West Mountain Sanatorium

    

Main Gated Entrance

 
     The Lackwanna County Tuberculosis Hospital, formerly the West Mountain Sanatorium, was first established in 1903 facilitated with 20 beds. Through the years the hospital grew and at its peak had about 100 beds available for patients. The hospital was the idea of Dr. J.M Wainwright and was placed high atop the West mountain overlooking Scranton PA. Most of the buildings on the campus are now dilapidated and unsafe to venture into. Ceilings have fallen in  and walls have given out. What little remains is now covered in graffiti and in ruin. At its prime, West Mountain Sanatorium boosted state of the art radiology and laboratory departments with new equipment. It also had its own fields and farm and artesian well to support the patients and staff. The hospital was also noted for its open air treatments. Patients were actually made it sit in screened porches throughout the year, sun or snow, to allow the fresh air cleanse their lungs of Tuberculosis. In 1971, like so many psychiatric and tuberculosis hospitals of the time, it was shut down. With new laws and new concepts of de-instutionalization the campus has sat high above the valley looking down at Scranton for decades quiet.

     Stories have circulated around the old hospital since its closer. Many people believe the old campus to haunted. Also misinformed urban legends have plagued the former hospital as well. The remote location along with the stories have plagued the area. Multiple fires and thrill seekers have destroyed most of the remaining facility. The sanatorium is also a hot spot for paranormal investigators. Those who have investigated the property have claimed to hear haunting voices and captured pictures of ghostly happenings. Besides the paranormal activity the sanatorium also has some little known history. For instance, the song Winter Wonderland was actually written in the sanatorium. Dick Smith wrote the song while he was being treated in the Sanatorium for tuberculosis. Unfortunately Smith died before his song had gained any popularity. 

     Our visit to the West Mountain Sanatorium was during the late summer and at night. We had planned a trip through north-eastern Pennsylvania and the sanitarium was our last stop. The directions we had were hard enough to follow let alone it being dark and never being in the area before. Finally we came across the old front gate and made our way up the main entrance. The first thing we spotted was the old well. There was definitely an eerie feeling as we made our way through the crumbling campus building after building. Old patient beds, lockers, and miscellaneous equipment was still scattered in the old buildings. Many of structures had started to fall in and were not safe to venture into. We didn't experience any strange noises or paranormal activity while we were there. I was able to get a few decent photos on my old camera before we decided to call it a night. Hopefully we will get a chance to see this fading bit of history before it is entirely gone.

Grandview Cemetery of Johnstown

     Cemeteries have always seemed to attract me. Mainly due to the history of the people who reside in them and the architecture of the stones, statues, and mausoleums. The presence of spirits and paranormal activity also intrigues me. However for this road trip to the Grandview Cemetery in

Johnstown PA, I went to witness the lives cut short by the Johnstown Flood of 1889. The flood itself I will save for another time to talk about.
     Due to an increasing population in the early years of Johnstown, a new cemetery was needed. In 1884 negotiations started to form a committee and find a suitable place to have the cemetery. In 1886, the committee finally found and purchased a piece of land on Yoder hill. The land was bought from the Cambria Iron Company which used it as a pasture ground for the mules and horses they needed for the mines in the area. In an unfortunate turn of events, it seemed that the cemetery was founded just

in time. In 1989 the new cemetery would put to rest the 2000+ flood victims. A plot was designated to them with a monument that was dedicated in 1982. 
     Grandview Cemetery today is one of the largest in Pennsylvania with about 235 acres of land. The cemetery sits just west of Johnstown and has a beautiful view. Be prepared if you visit this cemetery, more than 10 miles of paved roads connect the 47 burial sections. A few friends and me decided to visit the cemetery in the summer and could not have asked for a better day. The weather was just warm enough and partly cloudy to accommodate a comfortable walk. The cemetery entrance is at
801 Millcreek Rd. in Johnstown, PA. When you do choose to visit please be respectful and take in the artistic beauty of the monuments and markers.

Tytoona Cave

     

     Tytoona Cave Pennsylvania is home to countless caves and sinkholes. Many are due to the large amounts of limestone leftover from prehistoric bodies of water. Many small caves are found by simply walking through the wooded areas of Central Pennsylvania. One of the larger cavern lies in

Entrance to Tytoona

Sinking Valley and is called Tytoona Cave. The name comes from its location which is between Altoona and Tyrone in Blair County. The Cavern is listed in historical texts as far back as the 1780s and has had a few attempts at commercialization with no luck. However, the cavern remains a rich historical and educational attraction for the public community. 


