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| Coles Water Tank Shelter |
Recently I heard a lead about a ghost
that used to terrorize locals near the Coles Station of the East
Broad Top Railroad (EBT). Living only about an hour away from parts
of the EBT, I never really looked into the history of the rail line
or its importance. I was pleased to find out some new history and
places to explore, but that is for another blog.
With a little research online and at
the library, I was able to find an account of a haunting near Coles
Station. On a late evening in May of 1906 two men, Luther Chilcote
and William Elias, were walking back from a social evening with
friends. They choose to walk the easiest route over Coles Summit to
their homes. At the summit, near Coles Station of the EBT, they saw
in the distance a woman in a white dress. The men began to try to get
her attention but she didn't respond to them. The men began to
realize she was an apparition as she came closer. The men fired their
hand guns in fright as the women drew nearer. After the volley of
shots, the apparition started to chase them into the valley. The men
reached their home and quickly shut the door behind them. In the
days that followed, the men actually reported the incident to the local
papers. Thankfully they did to preserve this piece of history.
Coles Station has sadly razed for many
years now and can be found as a rectangular foundation being
reclaimed by nature. However, the Coles Water Tank shelter has
survived due to recent volunteer work and its difficulty to get access to.
The Station was just a little west of the water tank shelter. The
water tank structure housed a large wood tub that provided water to
the steam locomotives of the EBT. Water was pumped by an engine out
of a cistern from a nearby spring. The structure you can visit now
was built sometime around 1919 and replaced an earlier building.
Thankfully this piece of history has been restored and gives a good
sign to where the ghostly women in white was seen. Coles Summit lies east of Three Springs
in Huntingdon County near Route 994/Old plank road.
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