 6 PM Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Friday, June 23rd. 6 PM Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown.
"Colonel Tye and the Black Loyalist Movement in Monmouth County"
Tuesday, June 13th. 6:30 PM. Monmouth County Library, Manalapan. Virtual.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Thursday, May 18th. 4 PM. Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown.
"Ernest Shackleton and the Age of Antarctic Exploration"
Tuesday, May 9th. 6:30 PM. Monmouth County Library, Manalapan. Virtual.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Thursday, April 27th. 4 PM. Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown.
"The Titanic"
Wednesday, April 19th. 7:30 PM. Barron Arts Center, Woodbridge.
"Booth, Lincoln, and the Shot that Changed America"
Thursday, April 6th. 6:30 PM. Ocean County Library, Toms River.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Thursday, March 30th. 4 PM. Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown.
"Mobsters and Mayhem"
Monday, March 27th. 7:30 PM. Greenbriar at Whittingham, Monroe.
"The Titanic"
Thursday, March 23rd. 7 PM. Franklin Township Public Library, Somerset. Virtual.
"The Titanic"
Thursday, March 16th. 1 PM. The Villas at Jumping Brook, Neptune.
"The Titanic"
Wednesday, March 8th. 6 PM. Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. Virtual.
"Ernest Shackleton and the Age of Antarctic Exploration"
Tuesday, February 21, 6 PM. Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. Virtual.
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 New Documentary Series!
"Haunted History" is a brand new documentary series launched by Greg's paranormal team Ghosts on the Coast in 2023. Each month will feature a new special 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