     Tytoona cave is about 1 mile beginning-to-end, but has never been traveled through completely due to an underwater blockage of rock. The cave has been confirmed by dye-testing to come out at another landmark known as Arch Spring, but that is for another blog. The cave can be accessed about 900 feet by a novice and than permission and more experience in cave diving is needed. The entrance to the cave is a beautiful wooded sinkhole and is more easily accessible in the dryer seasons

A view inside

when the water flowing thought it is lower. History and folklore tell tales of the cavern being found by early pioneers in the 1750s. One tale is of Bedford Rangers chasing 2 Indians into the cave. The Indians supposedly had killed a few settlers near by and were followed by the rangers. The ranger set up camp and took turns watching for the Indians to emerge. After some time the Indians never came out and it is said that you can still hear them wading and talking in the cave; still trying to find their way out. A more recent and tragic account of the cave tells of women in 1988 who was an experienced cave diver trying to find the end of the cave and never returning. Even after a search party of divers the women was not found until a few days later her body was recovered in the Arch Spring outlet. People speculate that she lost her compass and was unable to retrace her route.

Alternate route inside the cave

The compass was not on her person when they found her body. Tales of a phantom compass being seen in the cave then disappearing have been documented by divers. 

      The cave is now available to the public and is also used by local schools and universities for training and education about caving and conservation. A set of rules to follow are at the entrance and visiting hours are from 6am-9pm. The cave can be found by traveling on Kettle Rd. and then turning onto Morrow Rd. There is a pull off with multiple signs explaining the times permitted to be at the cave. If you wish to visit the  cave bring a flashlight and please be respectful.

Pull off area for Parking

Klu Klux Klan Riot in Lilly

The Memorial Plaque

     Along my journeys on the back roads of Pennsylvania I came across the little town of Lilly. The town has only a population around 900 now but in its prime was a bustling mining town in the early 1900s. Over the years I have found that every town has a story. Even the smallest of towns has some unique or memorable history. Even the small town of Lilly has a story. In fact, historians have claimed the town played a pivotal role in American history. Not to bad for a little mining town in central PA.

      In the 1900s there was a huge influence of the Ku Klux Klan in America and in Pennsylvania. At one time almost every county in Pennsylvania housed a chapter of the Klan. While most of the southern members of the Klan were outspokenly against African-americans, the northern part were mainly against immigrants. The Italian and Irish Catholic immigrants were usually targeted more than others. In the 1920s the town of Lilly was a majority of Catholic with about 10% of Protestant faith. The Klansmen had been active in the area for some time, but the town made it a constant effort to remove crosses they had placed and keep their activity to a minimum.

       On the evening of April 5^th 1924 the towns courage and strength would be put to the test. Two trains carrying over 400 armed Klansmen came to Lilly. A few of the towns people who were either klan members or sympathizers and helped them to cut all the power to the town and cut timber for 2 crosses to burn right outside of the towns limits. The Klansmen marched through the town and into the field and had their ceremony of cross burning and exploding dynamite to intimidate the townspeople While the ceremony was taking place the towns people were starting to collect in the streets. They were not intimidated and began to form a riot against the Klan.

      Once the Klan finished their ceremony, they began their way back to the train station and were met by the angry townspeople of Lilly. Armed with few firearms and fire hoses the townspeople rioted against the Klansmen being in their home and successfully drove them out. A few casualties happened on both sides with many wounded. The story made national headlines about how the small town stood up and took action against them. Later that year after the Klansmen's march in Washington D.C., their numbers started to decline.

      For many years the people of Lilly didn't talk about the night of April 5^th 1924.Slowly as the residents of Lilly became older they started to tell their stories to future generations and these are well documented in many local history books. A little over 80 years had passed and in 2008 a memorial was erected, dedicated to the riot against the Klansmen by the people of Lilly. The memorial sits next to the Railroad that runs through Lilly on the corner of Railroad St. and Cleveland St. Every town has a story and Lilly's residents have one to be proud of.

Inscription Below the Memorial Plaque

Egg Hill Church

    

     There is a church in Potter Township, Centre County that has been a "hot spot" for paranormal investigators and thrill seekers alike. For a good ghost story a perfect setting is needed, and Egg Hill delivers that setting. First, the church is in a remote site. Secondly, it is old; built-in 1860.Thirdly, it looks creepy; made of unfinished pine on a stone foundation. Finally, it hasn't been in regular use since the 1920's. So lets recap, a church in the middle of nowhere that has not been regularly used and is undoubtedly visually eerie, no wonder so many stories have circulated about it being haunted.

