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    Ghosts of Penn's Woods
    Ghosts of Penn's Woods
    Ghosts of Penn's Woods
    Ebook120 pages1 hour

    Ghosts of Penn's Woods

    By Jeffrey Frazier

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    About this ebook

    Those who enjoy tales of ghosts and the places they haunt will enjoy this volume of ghostly encounters. Particularly since the charm of the stories included herein is enhanced by the fact that most of them come directly from those who experienced them, rather than from a second-hand source. Moreover, the accounts are centered in and around Pennsylvania’s state parks and historic sites, which in and by themselves offer attractions of their own for lovers of the outdoors and the state’s historical heritage. The fact that these places are also home to other-worldly guests should offer an added incentive to those who want to spend their time exploring some of Pennsylvania’s most fascinating natural and supernatural attractions.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJeffrey Frazier
    Release dateAug 6, 2012
    ISBN9780965235198
    Ghosts of Penn's Woods
    Author

    Jeffrey Frazier

    Jeffrey R. Frazier and his wife Helen currently live in Centre Hall, their hometown. Mr. Frazier is author of seven books in a series titled Pennsylvania Fireside Tales. To many folks the title evokes images of an old log cabin sitting somewhere in an isolated and little-settled valley somewhere in the Pennsylvania mountains seventy-five or more years ago. A crackling fire in an ancient stone fireplace makes the interior a cozy place to be on a cold winter’s night, especially in those unhurried days before electricity and automobiles forever changed the times that we now refer to as the “Good Old Days”. No television, radios or computers to break the monotony of the long evenings in those days. Entertainment then was often provided by an old patriarch sitting in his special chair in front of the fireplace. Surrounded by youngsters anxious to hear tales of the olden days, he would begin to talk about Indians, hunters who trailed the wolf and the mountain lion, ghosts, witches, gypsies, moonshiners, and other characters of the long ago; tales the author describes as the “soul” of these dark and rugged hills that we call home. It is these stories that Mister Frazier preserves in his books. The author was born and raised in Centre Hall, Centre County, where he says he grew up in a “Tom Sawyer sort of way”. Some of his fondest memories of that boyhood include explorations of out-of-the-way spots in the mountains and accounts of the legends that seem to cling to them. After graduating from Penn State in 1967 and moving out of state, he realized how much he loved the Pennsylvania mountains and their stories. It was this “home-sickness” that inspired him to collect and write the old-time tales. Since that time he has collected those same anecdotes from all over the state, ranging from the Blue Mountains of Berks and Lehigh Counties, the South Mountains of Adams County, the “Black Forest” area of Potter and Tioga Counties, the Alleghenies of Clearfield and Blair Counties, and the other counties in the middle. Many of the stories often sound “far-fetched” to us today, but Mr. Frazier also tries to find the kernels of truth that might be buried in them. In that way he takes on the role of an investigative reporter or detective, treating each tale as a little mystery. It is because of this approach that he chose “Origins and Foundations of Pennsylvania Mountain Folktales, Legends, and Folklore” as the subtitle for his series of books. Written in a format that the average reader can enjoy, the tales take the reader back to a crackling fire in that cabin nestled among the green valleys of Pennsylvania’s legend-shrouded mountains. He has also, at the urging of his readers, recently published a new book titled “Ghosts of Penns Woods – ghost tales from in and around Pennsylvania state parks and historic sites”. The stories therein should prove particularly appealing to lovers of both the natural and supernatural attractions Pennsylvania has to offer. Mr. Frazier’s books are published by Egg Hill Publishing Company. They can be purchased directly from the author at 113 Cottontail Lane, Centre Hall, Pa. 16828, or they can be ordered through any local bookstore or online at www.pafiresidetales.com. Mr. Frazier also is available for speaking engagements. His lectures, titled “Pennsylvania Legends and Folktales – Fact or Fancy”, include a slide presentation that enhances the old-time legends and folktales he talks about and which are chosen specifically for the area where he is invited to speak.

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      Book preview

      Ghosts of Penn's Woods - Jeffrey Frazier

      Ghosts of Penn’s Woods

      Ghost tales from in and around Pennsylvania State Parks and historic sites

      By Jeffrey R. Frazier

      Copyright © 2012 by Jeffrey R. Frazier

      Smashwords Edition

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.All photos by the author, unless otherwise noted.

      Cover: Ghostly orbs along Slippery Rock Gorge Trail near McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County (see Chapter 3 for more details about the spirits who make this woebegone spot their home).

      Author of Pennsylvania Fireside Tales

      -Volumes 1 through 7

      http://www.pafiresidetales.com/

      It is said that the Spirits of buried men

      Oft come to this wicked world again;

      That the churchyard turf is often trod

      By the unlaid tenants of tomb and sod,

      That the midnight sea itself is swept,

      By those who have long beneath it slept.

      And they say of this old, mossy wood,

      Whose hoary trunks have for ages stood,

      That every knoll and dim-lit glade

      Is haunted at night by its restless shade.

