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.

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.

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.