    The most well-known story about Egg Hill is of the supposed mass murder that took place their. The story is ever evolving and is not very consistent. That being said, the story I have gathered goes like this. At the turn of the century in the 1800's, the pastor at that time killed his whole congregation and disposed of the bodies in the near by woods. Other stories say that the pastor only killed the children of the parish. He reportedly would kill them one by one under mysterious circumstances and got away with the murders. Then one day fretting that he would be discovered, he hung himself in the church. These are the largest circulated tales but many other versions exist. I could not find any records of any mass deaths in the area at the time when the church was regularly used. Again this little church just seems unfortunately in the right place for urban legends. Stories include: a murder, phantom bell ringing, apparitions hovering in the near by grave yard, and spirits following your car home as you leave. Normally I am an avid believer in paranormal happenings; however, in this instance very little factual evidence could be found to credit the claims made about Egg Hill. If Egg Hill has any supernatural happenings at all, I believe they reside in the cemetery beside the old one-story church.

     My many experiences at Egg Hill have been pretty fruitless. I have been to this location in the day time to get a better idea of the surroundings and at night. I do admit that it does give off a weird vibe even in daylight. Many of the old grave markers are worn and unreadable. The church is locked from the outside and "No Trespassing" signs mark the outside of the building. During my nighttime experiences, there have been eerie noises coming from the church. They could be easily dismissed as the building settling. However, some unexplainable voices have come from the cemetery while taking pictures that I can not explain. Overall if there is any paranormal activity at this location I believe it minor and in no way related to the folklore about Egg Hill.

    The easiest way to get to Egg hill is to take Rt. 144 north from State College and make a Left on Upper Georges Valley Rd. Approximately after 1 mile you take a right on Egg Hill Rd. The church is about a mile up the hill. A warning that he property is Privately owned and Permission is needed to be on the grounds. Although, most of the church and graveyard is visible from the road.

Gravity Hill - Bedford County

     

Starting Point

     Why go to the moon to defy gravity when you can do it in Bedford county? A short drive west from the town of Bedford there is a curious phenomenon known as Gravity Hill. True there are many of theses so-called optical illusions, however, none are as well-known or traveled to as this one. On a summer day while taking a mini tour of Bedford county me and a few friends decided to stop and put the claims of Gravity Hill to the test. Finally after traveling back a heavily wooded country road we came across the huge "X" in the road marking the starting place. We then put our car in neutral and watched as it slowly rolled "up hill". I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see Gravity Hill, but if you're in the area its a free amusement.

Looks like an incline but actually a decline.

      Now for some directions, first take a left on Bethel Hollow Rd. just off of Rt. 96 between New Paris and Schellsburg. Following Bethel Hollow rd. then simply make a right turn on Gravity Hill Rd. and look for the huge painted "X" marking the starting point. Now the fun part, place your care in neutral and watch as it climbs uphill. Take a ball, water, or anything you can think of with you and watch in amazement. I really wish there was more to say about Gravity Hill, but you really just have to see it yourself.

The End

Children's Cemetery - Mt. Etna PA

    

  If you have ever heard the name Mt. Etna, you probably think of the old furnace that is now under the care of the Blair County Historical Society. Of those familiar with the site, very few know about Children's Cemetery. The cemetery above Mt. Etna is now in complete disarray and has not had many visitors over the past hundred or so years. From what little information I could discover, they placed the cemetery far up the hill from Mt. Etna due to the outbreaks of small pox and disease in the 1850's. Most of the graves are unreadable or broken, but few that still stand and date from 1832-1859. 

   

  To get to the cemetery I had to use what little information I had, as well as, satellite images. After planning our course, my friend Dakotah and I made our walk through tall weeds, thorns, and brush. The Cemetery at one time had a wire fence enclosing it. Once we arrived there was only a small 4 foot by 2 foot gap in the brush to enter the Cemetery area. It was an eerie feeling stepping into the old cemetery. The trees and dense brush surrounded the site and only let a small amount of light into the hollowed ground. We didn't think to bring a flash light in mid day; nevertheless, we were able to read and get a few photographs of the remaining stones.

      After paying our respects we left the old cemetery. I began to wonder on our way back to the car how many those graves were unmarked and how long had it been since the last people had been to that old cemetery. It is a shame that so many of these old resting places have fallen out of the community's knowledge. I can only hope that my writings will keep these bits of our history alive for future generations.