      ––The Haunted Wood by Isaac McLellan (1806-1899)

      Those who hike around the Loop Trail at Bear Meadows Natural Area near Boalsburg in Centre County may not see any ghosts there, but they may see this natural gargoyle, which, when we spotted it in 2007, provided a touch of the paranormal to this unusual spot.

      Table of Contents

      I. Ricketts Glen State Park 1

      II. Ricketts Glen State Park 2

      III. McConnells Mill State Park

      IV. Fort Roberdeau State Historic Site

      V. Trough Creek State Park

      VI. Hickory Run State Park

      VII. R. B. Winter State Park

      VIII. Worlds End State Park

      IX. Gettysburg National Military Park 1

      X. Gettysburg National Military Park 2

      XI. Scotia Barrens

      XII. Poe Valley State Park 1

      XIII. Poe Valley State Park 2

      XIV. Hairy Johns

      XV. Cornwall Furnace

      Introduction

      For those who may not remember or not know, the name Pennsylvania was bestowed upon the state by King Charles II of England when he granted the land to William Penn in 1681. Quaker Penn, in modest fashion, had suggested that his province be simply named Sylvania, meaning Woodland, but the king wanted to honor Penn’s father, an admiral in the British navy, and so the name chosen was Pennsylvania, or Penn’s Woods. The name was appropriate then because the state at that time was a vast woodland, and it seems appropriate that the same name is used as part of the title for this volume since the stories it contains are from those parts of the state that have been preserved as throwbacks to the time of William Penn and that period when the woods could still be found in their ancient state.

      As my wife likes to say, It’s not hard to fall in love with the woods; and we both agree that that’s particularly true in the fall of the year. When autumn comes it can inspire us with its beauty, but it can also sadden us. Because it’s then that whiffs of dried leaves and dying plants serve as melancholy reminders of the passing of yet another year, and as the winds stir them their rustlings also cause us to pause and listen. To some it’s the pause that refreshes, just another way of enjoying nature, but to others the sounds might stimulate other thoughts; ideas that the soft chatter is something almost supernatural, and that, if we are even more attentive and observe even more carefully, we might actually see the passing of a ghost.

      Why is it that the dark shadows of the deep woods seem to draw us to them? Is it a vague notion that they hold secrets that we must discover, a deep-seated need to find those who can tell us their little-remembered tales, or do the ghosts they harbor whisper to us in an attempt to draw us in and keep them company? There are those who would say that the latter is true; that there are ghosts in Penn’s Woods; images of air that are lonely, remorseful, and on an endless quest. In fact, during the forty plus years I’ve spent collecting Pennsylvania’s legends and folktales (see www.pafiresidetales .com) many people have asked me if I believe in ghosts myself.

      My personal opinion is that the phenomenon is a real one, but the tales that follow are not meant to persuade anyone as to whether ghosts have supernatural origins or are artifacts of something that does not transcend the laws of nature at all; something explainable that is a part of nature that remains hidden to us. I do believe, however, that the encounters recorded in this book will go a long way toward persuading some that ghosts are not just figments of certain gullible individuals’ imaginations. In fact I would go so far as to say that the individuals who told me their stories would all serve as reliable jurists in any court of law; none would be classed as heavy drinkers, drug users, or compulsive liars.

      The approach used to compile the stories was three-fold. First the tales needed to be centered in or around Pennsylvania’s state parks and historic sites in order to create an interest in and an appreciation for the natural and historic treasures Pennsylvania has to offer, particularly since Pennsylvania’s State Park system was named the National Gold Medal Award Winner as best in the country for 2009-2011. Secondly I wanted the tales to be first-hand accounts; that is, heard directly from those who experienced the chilling events themselves rather than secondhand accounts handed down to my sources by others. Thirdly, if first-hand sources could not be found I then wanted to see if I could obtain a photo of the ghost site which manifested the phenomenon known to ghost hunters as orbs.

      There are those who think the circular white objects that sometimes unexpectedly appear in digital photos, especially those taken at night or in dimly lit circumstances where a flash is needed to illuminate the object being photographed, are spirit manifestations, or actual physical evidence of ghosts who wish to make their presence known to us. But to those who have studied the phenomena scientifically the orbs, as they are often referred to, do have a more mundane explanation. To these experts the white balls of light are nothing more than reflections, or backscatter, off foreign particles like dust, pollen, water droplets, or other similar objects, on or behind the camera lens.

      Nonetheless, these mysterious spheres do cause us to ponder them when they appear in photos of supposedly haunted spots, and so there will always be those who prefer to think of them as having otherworldly origins. Readers of the following pages who hope to see such photos will not be disappointed since there are a number of these types of pictures. But it’s the stories themselves that might hold an even greater appeal to those who wish to become further acquainted with Pennsylvania’s ghosts and ghostly lore. May your armchair journey be filled with happy hauntings.

      RICKETTS GLEN STATE PARK 1

      Visitors to Ricketts Glen State Park in Luzerne, Sullivan, and Columbia Counties are most likely drawn here by its scenic waterfalls, and there’s no doubt that the publicity is well-deserved and accurate. The hike along the Falls Trail will afford the adventurous with views of twenty-one impressive mini-Niagara’s whose cascading heights range from 11-feet to 94-feet,

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