PA Ghosts

Fulton Phantoms

By Kara L Lengeman

 

Taken within seconds of each other

     Cowboys and Indians, The fights and massacres we grow up hearing about. Tales of the great west, or was it only in the great frontier? The Conestoga Indians were a peaceful group of Indians who lived in Pennsylvania (Wilson 106-108). They greeted the immigrants in peace and lived quietly in their village. They lived peaceably for many years with the settlers of Lancaster. In December 1763 (108), the Paxton Boys (Adams 120-121) exploded into the village and murdered the 6 villagers who were present.  Who knew that their world would be turned upside down and they would forever be a part of the legends of Lancaster County.  Their stories began a list of various supernatural experiences on North Prince Street.

     The Conestoga Indians went out of their way to keep peace with the Lancaster county settlers. They were a moral group that wanted peace more than anything else. They gave many speeches about keeping peace with their neighbors. They became friends with the white people, traded with them and never seemed to blame them for the extreme poverty of their tribe.

The Paxton boys (120) were a group of Presbyterian men who came together to rid the area of the Indians. They believed that they were doing the county a service and seemed to hold no remorse for the deeds that they committed. It has been believed that they thought they should receive no punishment because the Indians deserved what they got.

     After members of their tribe were ambushed, scalped and burned in their beds, the remaining members of the tribe fled. They were given refuge in the newly built jail (Wilson 108) in the center of town. The top officials of Lancaster beseeched residents to protect the remaining men, woman and children of the Conestoga Indians. Despite their efforts to protect them, a group of fifty Paxton Boys (108) stormed the jail and hacked the bodies of the Indians, who it was said “[...] went down fighting.” (108) They massacred men, woman and children alike. When the murders were finished, the Paxton Boys mounted their horses and rode out of town as if a great battle had been won.

     The jail was torn down less than one-hundred years later (108), but the foundation was kept. A flashy new theater was built – The Fulton Hall. Many celebrities, ranging from Mark Twain to The Booths (109), performed there and it became a huge success. In 1952 it became the Fulton Movie House and has had many famous plays performed upon its stage. Expansions were built and in the 1970’s it was declared a national landmark.

     Since the Fulton Hall opened, actors, actresses and stage help have reported seeing or feeling spirits float through the auditorium and in the rooms that were once the place of the great Conestoga slaughter.  Each experience told causes the listener to feel a strange sense of fear.   The reports are told of people experiencing extreme terror when walking in the basement near the place of the Conestoga tragedy and feeling as if someone is there with them, or walking around (109) , but no ghost is ever seen in the basement.

     Ghosts or phantoms have been reported by both visitors and workers alike. Imagine sitting in the balcony of the Opera house, waiting for a show to start and hearing clapping all around you, but no one is moving. Stage help have arrived at their job, began their daily routine, virtually all alone in the building, and hear the piano begin to play, but no one sitting there. Each story will give you chills as you think about doors crashing open without anyone near or feeling a hand on your shoulder, only to turn around and everything is empty. A woman was seen walking above the stage (109) and another witnessed walking down the stairs (109) only to disappear again.

     Visit the Fulton Opera House and enjoy the show. Take in the beauty of the balcony and the breathtaking view of the stage. But as you walk around, keep your ears open and your senses acute, for you just may see someone you did not expect, or hear the ear-splitting screams of innocent, peaceful Indians trapped and being slaughtered.

Works Cited

Adams, Charles. Pennsylvania Dutch Country Ghosts Legends and Lore. Reading: Exeter House Publishing, 1994.

Wilson, Mark Nesbitt and Patty A. The Big Book of Pennsylvania Ghost Stories. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 2008.

Young, Mark. Tri-Mar Paranormal Research. 2003. 1 May 2011 <http://www.trimarpress.com/FultonOperaReport.html>.

Charming Forge Mansion

By: Allison Shay

     Charming Forge Mansion, located near Womelsdorf PA, is just one of the haunting stories of Berks County. In 1760 Henry William Stiegel and a partner bought Charming Forge, while expanding their iron-furnace company. The expansion was expensive and Mr. Stiegel was severely in debt when it was over. After his unsuccessfull attempt at expanding his income from the forge, Mr. Stiegel was forced to turn over his interest to his nephew George Ege. In 1774 Mr. Stiegel was put into debtor's prison for a year. When he was released his nephew Mr. Ege allowed him to once again work for the forge. This time around he was not an infamous inronmaster, but his nephews own clerk (Explore PA History). This was a huge embarrassment for a man like Stiegel, and it is said that he lived the rest of his days in severe depression.

     Charming Forge Mansion was built, by Mr. Ege, sometime between 1774 and 1777. Mr. Ege and his family, including Mr. Stiegel, lived in the mansion until the early 1800s. Mr. Stiegel's room was located on the third floor. It was said that after work every day he would come in through the back door, allowing the door to slam in his wake, and that you could hear him stomping up the stairs throughout the house. This was his normal routine until he passed away in 1785. After Mr. Ege passed away in 1829, Charming Forge Mansion had multiple owners, until 1916 when the Sallade family purchased the forge (Adams, 52).

     After buying the property two of the Sallade sisters would tell stories of seeing spirits, and hearing things that were not actually there. It is said that every night around supper time you can hear the back door to the mansion open and then slam shut, even though if you watch the door it stays latched the whole time. Also if you listen long enough you can hear someone walking up the stairs, and the footsteps stop on the third floor landing. The sisters and many othere believed that this was the ghost of Mr. Stiegel coming home from work, and heading to his bedroom.

     Another spooky story of Charming Forge Mansion is about a young servant who used to work for the Ege family. The mansion is made up of two houses. The larger portion was built for Mr. Ege and his family. While the smalled portion, onlly connected by a narrow walkway, was for the families servants. One evening a young servant was making food to take over to the Ege family, and caught the bottom of her skirt on fire. As the story goes she ran down the narrow hallway trying to put the fire out, but was unsuccessful. The other servants found only her ashes the next day. The sallade family said that there are times when you walk down the narrow hallway and reach the door that leads outside a black cloud of smoke will appear next to the door. It is said that this is the young girl's spirit, who is still trapped, trying to escape that narrow hallway (Adams, 104).

     Over the years there have been many other scary sightings and sounds heard in the Charming Forge Mansion, but these are the two that seem to stand out the most.

Works Cited:

Adams, Charles. Ghost Stories of Berks County. USA: Adams, 1982.

Adams, Charles. Pennsylvania Dutch Country Ghost Legends and Lore. Reading:

     Exeter House Books, 1994.

"Stories from PA History." ExplorePAHistory.com. Web. 30 Apr. 2011.

     http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerID=911