If you have ever driven west on route
22 past Blairsville, there is a great chance you have missed one of
the most infamous little towns in Pennsylvania: Livermore. The town
of Livermore was a bustling canal town from the early 1800's until
The Johnstown Flood of 1889. The flood would move most of the western
canal towns to a slow demise due to the damage it rendered. The small
town was once again flooded on March 17th 1936, which was later
deemed The Great Saint Patrick's Day Flood, which claimed an
estimated 80 lives. After this the United States Corps of Engineers
started a project to protect the lower Conemaugh River and its
surroundings. The town of Livermore was demolished to make way for
this new project.
Once the project was set in motion, the cemetery had to be moved
up hill from its resting place inside the town. This cemetery now is
the infamous cemetery in George Romero's
Night of the Living
Dead. Being that it has attracted many visitors and people that
have defiled the site, it has been made a private property and has
“No Trespassing” signs all around. However, some very reliable
evidence also shows that the cemetery was not the one used in George
Romero's movie. The old canal was made into a trail, like so many
others. You can still pass the site of Livermore if you bike or hike
the William Penn Trail.
Some people believe the floods that swept the town were not a
coincidence. There is a legend that a woman in the early 1800's was
prosecuted for witchcraft in the town. Before she was burned alive
she decreed that the people would be cursed and the town would be
flooded. Besides this folklore, no actual evidence has been found to
make this a factual account. Nonetheless, this story has stuck to the
grim floods that plagued the town.
People also believe that once the cemetery was moved the souls of
the town became restless and still roam above the water and on the
riverside that was once their home. Accounts of phantom houses, dogs
barking, ghostly outlines walking the trail, and even spirits walking
above the water have been reported.
Upon arriving to this location you first notice that it is an
entrance to the William Penn Trail. No human developments exist for
miles around the perimeter, which some believe gives validity to the
claims of ghostly voices and phantom barks of dogs. Once you enter
the trail you take a right and walk a few minutes and come to a
bridge. This bridge marks where the town used to be. To the right of
the bridge upon the hill is where the cemetery was moved and is still
located today.
When I visited this location, my companions and I saw swift
moving shadows run across the trail, and a white figure for a short
moment alongside the riverbed. At one point we were sure that other
people were there when we heard voices all around. It was hard to
distinguish what they were saying; however, we knew the location that
the voices were coming from. No other cars were parked around the
location and we checked the trail and cemetery before we decided to
investigate the town’s old location. I would recommend stopping by
this lost historical town, not only is it a wonderful trail to walk,
but you may just get a history lesson first hand from the residents
of Livermore.
