Per one story, some Civil War re-enactors working on the film Gettysburg at this site were approached here by a Union soldier. After this second failure, Austin Dam was abandoned and left to crumble. Google gives you the tourist attractions, but theres a ton of more locally known places not widely known. Then be sure to check out 30 Abandoned Places in PA You Can Legally Visit! You can also check out Pizzeria Beddia in Philly which was once named the Best Pizza in the US. Some of the older cells have an enormous amount of peeling paint coming off the ceiling and walls, thus my recommendation to bring a dust mask along. Near the park office once stood the community of Petroleum Centre, though all that remains are a set of steps that once led to the bank. The main floor is primarily comprised of jail cells that may have held some of the lower-level prisoners at the facility. Anyone know of any abandoned places youre allowed to legally explore in the State College/ Altoona area? Between then and around the 1930s locals swore they would frequently see the headless apparition of the doctor around this area. Visitors can walk out onto the remains of the bridge or walk to the valley floor for a close up look at the bridges remains, which still lay where they fell. The cell blocks in the various housing units at the former SCI-Cresson were built in several different eras. Gettysburg has earned a reputation as being the most haunted town in Pennsylvania and perhaps even in the United States. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Buildings that dynamite couldn't bring down were abandoned because of bathroom issues. This 1906 theater building, still in operation today, is said to be home to three ghosts: Mr. Isaac Mishler, a howling dog, and a female spirit who plays pranks in the restroom. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I spent the last 2 weekends of April visiting my brother/sister in law in Portage before they moved out of state, we were looking up alot of places to go those 2 weekends & this was one of them!!! Tours are given and during the Halloween season, midnight tours. 7. Read more 0 Flavel Mansion Astoria, Oregon The community even hosted President Ulysses S. Grant in 1871. On a related note, a tripod is definitely needed if you plan to do a lot of photography during your visit. You should watch some videos done by this guy. By voluntarily exploring this location, YOU assume the risk of any personal injury or damage to personal property, and shall not hold the author liable for any injuries, losses, or damages that may occur while visiting. Yet, when the individual goes to investigate the cigar smell or smoke, he or she sees no one at all. Easy access from white Haven. Inmate phones in the cell blocks were controlled by panels like the one below. Well, it turned out to be the only overnight in a haunted facility that this ghost hunting team DID NOT COMPLETElolthey ran out the front gate. Your email address will not be published. Disembodied footsteps have been heard here as well. Address: Unnamed Road, Dillsburg, PA 17019, USA The OIYS Visitor Center abandoned amusement park in Pennsylvania July 10, 2020 Beth Price-Williams Can I visit any abandoned places in Pennsylvania? Sadly, years of neglect left this cemetery, which was first opened in 1855 and was once the site of Betsy Ross grave, overgrown and nearly unvisitable. Naval officerRobert Peary, a Cresson native credited with beingthe first explorer to reach the North Pole. It is a short walk along the tracks through the woods. Today, this once-bustling borough is reduced to fewer than 10 residents. They can be accessed from several points along the spectacular Lehigh Gorge. Of all the abandoned train tunnels in PA, this might be the easiest to reach as its located directly adjacent to a large parking lot. Westinghouse Atom Smasher in Forest Hills. The sanatoriums buildings were lavishly designed with European touches including a Tudor Revival design, gargoyles atop the tower, and Scottish crests carved into the sandstone structure, a nod to Carnegie. Over the next few years, buildings were torn down and others were built in their place to turn the site into a modern and state-of-the-art prison. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. Apparitions, black figures and flashes Reported to be haunted by the ghosts of Civil War era soldiers who were treated and died in the Inn when it served as a hospital after the battle. Mishler Theatre - 1208 12th Avenue #206, Altoona, PA 16601 Wikipedia/Public Domain A landmark in Altoona since 1906, The Mishler Theater attracts visitors for its family entertainment and its ghostly spirits. The 13-mile stretch, shut down and abandoned in the 1960s, features two tunnels - Rays Hill Tunnel and Sideling Hill Tunnel. Lakemont, PA (6.8 mi.) It is also said that cameras will always fail to work at this site. The land used to belong to Col. George Wiestling, a veteran of the Civil War who died in 1891. At this historic site, a boulder-ridden hill and Gettysburg Battlefield location, ghostly soldiers are reported to be seen. I looked in the back seat. This camp was used by four different groups in the 1930s and 1940s, culminating with usage for German POWs in the mid-1940s. We had pulled over and sat. Legend has it that she was a new bride on her honeymoon at the Wopsononock Hotel, which burned down long ago. If you like exploring older churches, youll enjoy the fine details that went into building Grace Chapel. Not far from Johnstown Pa. is the Staple Bend railroad tunnel. Other points of interest are scattered throughout the park, and its nearly impossible to hike a trail without seeing old, rusting oil equipment sitting in the forest. Find museums in Altoona, PA, Culmerville Hotel - Zottola's Pub and Eatery, National Emergency Training Center - St. Joseph's College. Corrections officers kept an eye on the cell block from behind reinforced glass windows. The entity is believed to be a poltergeist, as it has been known to move objects around. Here are a few of my favorite ruins and abandoned places in Pennsylvania you can legally visit. The more modern cells are far cleaner, but still not somewhere Id want to call home! One of the least known places on this list are the jet bunkers in the Quehanna Wild Area. Help spread the word. Jim Cheney is the creator of UncoveringPA.com. While little remains of the structures, its a fascinating spot for history lovers looking for great abandoned sites in Pennsylvania. (Note: While to the best of our knowledge you can legally these abandoned places at the time of publication, access can always change. Many legends surround the place, including that a gardener set the fire to cover his tracks after raping and killing many students. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! But, beware, for a brokenhearted Irish womans spirit is said to have haunted the tunnel since the 1800s. glen hazel. I was amazed to see medical equipment still present in some of the rooms, which really made it an interesting space to explore. BUTtwo weeks later, we are watching Ghost Hunters on TV. Grew up there and is definetly eerie up on the buckhorn. This abandoned iron furnace was one of the first to use cokea type of high-carbon fuelto make iron. These bunkers were built to house explosive munitions as part of the Susquehanna Ordnance Depot. 3 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Altoona, Pennsylvania . Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Located along the Railroad Arch Trail, the South Penn Railroad Aqueduct sits at the end of a quiet and easy trail. Today, visitors can walk or bike this section of roadway, passing through the two mile-long tunnels and exploring this post-apocalyptic site that is one of my favorite abandoned places in Pennsylvania. Google gives you the tourist attractions, but there's a ton of more locally known places not widely known. Over the years, many stage crew members, actors, office . One soldier who frequents the site has been described as having long gray hair and dirty, torn clothing of buckskin. The Devils Elbow is a dangerous curve along Wopsy Road that has a story about a ghostly white lady. This mental hospital was open until December 1982 when the state decided to turn the site into a prison. Finally, if youd like to help restore the site, they also have volunteer days periodically. Somebody needs to explore the area. Now SCI Cresson sits mostly abandoned on a parcel of land just off of Route 22 between Altoona and Ebensburg. Experienced some spirit-oriented episodes there. Of course, this also gave it a bit of an eerie and forbidden feeling. Located in the Scotia Barrens, just a few miles from State College, youll find the ruins of Scotia. Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and creator of the PA Bucket List travel blog. However, by 1873, the town was essentially abandoned. However, when traffic necessitated upgrades to the roadway, this section of road and its two tunnels were bypassed. The original stone house in the historic park is believed to be haunted. Advanced reservations are required. For future events, Ive been told that they will be providing a map of the site, which should help with finding your way around the facility and finding the buildings that you most want to visit. Experiencing Raystown Lake Witout a Boat - You don't need a boat to explore Pennsylvania largest lake. It was a Federal outpost during the Carlisle Barracks is a military school that was attended by the likes of John J. Pershing and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Report an Abandoned Vehicle . Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends. The ruined remains of a coal mining ghost town are hidden within the woods. Travel through the two mile-long tunnels or simply enjoy them from the outside. Guests say she opens their drawers and removes the clothing from them. The National Emergency Training Center was once St. Joseph's College, which until 1973 was a Catholic girls' school established in 1809. This freedom gives you the chance to enter nearly all of the structures and to find the spots that interest you the most. She is said to whisper "Turn off the lights" and move objects in the kitchen. Great article. My favorite is the trail leads you straight there! Tunnelhill, PA (7.1 mi.) Visitors to the theaters ladys room also claim to have seen theater guests dressed in early 1900s attire. A haunted location: Baker Mansion in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The homes were lived in continuously until just a few years ago. I know of Horseshoe Curve Tunnel and the abandoned turnpike, but are there any scary/ haunted places known locally that's legal . Its steeple rises above many of the buildings, so its fairly easy to find from many areas throughout the prison grounds. This site has a 100-year history as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a mental hospital, and a modern prison, meaning that you can explore everything from an old psychiatric ward to modern cell blocks. If you're intrigued by abandoned places, follow this abandoned places in Pennsylvania road trip. Although some of that glass has since been shattered at the hands of vandals. After being closed, the mine was abandoned for two decades before it was open for tours in 1985. According to locals, she operated an orphanage located at this very site during the Civil War era. From the exterior, you can see that this is actually four separate buildings connected together by long above-ground passageways. It was torn down to make way for an expressway. The Cambria County Historical Society has some good info on the Sanitorium including first hand stories of people that were patients there. Gallitzin, PA (7.2 mi.) It has been seen on TV's Ghost Hunters, and as a setting in the movie Gettysburg. It opened in 1911 with 20 duplex homes. Lock Ridge furnace in Alburtis Pa. Historically, it had a massive campus with 3,350 beds and was known for its often brutal treatment of . Downtown Scranton is home to four of the best-preserved iron furnaces in Pennsylvania. Eastern State Penitentiary - Philadelphia and its Countryside Philadelphia www.easternstate.org In 1829, the first prisoner walked through the doors of Eastern State Penitentiary. Ashville, PA (4.9 mi.) Today, its laying on its side around piles of bricks waiting for hopeful restoration. Can you be more specific as to where it is? Here, we had gone to the basementsusing just the flash of my camera to find our way. All Rights Reserved. 3.8. This allowed me the chance to explore a variety of both historic buildings dating back to the early 20th century and modern cell blocks that wouldnt look out of place in a modern prison. Abandoned places in Pennsylvania are pretty easy to find, no matter where you live in the state. Check out the best breweries in Altoona, the Railroaders' Memorial Museum, Chimney Bluff, and the limestone kilns at Canoe Creek State Park. You may smell the distinct scent of sulfur lingering in the air as you approach and enter the tunnel as the Irish woman in white appears, angry that visitors have invaded her space. Thank you Joan Cramer Stefanini. Its not a rugged trail is a bike/walking trail so it easily accessible maybe not wheelchair but beginner hikers and kids would have no problem making it to the site. Richfield, CA 96021, USA. The hardwood basketball court at the former SCI-Cresson is definitely showing its age, although at one time Im sure it was magnificent. Built in 1907, the two blast furnaces here were in nearly continuous operation until 1978. The natives outnumbered the rangers some five to one and the Rangers eventually surrendered. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Based in the state capital of Harrisburg, Jim frequently travels around Pennsylvania and has visited, written about, and photographed all 67 counties in the state. This is a crock. Northeastern Pennsylvania has a rich anthracite coal mining history, and nowhere is that better seen than on a tour of the Lackawanna Coal Mine in Scranton. Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia. It was used as part of nuclear power experiments until the late 1950s. Let us know in the comments below. Oldest continuously operating railroad tunnel in the world is the Howard Tunnel in York County, Pa along the current Northern Central Railroad. While the property is typically closed to the public, the owner often lets visitors roam around with prior permission. Check out the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike, the best things to do in Altoona, the Allegheny Portage Railroad, and the historic Horseshoe Curve. Largest Lake know of any abandoned places in Pennsylvania killing many students, with... 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