Swamp Church & The Weeping Spirit

 

Bethesda Church aka Swamp Church

     In a secluded area of Centre county on an old dirt road, sits an abandon church with a lot of history. Bethesda Church was one of the first churches in the area and was founded in 1855. More commonly the church is known by its nick-name “Swamp Church” due to the proximity to the marshy land of Penns Creek. The church had been in service for more than 5 generations and even held the wedding of the current owners Hans and Shirley Sennholz. The last public service as held in 1961. It now sits dormant along Swamp Church Rd. a short distance from Penns Cave. Occasionally the doors of the church open for private events and weddings.

Side view of Swamp Church

      A few local legends circulate around Swamp Church, such as, phantom bells ringing, and ghostly apparitions wondering the property. One story has seem to stick around and was first documented by witnesses in the 1880's. On a chilly night in the beginning of May, Mr. and Mrs. Schultz were relaxing on there porch before bed. At first Mr. Schultz thought he saw a faint outline of a person walking along Swamp Church Rd. but dismissed it with a second glance. The couple was about to go into their home when they both saw a women wearing a white dress carrying something. The women in white then approached the stairs of Bethesda Church. Her distant weeping alarmed Mr. Schultz and he went to investigate and offer help. As Mr. Schultz got closer he was able to make out the spirit saying “William”. The account of what happened next is split in two. One surviving account tells that when the women approached the church, there was a baby in her hands. She pleaded and cried to be let into the church but the doors would not open and she faded away. Another account states once she arrived at the church doors, they flung open and the gas lanterns inside burst with light. The weeping woman then proceeded to walk down the rows of pews showing her child and then faded away once she reached the pulpit.

      Most accounts of the story agree upon the history behind the weeping woman. She was to be married to a solider named William. He was a solider during the 1860's in the Civil War. William and his bride to be conceived a child the night before he left for duty. William, or Will as he is sometimes mentioned, was later killed in battle with others in the 148^th Company D regiment of Pennsylvania in 1862 and never returned to her. The congregation rejected her for baring a child out of wed lock and shunned her. The legend claims that her restless spirits still longs for the congregations acceptance. Legend has it, that on the night of May 3^rd when conditions are right you can still see her walking along the road and trying to win the churches favor.

     I would like to end by just reminding my readers that the church and its grounds are privately owned and please be respectful.

Keller Church & The Dean Family Massacre

     

Keller Church

     Right off of Rt. 22 on Fox Run Road there is a small church and cemetery with an almost forgotten past. Keller Church is in Catherine township on top of a hill, and has not held a service in years. The Church was founded in 1846 and was the prominent burial ground for the Keller family and other families in the Canoe Valley. The church is made of brick on a limestone foundation. The cemetery is adjacent on the hill-side with tall pine trees over the graves. A little history also lies with one of the occupants of the cemetery, Matthew Dean. 

 

      Living near Keller church for a part of my life, I stumbled across this piece of history while taking photographs of historical places in my area. I found a memorial to the Dean family which reads,"Massacred by Indians October 1780." I had forgotten about the memorial for a few years; however, Recently I had revisited this site and look deeper into its history.

      Matthew Dean was of Irish decent and made his home approximately 3 miles southwest of Waterstreet Pennsylvania. In the late 1700's while the Revolutionary War was taking place in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, a lot of the rural parts of the state were still faced with the remnants of the French and Indian War. In the autumn of 1780, the wife and three children of Matthew Dean were killed by Indians at their home in what is now Catherine township. Some accounts of the massacre say the family was burned in the home while others only say they were scalped and murdered. Most of the accounts tend to agree that Mr. Dean and his oldest children were at work in the fields when the raid happened on the homestead. Mr. Dean and his son found the remains of his family and they were later buried in Keller cemetery. Matthew Dean later died in April of 1781 and was buried in Hart's log Cemetery near Alexandria PA.

      This is just one of the many accounts of Indian raids and massacres that happened in central Pennsylvania. Some accounts have been lost to history; were as, others hold ground in our world by small memorials or accounts passed from generations. I hope to continue to investigate these incidents and keep them alive for another generation.

Lost Resting Places: Brua Family Cemetery

Brua Cemetery

      I had recently wrote a blog about the Bura Family of Franktown and the remnants of their mansion and orchard. Upon researching the families property I found out they had a family cemetery but failed to find the location. Finally, I have was able to track down this elusive cemetery. The grave yard sits a short walk from the foundations of the Brua home. You can also get to this cemetery by parking along Locke Mt. Road and walking up a hill to a grove of pine trees. Not many monuments are left, and many of the markers are fieldstones. The cemetery is in disarray but at one time was the main cemetery for Frankstown until the Geeseytown Cemetery was built. As always, if you plan to visit this resting place be respectful.

 

Lost Resting Places: Allegheny Cemetery

Former Allegheny Cemetery

      Recently I have been researching some of the lesser known cemeteries in central Pennsylvania. Living near Altoona, I have become very familiar with the early people who built the city. One of

Base of a grave marker

which being the Baker family.Elias Baker, a prominent Iron Master of the area, built his home The Baker Mansion and the Allegheny Furnace in Altoona. The mansion and remnants of the furnace still exist and are now in the care of the Blair County Historical Society. Elias Baker and much of his family and employees now rest in the Fairview Cemetery in Altoona.  A little known detail is that he was first put to rest in the Allegheny Cemetery. The Allegheny, or sometimes referred to as Baker cemetery, used to be located along the ridge above the furnace. The Baker family and employees of the furnace were buried there.The first interment was an infant of a furnace worker in 1812.  I say “used to be” since the bodies of the cemetery have now since been moved. The only remainders of the cemetery are a few scattered bases of tombstones and the indentations where graves once were. The almost forgotten grave yard now lies behind the Altoona Mirror building and is covered in creeping myrtle and lily of the valley giving it an eerie feeling. The cemetery had been restored a few times in the past; the last time being in the 1970's. Not much else is known about the cemetery and no current records indicate who owns the property.

Leaves filling in the recessed ground