Creepy Sites to Visit (in PA!)

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            I love anything creepy or scary. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a horror movie junkie. I love the adrenaline rush that comes with them. In the small town I grew up in, it was one of the only things that provided thrill from terror, besides occasionally messing around with a Ouija board. Which never really happened. So horror movies it was. My friends and I used to go to outdoor haunted mazes around Halloween, which always got us to thinking how scary it would be to actually visit some supposedly haunted site. Of course, we didn’t actually know of any, besides my one friend’s grandparent’s house that apparently had ghosts. (Whenever her family went to visit, she would stay at my house). Because as much as we adored horror and thriller movies, we never actually put ourselves in a situation that could be potentially scary. I mean, we all once “camped” outside in my friend’s massive backyard out near a farm and basically huddled together at every slight noise we heard.

           

www.weirdus.com/states/pennsylvania

            Just as my friend’s and I share this love for the terrifying unusual (when safely cuddled under blankets), so did my dad. One day he came home and shared a book with me that he bought: Weird Pennsylvania. It had tales of alleged ghosts and oddities in our state. Some were even close to us. I remember reading this book with my dad when I was younger and contemplating taking a small road trip to check them out. It’d be inexpensive, interesting, and a cool way to travel within your own state. And heck, you might even get some cool stories from it.

            So maybe one day I’ll get a group of friend’s together, hop in a car, and check out some of these sites for a scary thrill:

www.weirdus.com/states/pennsylvania

Devil’s Road, the setting for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, where misshapen trees lead up to the Cult House, which has various rumors surrounding it’s use, including Satanic practices or association with the DuPont family, who may have participated in some vague cult’s ceremonies. Apparently it is not uncommon to still see activity in the woods, and those brave enough to check it out have reported being chased off the road by black SUVs or followed by red trucks. Creepy… maybe I’ll stay in the car for that one! Actually, considering the state has attempted to stop thrill-seekers by making you susceptible to fines, I would gladly settle with a look out the window as I pass by.

Devil's Den
publications.usa.gov

Farnsworth House
gettysburgdaily.com

The Ghosts of Gettysburg. At the National Military Park, or more specifically at Devil’s Den, a rock formation at which a battle of the Civil War occurred, which I actually have already visited (albeit on a fifth grade field trip in the bright sunlight…) you can supposedly see spectral shadows, and may even get a visit from a young ghost called the “Helpful Hippy of Devil’s Den,” who gives advice on the best area of the rock formation for a picture. And while you’re in Gettysburg, check out the Farnsworth House Inn which is known for it’s paranormal activity, some of which is turned into lucrative entertainment, and some that is too disturbing for visitors, such as the figure of man in an upstairs room, sobbing and carrying a child, or in the cellar, where a voice can be heard softly singing, accompanied by chilling temperatures.

            There’s so many more, but these are the ones I remember distinctly reading when I was younger. I think they were the ones that seemed particularly bone-chilling, and therefore intriguing, to me. If I ever get the guts to go on a road-trip around our weird state, some of these sites will definitely make the list. And if you’re interested in checking these out yourself, here’s the website, with an abridged version of the list:

 http://www.weirdus.com/states/pennsylvania/index.php