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Defunct Funeral Parlors of Franklin County
338 Lincoln Way East, Chamberburg. Former location of the H.W. Cramer Funeral Parlor. Thanks to the popularity of a previous post, in which I explored the forgotten funeral homes of Luzerne County,...
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The Feely Triple Death Mystery
In 1936, a perplexing triple murder occurred on South Braddock Avenue in Pittsburgh. Described as the "ideal family", five-year-old Bobby, three-year-old Janice, and their mother Eleanor were found...
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The Ghost of Richard Twelves
A view of Kensington from 1916Today, the Philadelphia neighborhood of Kensington is a popular place for hipsters to indulge in their favorite microbrew, or for young urban professionals-- once known...
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Catherine Ward Murders Her Children
Catherine Ward (center) and her children Have you ever driven through a city and came across a vacant lot? That's a ridiculous question, you may say-- after all, most cities are filled with them;...
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The Disappearing Skeleton of Roaring Creek
Around noon on Thursday, April 22, 1926, a young man named Royal Phillips ventured into the Brush Valley woods, on the grounds of the Roaring Creek Water Company just north of Mount Carmel. He had...
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Horrors of the Hillside Home
In 1862, the residents of Providence Township in Lackawanna County decided to establish a poor farm for those who were impoverished, handicapped, elderly, and otherwise unable to work and care for...
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A Haunting in Tryonville
Located between Townville and Centerville in Crawford County, the tiny village of Tryonville is named for a pair of Connecticut brothers, David and James Tryon, who settled here in 1828 and purchased...
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The Enola Mountain Tragedy: The Strange Case of Jeremiah Miller
At the turn of the 20th century, a new village sprouted across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg. Spurred by the growth of the Pennsylvania Railroad, this village-- which came to be known as...
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The Double Deaths of Edward Gallagher
A 19th century streetcar in Pittsburgh Life is full of strange coincidences, but few are as strange as the day in 1892 when two two boys named Edward Gallagher were killed in two separate streetcar...
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Ora Odell: The First Execution in Cameron County
Odell the murderer Though Cameron County was formed in 1860 out of parts of Clinton, Elk, McKean and Potter counties, it wasn't until 1908 when the death sentence was first carried out in the county...
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Man Called For Jury Duty in His Own Murder Trial
In 1910, jury selection was held for the trial of B. Frank Smith, a Uniontown farmer accused of murdering his father and brother-in-law. Among the names drawn at random to serve on the jury was the...
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Defunct Funeral Parlors of Berks County
914 Franklin St., Reading Previously, I wrote blog posts about the defunct funeral parlors of Luzerne County and Franklin County, and today we'll turn our attention to Berks County. Like many counties...
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The Despicable John Gampher
In the backwoods of Cumberland County live some of the kindest, gentlest souls you could imagine; decent, God-fearing folks who'd gladly give you the shirt off their own back or drive you into town if...
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Flesh on Cowcatcher
One reason why fans of all things morbid enjoy reading old newspapers is because of the graphic descriptions of tragic events, such as this incident in 1905 when three men were struck and killed by a...
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The Mystery Corpse of the Pinnacle
Police sketch of man found inside Berks County cave The craggy peak known as "The Pinnacle", the highest point in Berks County, is steeped in legends and myths dating back centuries. The native Lenape,...
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The Haunted House of Wetmore
The McKean County township of Wetmore once boasted an architectural gem of a mansion with a dark and mysterious past. Rumored to the inhabited by maleficent spirits, the "Haunted House of Wetmore", as...
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The Stoverstown Horror: The Burning of Kate Klinedinst
A few miles south of the city of York is the farming village of Stoverstown and the historic borough Spring Grove, famous for its Glatfelter Paper Mill, which has employed generations of local...
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