Saturday, October 30, 2010

Egg Hill Church - Spring Mills

The Egg Hill Church is located in Spring Mills, PA.  The church sits on a isolated road far from the local population and is one of the first Evangelical churches in the area. It was originally built in the early 1800's, then reconstructed in 1860 on the existing foundation after the original was burned to the ground.  It has a look that makes you feel you are in 1600's Salem, Massachusetts.

Egg Hill Church in Spring Mills, PA



The story is that long ago a minister became crazed and murdered his entire congregation after an evening ceremony by giving them poison.  He hastily buried all of his victims in the cemetery outside.  He then took his own life by hanging himself from the bell tower.



Some who have been to the church say they have seen drawings of pentagrams and goats appear on the walls and ceilings.  Scribbled by some unknown entity.  Others say that from outside the church, you can hear strange noises coming from the inside when the church is locked up and supposedly empty.  Some claim the sounds are similar to children's voices.

Egg Hill Cemetery


Thursday, October 21, 2010

Horseshoe Curve, Altoona PA - Ghost of Colleen

Long ago when the Horseshoe Curve was being constructed on the Pennsylvania Railway, a young man lost his life in a brawl after a day of working on the railroad.  His fiance, Colleen, a young Irish girl was devastated by his death.
The road tunnel at Horseshoe Curve


It is said that if you approach the tunnel at midnight on the Altoona side, you can see the girl dressed in white waiting for her lover standing in some spruce trees next to the stone wall near the tunnel that passes under Horseshoe Curve.
  This tunnel is the feature of another haunting which is featured in this blog site.



Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Clearfield Middle School - Ghost of a Music Teacher Haunts the Auditorium

Long ago at the Clearfield Middle School in Clearfield Pennsylvania, a most loved music teacher blessed the kids with many years of his music talents passing it on to them.  Well eventually the music teacher passed on but evidently his spirit has not.  There have been sightings of the old music teacher sitting late at night in the school by the night custodians.  Hearing the sounds of a piano playing they follow to investigate.  The claim to smell the distinct odor of vanilla as they approach the auditorium.  Occasionally they have actually seen his apparition in the auditorium playing the piano while smoking his trademark pipe.  Vanilla pipe tobacco was his favorite.
Clearfield Middle School - Clearfield, Pennsylvania


Keeping the old music teacher company in the nether world at Clearfield Middle School is the ghost of a young girl.  She has been spotted hanging around the ramp area where the buses load and unload the children.  You see, this is the spot where the girl was accidentally struck and killed by a bus.  So now she spends eternity waiting for the bus that she never got on.




Sunday, October 17, 2010

Lakemont Park Altoona, PA - The Haunted Roller Coaster

Altoona Pennsylvania is home to Lakemont Park.  It has been known as various names over the years, but it is one of the oldest amusement parks in the United States constructed in 1894.  It is also home to the oldest roller coaster in the world.  The roller coaster is called Leap-the-Dips and was built in 1902 and is the oldest wooden roller coaster of it's type.



At one point in the roller coaster's history, a maintenance worker was working on one of the tracks when he was struck and killed by the coaster during a test run.




Over the years there have been stories of folks riding the roller coaster and spotting a man working on the tracks during their ride.  When the ride ends and they report the close proximity of the man on the tracks, making sure the ride operator knew the worker was there, they learn that there was no maintenance worker working on the coaster at that time.  What they have seen is the ghost of the dead maintenance man killed long ago.





Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Imps of Amity Hall Hotel - Duncannon, PA

Amity Hall Hotel located in Duncannon, PA is host to a strange sort of haunt. Long ago, before the days of the Civil War the building was a residence.  Apparently, the man went crazy one night and killed the entire family.  The woman was found stabbed and beaten to death on the front porch. The husband and kids were found upstairs.  After murdering his kids, he took his own life.

Amity Hall Hotel in Duncannon, PA


Over the years the house was used as a hotel for travelers along the Pennsylvania Canal route.  It served as a hospital during the Civil War.  Unexplained sightings have taken place both inside and outside of the house. Particularly in the upstairs, strange blue or white lights have been seen.  Sometimes glowing eerily, sometimes bright flashes.  An apparition of a woman has been seen staring out of the attic window.  These paranormal occurrences seem particularly active when men are present.


Artist rendition of imps


Outside of the Hotel in the parking lot, there have been sightings of small ominous looking dark shadowy figures roaming around the parking area.  It is believed that these are a sort of shadow being of imps which are a demon like creature. These figures are seen predominantly when males are present and linger outside their vehicles. Perhaps these are the spirits of the murdered children roaming the grounds, causing mischief whenever they can searching for their murdering father.


Artist interpretation of imps

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Baker Mansion in Altoona, PA - The Haunted Wedding Dress

The Baker Mansion in Altoona was built in 1849 by Elias Baker who made his fortune in the iron industry. Elias, being from high society, was distraught when he found out that his daughter Anna was in love with a local steel worker.  He forbid her to marry him due to his "lower" class status.  Anna remained true to her love and never married another and died in 1914.
Baker Mansion in Altoona, Pennsylvania

The mansion was later turned into a museum and is now the home of the Blair County Historical Society.  A wedding dress believed to belong to Elizabeth Dysart, a member of the Bell family who later occupied that house, was put in a glass case of what was formerly Anna Baker's room.  Some have said that especially on nights of a full moon, they have seen the dress move on it's own as if occupied by a phantom bride.  Perhaps that of Anna Baker eternally waiting for her love to marry her?  Recently it has been reported that for unknown reasons, the dress is no longer on display.  Could Anna's long lost love returned for her?

Haunted wedding dress of Baker Mansion


An apparition of a woman dressed in black has been seen roaming the upstairs of the house.  It is believed that this was the matriarch of the Baker household.

Anna and her mother are not the only ghosts who haunt Baker Mansion.  Once on a tour, a young boy refused to enter the basement claiming he saw a soldier standing at the bottom of the stairs.  Screams have also been heard coming from the basement area.  While not a soldier, Anna Baker's brother David, once served on a steamboat.  He was killed in an accident while on board.  When his body arrived home, the ground was too frozen to bury him.  So they stored his body in the basement of the home in the ice room until the ground thawed and they could properly bury him.