Most well known for it's Gettysburg ghosts, Pennsylvania is awash with spirits.
hotels & inns restaurants roads & bridges taverns theaters tourist spots
Jim Thorpe - The
Inn at Jim Thorpe
A faceless lady in Victorian attire has
disappeared into closed doors. Room 211 has a problem with the TV going on and
off by itself. Men are especially targeted - items disappear then
reappear in different spots. One man left his boots by the door, as he does
every night. He awoke to find them in the hallway outside. Towels
are found shoved in the toilet. Cigar and cigarette smoke is smelled when no one
is around, and the noises of laughing children are heard when there are no
children around.
Gettysburg
- Cashtown Inn 
A soldier's ghost is seen wandering the
hallways; especially in the summer, he likes to knock on room 4's door and walk
about in the attic.
New
Hope - Logan Inn and Restaurant
Room 6 is supposedly haunted by a "glowing
apparition" and the smell of lavender is noted when it appears. An
18th century soldier has been seen in the restaurant and bar. The stairs
that lead to the men's room has been home to a ghost wearing knickers. A
little girl's ghost has been seen in the parking lot. One of the oldest
buildings in the whole country, it has been said to be haunted for many
generations.
Canadensis
- Pine's Hotel
In this town, whose name closely resembles the medical term for thrush, the ghost of a tall gentleman has been spotted by chambermaids. Evergreen Road
Adi-Kent
Thomas Jeffery Ghost Tours (New Hope)
215-343-5564
Sleepy Hollow of
Gettysburg Candlelight Ghost Tours
Haunted
Places of Gettysburg 717 337-0445
Original
Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tour
Tour Headquarters in the
Civil War House at 271 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA, FREE exhibits and a
variety of tours available. For reservations call 717 337-0445
Morbid
Tourist Tip: Long known as the Mecca for medical oddities in the US,
The Mütter
Museum at Philadelphia College of Physicians in
Philadelphia houses such bizarre relics as a giant diseased colon and a corpse
that somehow turned into a giant bar of soap because of the unusual chemical
makeup of the surrounding soil it was buried in. A must see for any seeker
of the macabre. 19 South 22nd Street. Open daily from 10 - 5. $10, student
discounts available.
Jim Thorpe - Old
Town Jail
A man who was hanged for his involvement with a group of politicos called the Molly Maguires, and swore he was innocent, put his hand on the cell wall just before being led to the gallows. The handprint has remained burned into the wall of cell 17 for over 130 years. His ghost has also allegedly been seen in the cell. 128 West Broadway
Gettysburg
- George George House Museum and Photo Shop
This apparently former home of someone whose mother had a good sense of humor, was the site of a phantom wake. One evening, two tourists were walking around town and looked into the shop's window, and saw a strange sight of a woman sitting with the corpse of a civil war era officer. They though it was very odd, and returned the next day to find no wax dummies but only a modern day photography shop. The proprietor's denied any display of the sort, and one of the spooked witnesses pointed to a wall where she had seen a door the night before. The old doorway was covered with pegboard and wasn't visible to visitors to the shop. General John Reynolds, the highest ranking officer to be killed at the Battle of Gettysburg, was held here prior to his embalming. George George House is a small stone building on Steinwehr Avenue; I was unable to locate a street number or phone number.
Altoona
- Railroader's Memorial Museum 
In Altoona, the "former railroad capital
of the world", this large museum's 3rd floor is reportedly haunted by the ghost
of a dead railroad worker whose eerie photo hangs in the same room.
Workers have heard "walking noises" on vacant floors above.
