Edgar Allen Poe's Visit to Central Pennsylvania

Eutaw House

Near State College Pennsylvania, there is a former restaurant with a lot of history behind it called the Eutaw House. The Eutaw House has been in existence for over two centuries. General James Potter, who was notably an aide to George Washington during the American Revolution, originally owned the ground where the building sits today. After Gen. Potter’s death, his children built a log cabin on his property. Later the log cabin would become the Eutaw House and go through a few more renovations. During its early years, the house served as a major inn for early pioneers and travelers. The house was named after the local Eutaw Indian tribe.

            As anyone could imagine with the Eutaw House being around for a few centuries, it has gathered some ghost stories through the years. Ghostly shapes have been seen in mirrors throughout the building. In the kitchen and restaurant, trays and plates have been known to flip over or fall off tables. Patrons and employees have seen apparitions and shadows move in the hallways and rooms. One story tells of a prisoner being shot or hung in the attic during the 1800s and a different story says that it was a tree at the corner of the property. During one of the early Indian raids on the Eutaw house, one Indian is said to have been hung on the large old tree. Hearing a rope “thud” or creaking noise has been reported near the tree to this day.

            Even with all the ghostly happenings at the Eutaw House, its most interesting story is the speculation that Edgar Allen Poe had once stayed the night at the Inn. Some early folklorists have written that Edgar Allen Poe had once visited the Centre County area and was even inspired to write a few stories such as the Raven during his travels through Central Pennsylvania. The only evidence that leads some credibility is the initial “EAP” that are carved into one of the oldest tables in the Eutaw House. Historians today doubt the legend of Poe’s journey to Centre County, but it makes for a good story nonetheless.

As for now the Eutaw House remains vacant without any intention to remodel or reopen. This landmark sits in Potters Mills at the intersection of Route 322 and Route 144. The house is still privately owned so please do not trespass.

Captian Phillips Ranger's Memorial

      I lucked out growing up in a region of Pennsylvania with such a rich history to it. It was that asset that lead me to one of my first and favorite places to visit; the Captain Phillips Memorial. Many locals and vacationers have probably passed the sign along Rt. 26 if they were heading to Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County. The sign is very easy to pass if you are not looking for it, and my first trip to the location I found myself a few miles off course. I first heard of the location through a local paranormal investigation team, and heard it was haunted. Little did I know at that time, that it also had a fascinating story as well.

      In 1780, Captain William Phillips, was commissioned by Coronel John Piper to recruit a company of men to protect the Morrison's Cove and Wood Cock Valley. The area of Morrison's Cove is a valley of now farmland in central Blair County and the Woodcock valley is in Huntingdon County between the Terrace and Tussy mountains. At that time early pioneer families had started to settle the land in the area, but threats of indian attacks were still very much real. Captain Phillips pulled together a band of rangers including his son, men from the Skelly, Shirley,Gaitrell,Kelly and a few other families. On July 15^th of 1780, the rangers began a scouting trip through the two valleys.

      Along the way, they had found little evidence of any indian raids or attacks, and only a few deserted homes. By Sunday, they had found the deserted house of Fredrick Heater and decided to take up camp for the day of rest. The night passed quietly and safely, however, when the rangers awoke they were surprised to find the home surrounded by 50 plus indians and 2 white men. The men knowing they were grossly outnumbered tried to stay silent and awaited the indians to make the first move. Finally, one indian fired on the house to get the rangers attention. Gaitrell then shot an indian a few yards away in retaliation. The indians then began to take battle formations in the woods around the house.

      The indians began to fire volleys of arrows and bullets at the home. The house was built sturdy and the rangers remained safe, firing back when ever possible. The rangers were able to pick a few of the indians off between the bombardment and wound a few others. The battle was brought to a climax when one member of the Skelly family was able to shoot the chief through the cheek. The indians then took retaliation and set the house ablaze. The rangers tried in vain to stop the fire and remove the roof and were forced to surrender.

      The two white men that were with the indians spoke as interpreters and negotiated the surrender. Phillip's rangers were forced to give up their guns or be killed. Without any other options they did as they were told and their hands were tied and started for Kittanning Pennsylvania. Only after a short distance the indians had split up Captain Phillips and his son from the other rangers. Phillips and his son kept marching with the indians as the other rangers were tied to trees, struck with arrows and scalped. Phillip and his son were worth more to the indians alive since they were officers. They were taken to Detroit Michigan and held as prisoners of war.

      By the end of the Revolutionary war, Captain Phillips and his son were released and made there way back to Blair County. Captain Phillips Son made his home a short distance from Williamsburg where his home still stands today. He is buried in Snively Cemetery about 2 miles south of Williamsburg.

      The story of the Phillips Rangers lived on with there descendants. On April 16^th 1926 , a memorial was placed at Fisher's Summit to dedicate the rangers who lost their lives. Over 1000 people had attended the dedication and 17 acres of land was donated to the Saxton Legion Post 169 by W.A Graffons and his family to preserve the memorial. Later on January 25^th of 1933, while doing some grading around the monument, human remains were found under a few tree bases 18 inches underground within 10 feet of the monument. Only five people's remains were found with 3 unaccounted for. The remains were placed in a casket with a bronze tablet over it beside the memorial.

      I have visited the memorial many times. It is well landscaped and paved up to the memorial site. If you plan to visit, I would recommend going midday in the autumn with the trees changing colors but anytime during the spring, summer or fall would do. As far as this place being haunted, I leave you to make your own decisions. Many believe the area is haunted by the Indians who lost their lives during the battle. People also believe you can hear drums in the woods or see shadow people around the monument. If you do visit this location, all I ask is to please be respectful.

Lost Resting Places: Mcquire Cemetery

     Sometimes I find very interesting things while Geocaching. For those of you who don't know what geocaching is, it is basically a high-tech scavenger hunt. People use GPS receivers to hide boxes and various other things and other people use their GPS to find them. More than likely there is a geocache hidden only a few miles from you live. Anyway, while geocaching a few months ago, I came across another almost forgotten cemetery in Huntingdon County called Mcquire Cemetery.

      Mcquire Cemetery now resides in RothRock State Forest. A short ride on the game land roads, a sign marks the trail leading up to the cemetery. Hiking back the trail you first come across a small bridge over a creek and then make your way up a hill. The cemetery is to the right of the trail and surrounded by a newer wooden fence. All that remains of the cemetery is multiple fieldstones; their names lost to history.

      Upon my arrival to the cemetery, I paid my respects to the early pioneers and began to wonder. How many more small cemeteries also could be out there in the remote parts of Pennsylvania? And how many of them have been forgotten or lost. Mcquire Cemetery gave me a peaceful feeling while being there. Once I had taken a few pictures, we found the geocache near the cemetery and made our way back to our vehicle. Once home from our day of exploring, I began to research more in-depth about the Mcquire Cemetery.

      To my surprise, the area of the cemetery was once host to an indian massacre. Indian raids were a frequent thing during the time the cemetery was established in the late 1790s. There were two families involved in the massacre, Mcquire and Donnelly. Both families had casualties and a few escaped. Legend tells of Jane Mcquire being in a near by field with the cattle when the raid took place. Once the Indians had found her, they grabbed her by the dress just as she grabbed the tail of one of the cattle and was dragged off to safety. It may be hard to believe, but regardless it has helped this encounter to service many generations.

      Directions to this location from Pettersburg PA are as follows. Head west on Rt. 305 (Juniata Valley Pike) and take a right onto Barree Rd. Follow it along the Little Juniata River until you can make a right onto Teaberry Hollow Road. A short drive will then take you to Mcquire Road which will lead to the sign marking the trail.

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.