Keystone Specters in Pennsylvania’s Haunted Hotspots

As one of the oldest states, Pennsylvania’s storied past brings a wealth of ghostly tales, paranormal encounters and haunted locations. Want to catch a glimpse of some Keystone State specters? Look no further.  

1. Farnsworth Ghosts – Farnsworth House Inn, Gettysburg 

Pennsylvania’s most notoriously haunted destination, Gettysburg has been home to countless ghost encounters. 

Built in 1810, the Farnsworth House Inn is said to be the home of at least 16 spirits, all with distinct names and personalities. These include that of an eight-year-old boy, several Civil War soldiers and a former midwife. Guests at the inn have reported hearing mysterious breathing, grunts, voices and harp music, as well as the lingering scent of cigars.  

The inn’s infamous “Sara Black Room” is considered the property’s most haunted room. Several photographs have captured an apparition in the room’s window from the street below.  

2. Spirit of Room 932 – Historic Hotel Bethlehem, Bethlehem  

It’s believed that various ghosts wander the halls of the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, but Room 932 is said to be the most paranormal. One couple staying in the room reported waking up in the middle of the night to meet a man standing over the bed, asking, “Why are you in my room?” before disappearing once the lights were turned on.  

Other happenings have included strange, momentary reflections appearing in the room’s mirrors, flashing lights, papers flying off the desk or standing upright and the bathroom wallpaper turning pink. In 2007, a paranormal investigator stayed in 932 and recorded voices saying phrases like, “It’s Mary” and “I’ve locked myself in the closet.” 

3. The Molly Maguires – Old Jail Museum, Jim Thorpe 

Visitors have reported seeing strange, shadowy figures, hearing loud bangs and being shoved aside by ghostly inmates at the 19th-century Old Jail Museum, formerly known as the Carbon County Jail. In the warden’s apartment area of the museum, it’s said that objects move around on their own and the sound of pots and pans clanging can be heard – perhaps the ghost of the warden’s wife.  

The site is most known for the hangings of seven Irish coal miners known as the Molly Maguires, which occurred from 1877-79. The union group advocated to receive fair treatment for their work and held several labor strikes. After unpeaceful protests and violent conflicts, the group was convicted of murder. Before their hanging, the men claimed their innocence, and one, thought to be inmate Thomas Fisher, placed a dirty handprint on the wall of his prison cell, saying, “This handprint will remain as proof of my innocence.” 

After years of washing, scrubbing, repainting and replastering, the handprint remains today.  

4. Hill View Haunters – Haunted Hill View Mansion, New Castle 

The Hill View Manor, originally known as The Lawrence County Home for the Aged, opened in 1926 and housed mentally ill, financially destitute and elderly residents, then referred to as “inmates.” It closed in 2004 before opening soon after to offer historic haunted tours.  

Hill View specters include a small boy, referred to as Jeffrey, who appears to be six or seven years old. Legends say that the sight of Jeffrey is an omen of an impending death. Other ghosts wandering the grounds include a man in the boiler room who asks visitors to immediately leave, a woman named Mary Virginia who hangs around room 105 and a piano player who continues to play even after death.  

5. Al Capone and Other Prisoners – Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia 

Operating from 1829 to 1971, the Eastern State Penitentiary is another notoriously haunted Pennsylvanian site. Once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, holding nearly 85,000 inmates (including infamous gangster Al Capone), the property is now in ruin. However, its history of harsh punishments, tortured prisoners and various tales of violence still stands.  

Echoing voices, cackling, darting shadows, painful screaming, creepy laughing and visions of ghostly faces have been reported throughout the penitentiary’s various cellblocks. Along with Capone and other tortured prisoners, the ghosts of Eastern State Penitentiary are thought to include James Clark, who was a victim of Capone’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, and murderer Joseph Taylor, who earned more time at the penitentiary when he bludgeoned an overseer to death in 1884.