Gettysburg
- Gettysburg National Park 
This site of the bloodiest battle of the
Civil War (over 50,000 died in hand to hand combat in July of 1863) is no
stranger to ghost stories. The "Devil's Den" area of the park is haunted by the
scruffy phantom specter of a Texas regimen civil war soldier. He appeared
to one woman, who was taking photos, and said "What you're looking for is over
there.", then faded away. A woman in white haunts the "Spangler Springs"
area of the park. Two nurses who were on an evening nature walk saw her
pathetic spirit glowing in the woods; the story is said that she was spurned by
a lover and killed herself in the spot they saw her. Even before the
battle, there was a ghost sighting. Hundreds of Union soldiers from Maine
on the way to the battle were said to have seen the spirit of George Washington
on his horse. As the story goes, he led them to a strategic place on the
battlefield - where a decisive battle took place, which they won partly because
of their location (courtesy of George). This place, "Little Round Top", is
said to be haunted by a headless horseman. The National Cemetery used to
be haunted by the ghost of a Captain William Miller; they only stopped after
mention of his medal of honor was inscribed on his tombstone.
Gettysburg
- The Eisenhower Home
Former president and Mrs. Eisenhower lived
here until their deaths after they left Washington DC. Mamie's ghost is said to
appear in the living room and in her bedroom.
Hummelstown
- Indian Echo Caverns 
In the "rainbow room", a Native American
holding the severed head of an old man with a white beard has appeared to
several people. Local native tribes felt this room of the cavern was where
evil dwelled.
Gettysburg
- Gettysburg College , Cupola of the "Old Form"
This old building of the campus has a tall
cupola that towers over the campus. It was the office of Robert E Lee
during the battle; both Lee and a phantom sentry have been seen pacing atop the
cupola.
Altoona
- Mishler Theater
Ghost of former owner Isaac Mischler has
been seen walking through a wall into what used to be his office. His
cigar smoke has been smelled by staff in the seats - and one smelled it then saw
one of the flip - up seats flip up, as if someone was sitting there.
Phantom footsteps are heard on a catwalk, and an apparition has been seen
walking across the stage. The ashes of 2 former managers are sprinkled in the
basement.
Easton
- State Theater Center for the Arts
The ghost of "Fred", a former manager who
died in the 1950's, has been spotted in the boiler room, stage and sitting in
the boxes. He left pennies for one female employee over the course of
decades - over 70 at this point. His cigar smoke can be smelled when no
one is smoking. The local high school now gives away the "Freddy Award to
outstanding theater students.
Pittsburgh
- The Pittsburgh Playhouse 
This playhouse is a collection of a few
old buildings and is haunted by a group of ghosts: actor John Johns in dressing
room #7 and in a top hat and tails backstage; a lady in white is thought to be
an actress who killed herself and her cheating husband here; a weeping woman in
an empty dressing room who was allegedly killed in a row house fire on the spot,
along with her child; a ghoul with a decomposing green face is said to tap on
the costume shop window and scare the life out of whomever looks. Finally, a
group who held a séance in the theater in the 1970's claim to have seen a male
apparition, dressed entirely in red, who paced nervously back and forth -
gaining speed in his pacing until he lifted off the ground and was bouncing off
of the walls. At this point, they said all of the phones rang and when they
looked at the previously empty theater seats, they were filled with people in
Victorian era clothing. Uh, ...yeah. Craft Avenue
Pittsburgh
- Szechwan Gourmet shadyside neighborhood
A balding old man wearing 1970's attire haunts this bistro, customers report.
New
Hope - Logan Inn and Restaurant
Palmerton
- The Rusty Nail Bar
The face of a former owner who killed himself is seen in a leather covered cabinet under the cash register. 939 Mauch Chunk Road tel:(610) 826-6061
New
Hope - Logan Inn and Restaurant
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(Disclaimer: it is upon the reader of this site to use good judgment in frequenting the places listed herein; it is not the responsibility of the proprietor of ghosttraveller.com if a reader commits an illegal act, such as trespassing, based upon what he or she reads here. It is the reader's responsibility to research the given areas discussed in this forum prior to visiting, and to ensure that it is not illegal to visit said place prior to visiting, or to obtain permission from the owner prior to visiting)
Bibliography
The Shadowlands : an invaluable resource on the net for ghost hunters !!
Weird Travels, The Travel Channel
Travel Channel Secrets, The Travel Channel
"The Ghost Hunters" Sci Fi Channel
Hauck, Dennis William: The National Directory of Haunted Places, Penguin Books 1996
"Ghosts of Gettysburg", The History Channel
