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The Supernatural Experience of Henry Ort
The grave of Henry OrtJust outside of Lewistown is a picturesque little valley of patchwork farms and ancient barns. Known as Ort's Valley, this place was the home of John and Mary Ort, who were among...
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Solving the Mystery of the Safe Harbor Petroglyphs
Amid the rapids of the Susquehanna River near Safe Harbor in Lancaster County are many large rocks, partially submerged, with curious inscriptions. These petroglyphs-- carved in an assortment of animal...
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Meteorites in the Mines
Delaware & Hudson No. 5 breaker, PlymouthMiners descending into the bowels of the earth might expect to make strange discoveries deep underground, but very few would expect to stumble across...
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A Ghostly Fireball in Shickshinny
A Victorian Era depiction of ball lightningOn a summer evening in 1889, a mysterious ball of fire drifted into the home of Charles Miller in the tiny Luzerne County borough of Shickshinny. After...
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The Legend of Margaret Duncan's Burying Ground
In the waning years of the 19th century, the city of Philadelphia lost one of its most curious and morbid historical landmarks-- an obscure graveyard hidden in the center of an urban jungle, where the...
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James and Alvy Boylan: The Master Gravestone Carvers of Bedford County
Until the construction of railroads in the late 19th century, Bedford County was regarded as a wild and untamed place with few settlers. Villages were few and far between, and when it came time for...
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William Hummel and the Montgomery Murders of 1899
William HummelThe small town of Montgomery in Lycoming County was thrust into the national spotlight on Thursday, November 23, 1899, after a chilling discovery was made under a haystack. Wrapped in...
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Killed by train on way to his mother's funeral
This tragic story comes from the Scranton Republican, Feb. 12, 1902.
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The Mysterious Suicide of a Penn State Professor
In the summer of 1947 a well-liked zoology professor from Penn State University went missing. Despite a massive month-long search involving hundreds of concerned students, law enforcement officials and...
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The Virgin Mary of Elysburg
This usual story comes from the January 1, 1896 edition of the Allentown Morning Call.
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Jacob Bupp: The Hangman's Ropemaker
I've written about many hangings on this blog over the years, but, until recently, never gave much thought to the people responsible for manufacturing the ropes used to by the hangmen whose job was to...
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Matricide in McKean County: The Hanging of Ralph Crossmire
Ralph CrossmireThe rural village of Farmer's Valley in McKean County was thrown into a frenzy of excitement in the fall of 1892 when the body of Lucetta Crossmire, a middle-aged widow, was found...
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The Mystery Skeletons of Oyster Paddy's Tavern
During the 19th century, a tavern situated at the corner of First Avenue and Ferry Street (now known as Stanwix Street) served as the secret hideout for some of Pittsburgh's most dangerous...
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The Widger Gang and a Potter County Murder Mystery
Potter County during the Lumber EraIn the years leading up to the Civil War, Potter County was a sparsely-populated wilderness where bandits and horse thieves struck fear in the hearts of the early...
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The Secret Crimes of Joseph Wojtcziak
Downtown Hazleton as it appeared in the 1920s.It was shortly before 3 o'clock on the afternoon of Monday, April 29, 1935, when Joseph Petrilla, an employee of the Hazle Drug Company, decided to take a...
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Colonel Noah Parker and the Myth of Blackbeard's Treasure
Eight miles north of Emporium, in the wilderness of McKean County, lies the ghost town of Gardeau. Once a prosperous lumber town with over a thousand residents, Gardeau is home to more rattlesnakes...
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The Legend of David Ogle's Grave
The grave of David Ogle (photo by Gina Zeigler-Park)In the woods behind Susquenita High School, at the foot of Cove Mountain, lies a burial plot which has been shrouded in mystery and steeped in legend...
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The Lynching of Zachariah Walker
Coatesville HospitalAccording to figures compiled by the Tuskegee Institute, there were 4,743 lynchings in the United States between 1882 and 1968. Of these, only eight took place in the Keystone...
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