Legends of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is nicknamed the Keystone State and was named after Admiral William Penn's father.[1] Pennsylvania is one of the original American colonies and the state motto is Virtue, Liberty, and Independence.

Pennsylvania's history is rich in local lore and legends. From the backwoods, to the coal mines and inner cities legends abound. Travelling the highways and byways and talking to the "locals", you will hear of ghosts, strange creatures and abandoned buildings rich in bizarre secrets.

Let's explore some of the legends coming from all over the Keystone State.

First is the Legend of the Albino Cannibals of Ghost Mountain[2] near Sellersville is said to live high up in the woods on Haycock Mountain. Legend has it that they are cannibalistic, child-stealing, rock-salt-shooting and they ambush any travelers that they encounter. One local said that they live in a house with a glass deck and if you go on their property they will chase you and shoot at you with a shot-gun loaded with rock salt.

Bloody Mary is said to have lived deep in the forest in a small cottage and she sold herbal remedies for a living.[3] The local people called her Bloody Mary and call her a witch. They claimed that if you would cross her she could cause the cows to dry up, food to rot and children to get sick. One day young girls began to disappear, families search all over town, in the woods and also went to Bloody Mary's place. She claimed no knowledge of the girls, but the people noticed that she looked younger and more attractive. One night the daughter of the miller rose from her bed and walked out into the woods as if in a trance. Her mother and father call to her but she would not stop, so they called for help and ran after her. Seeing a strange light up ahead the people ran towards it, there was Bloody Mary hold a magic wand pointing at the Miller's daughter.

The townsmen grabbed their guns and pitchforks and ran after Bloody Mary. They shot her in the hip and carried her back into a field. There they burned her at the stake. As she burned she screamed curses at the people, saying that if anyone mentioned her name aloud before a mirror, her spirit would come and revenge herself upon them.

From that day on, it is said that if you chant Bloody Mary's name three times before a darkened mirror her spirit will come and tear your body to pieces and rip your soul from your body. Your soul will burn as Bloody Marys did and you will be trapped in the mirror forever. "Dare to Try It"!

Pittsburgh's Green Man[4] is a legend that started somewhere in Pittsburgh. It is said that he was struck by lightning or somehow shocked, resulting in his skin turning green, his face horribly disfigured and his features melted together.

Some say he died immediately and people see his ghost or he lived and comes out only at night. If you drive out to near one of the many abandoned railroad tunnels and turn off you headlights and call to him he will come. The problem is if he does come, the electricity from him will mess you car up and it won't start.

There is much myth to the story of the Green Man, but most people don't know that he actually existed.[5] Supposedly his name was Ray Robinson, and he lived just outside the small town of Koppel in Beaver County. He roamed the night because he was disfigured and was afraid to walk around in public during the day. Some say he was flying a kite that got caught in the power lines, and others day he was climbing a telephone pole to retrieve his kite, but all say he was electrocuted, disfiguring his face and arm.

The Woman In White[6] is a legend coming to us from Spangler's Spring on the Battlefield of Gettysburg. The original legend was of a woman who had committed suicide over a broken love-pack, who now strides the misty grounds of the area, never to rest until promises are no longer broken. Another form of this legend is that she is Nun that was administering to the wounded and dying during the battle. She was seen by the current owners of a house only a couple of hundred yards from Spangler's Spring. She is seen at the top of the staircase and her name was Maria. She is said to appear at the Pennsylvania Monument, Spangler's Spring and the house on Baltimore Street.

The Haunts of the Cashtown Inn[7]is an historic inn located in Cashtown Pa. It was build around 1797 as the first stagecoach stop west of Gettysburg and became well know for its lodging, food and drink. During the Gettysburg Campaign, Gen A.P. Hill of the Confederate Army made the Inn his headquarters.

The current owners have a Guest Log Book[8] that they ask their guest to write their experiences in while staying at the Inn. On November 12, 1996 "As I was sleeping, something awakened me. I felt something heavy lying on my back as I was curled somewhat sideways with my husband. Several moments later it felt as if "he" went through my body! I felt terrible pain-as if I felt pain from some deep wound on "his" body." November 2, 1996 "Last night, at exactly 2:36 a.m., I felt someone get up off the edge of the bed (as if someone were sitting at my side-it was very strange" December 22, 1996 "This was our first time at the Cashtown Inn. We heard all the stories and unbelievable takes about the inn and we were both anxious to see or hear something that would be in accordance with the tales. At 2:07 a.m., we awoke to a loud rapping on the window. After we sat there in bed for a few minutes, it happened again...and again. This went on until about 5 a.m. All through the night, we both heard footsteps, but could not tell where they were coming from".

The Ape Boy of the Chester Swamps[9] was an ugly boy who lived in Chester back in the early days. He was tall, thin, gangly, red-headed, and really unspeakably hideous. His peers taunted him so mercilessly that he ran away into the swamps around the Delaware River, not too far from where the Commodore Barrie "Bridge now crosses over to Gloucester County, NJ. He was never seen again, that is as a boy. He roamed thru the swamps and mutated into a half-ape, half-human creature with thick reddish fur and an appetite for any small mammals or fish or birds he could catch with his bare hands. Today some say he still roams the Tinicum Watershed Wildlife Preserve. If you visit there keep your eyes open, you may see something matted red-brown fur, scrabbling around in the undergrowth!

These tales and legends are very intriguing to me; they make everyday hum-drum life a little more exciting and interesting. You may or may not believe in ghosts, or the unexplained, but one thing for certain is that somewhere, somebody is seeing or experiencing the unexplained. Can they all be wrong?

[1] www.pa.gov

[2] Weird Pennsylvania by Matt Lake

[3] www/americanfolklore.net

[4] Weird Pennsylvania by Matt Lake

[5] Joel Rickenbach, Eeriepa.net

[6] Ghosts of Gettysburg III by Mark Nesbitt

[7] Haunts of the Cashtown Inn by Suzanne Gruber & Bob Wasel

[8] Haunts of the Cashtown Inn by Suzanne Gruber & Bob Wasel

[9] Weird Pennsylvania by Matt Lake