Sep 22, 06 | 1:17 pm
Ghosts and goblins are nothing new to Philadelphia and The Countryside™, an area known for historic sites, colonial-era graveyards and centuries-old buildings. What many people don’t know is that many of the original residents of historic Philadelphia never left town. The area is among America’s most fun haunted destinations, a region rich with colorful ghostly lore.
Here’s a look at Philadelphia’s scariest spots:
Ghostly Attractions:
- Eastern State Penitentiary, a grim 172-year-old former state prison, was once home to famous inmates Al Capone and Willie Sutton. Pained former prisoners are said to haunt Eastern State’s dark Gothic halls. Halloween staff regularly report seeing the “Soap Lady” dressed in white in the last cell on the second floor. Terror Behind the Walls, a Halloween tour of the 12-acre site, is offered by candlelight, with visits to The Asylum, Cellblock of Lost Souls and a Tunnel Escape included in the “fun.” Not for the faint of heart. 20th Street & Fairmount Avenue, (215) 236-5111
- Perhaps the city’s most haunted spot, St. Peter’s Church Cemetery has been home to ghosts for more than a century. Some spectators have seen a horse-drawn carriage charging through the center of the graveyard and through the church. Others say restless Native American chiefs roam the grounds and the spirit of a colonial African American man can sometimes be seen walking in the graveyard by moonlight. 4th & Pine Streets
- Ghastly guide Abigail Wallace leads Once Upon A Nation’s Cobwebs & Cobblestones tour of historic Philadelphia in October, visiting sites like the Betsy Ross House, where Old Glory’s seamstress haunts her home and burial site, sometimes crying at the foot of a bed. Nearby, Carpenter’s Hall is rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of the nation’s first bank robbers, who knocked off a city bank in 1798. The tour recounts dark tales of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793, and a gravedigger shares secrets entombed within Christ Church Burial Ground. 500 Arch Street, (215) 629-4026
- Historic Waynesborough, an 18th-century mansion and home of Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne, is said to be haunted by one of his descendants, Hannah Wayne. On her way up to the attic with a candle, Hannah got caught in the trap door and accidentally set herself on fire. No one heard her screams, until she threw the candleholder and broke the window. Over the years people have reported hearing the crash of broken glass followed by screaming and crying but no broken glass is ever found. 2049 Waynesborough Road, Paoli, (610) 647-1779
Haunted Hotels:
- The charming, antiques-filled Bucksville House Bed & Breakfast has several guests who never checked out. Presences have been confirmed in at least one of the inn’s guest rooms, when a psychic felt the presence of a man pacing between the fireplace and the window. The former owner’s son saw a man wearing a string tie and a flat-tipped black hat who sometimes appeared at the foot of the bed in one of the rooms. There are marked “cold spots” in the inn, and items tend to disappear and appear in the most unexpected places. Even the Ghost Hunter’s Alliance of Philadelphia recorded voices and found “hot spots” in the inn. 4501 Durham Road, Kintnersville, (610) 847-8948
- A ghost has been known to pay a visit to Suite 309 of The Radnor Hotel. First sighted hovering on the ceiling, the woman proceeds down the wall to the door and then vanishes into the hallway. Some guests have even seen her presence in the hallway in the early morning. 591 E. Lancaster Avenue, St. Davids, (610) 688-5800
- Several guests at the historic Black Bass Hotel in Bucks County could be considered long-term tenants. Guests have seen a woman in white walking the halls and sometimes sitting in a guestroom with a pearl-handled revolver in her lap. Old Hans, an original innkeeper who was stabbed to death in a tavern brawl, is another restless spirit. A pool of blood appears periodically on the tavern floor as a reminder of his violent death. 3774 River Road, Lumberville (215) 297-5770
Otherworldly Restaurants:
- At City Tavern, a historic restaurant in Old City Philadelphia, a former waiter is always on the job. Legend has it that he was the unintended victim of a bar room duel. To this day, proprietor/chef Walter Staib reports that table settings are moved and silverware clatters. A specter in a bloodied white shirt is sometimes seen falling to the floor before it disappears. 138 S. 2nd Street, (215) 413-1443
- Cresheim Cottage Café, now a friendly neighborhood café in Chestnut Hill, was the first house built along Germantown Avenue in 1748. Through the years, a young female ghost in pink Victorian clothing with a satin bow and dark corkscrew curls has been sighted; the owners call her Emily. An attic door mysteriously opens and shuts and unexplained thumps in the halls spooked contractors when they were renovating the building several years ago. 7402 Germantown Avenue, (215) 248-4365
- Servers at Crier in the Country, a New French mansion turned restaurant and inn in Glen Mills, love to tell ghost stories. It’s believed that two former owners, Lydia Powell and Henry Saulineer, still watch over the property, which dates back to 1740. One diner saw the reflection of Lydia in a white Victorian dress in the men’s room mirror. When the diner turned around to look at the woman, the spirit vanished. The wait staff frequently finds silverware piled in the center of the dining room tables, a prank that happens on a regular basis. Routes 1 & 261, Glen Mills, (610) 358 2411
For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit http://www.gophila.com or call 1-888-GO-PHILA (1-888-467-4453).