From haunted Gettysburg to asylums, check out these five creepy Pennsylvania destinations
Well, ghouls and gals, it's officially October and the Halloween season is upon us. There's no better time than now to check out creepy locations with haunted history, filming locations of famous horror movies, or really great scare attractions. As a resident of Pennsylvania, I can state that we have plenty of cool spots to check out during spooky season. This list includes the eastern side of the state, including one of Philly's best spots, to the Pittsburgh area, and a few locations in between.
Here are five must-see Keystone state destinations to visit this Halloween season.
Gettysburg
You can't step half a foot in Gettysburg from August-early November without bumping into a ghost tour guide with their face painted white and a lantern in their hand. If you've been to Gettysburg before and have stepped onto the battlefield, then you know there's something disquieting about the town. The three-day Civil War battle that occurred in July 1863 led to a staggering 50,000 plus causalities. The weight of that history permeates throughout the town.
There are several allegedly haunted spots to check out. One is Devil's Den, a massive boulder field on the battlefield that was the site of fierce, close-quarters combat. Over the years, visitors have reported malfunctioning cameras and shadowy figures.
Another absolute must-see location is Farnsworth House Inn, which is riddled with over 100 bullet holes and is said to be haunted by 16 specific spirits, the scent of cigars, and other odd occurrences. While you're there, you can also grab a good meal. Another spooky destination is Sachs Covered Bridge, where three Confederate deserters were hanged.
Besides the famous locations already mentioned, there's also haunted pub crawls and plenty more to do in the town. For a more comprehensive overview of Gettysburg's haunted history, check out The Gettysburg Tour Center's website.
Pennhurst Asylum (Spring City, PA)
Simply put, Pennhurst Asylum is one of the best haunted attractions in the Keystone state. The location has an unsettling history and was initially the Pennhurst State School and Hospital, and it operated from 1908-1987 as a segregated institution for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The hospital quickly became known for human rights violations and squalid conditions. Eventually, the courts shut it down in 1987.
Now, it's a major tourist destination every October with four haunted attractions, some of which acknowledge the site's grisly history. For more information about Pennhurst Asylum or to purchase tickets, visit the website.
The Old Jail Museum (Jim Thorpe, PA)
Jim Thorpe is a quaint, Victorian-looking town tucked in the Pocono Mountains. Its streets are populated with cute boutique shops and plenty of bars and restaurants. It's also a great spot for hiking and kayaking. But located at 128 West Broadway is the Old Jail Museum, where several Molly Maguires were hanged in the 19th Century. The Molly Maguires were Irish coal miners involved in intense labor disputes and they took radical actions, including intimidating and threatening bosses and sabotaging mining equipment.
The Old Jail Museum features 27 original cells, warden's quarters, a solitary confinement basement dungeon, and replicas of a gallows site used for executions. There's also the eerie cell 17 handprint, which is apparently an unexplained permanent mark left by prisoner Alexander Campbell in 1877. To learn more about the Old Jail Museum or to book a tour, visit the museum's website.
Evans City Cemetery (Evans City, PA), The Living Dead Museum (Monroeville, PA)
Outside of Pittsburgh, in Butler County, PA, resides the Evans City Cemetery. What makes this place special is that it was one of the shooting locations for Night of the Living Dead. That iconic opening scene when Johnny (Russell Streiner) and his sister Barbara (Judith O'Dea) are attacked by a zombie, or a ghoul as they're called in the movie, was shot in the cemetery, and there's markers acknowledging location's iconic film history.
After you visit the Evans City Cemetery, enjoy some more horror history and visit The Living Dead Museum inside of the Monroeville Mall, where George Romero filmed Dawn of the Dead. The museum is affordable and contains quite a lot for such a small space, including props, scripts, and cool merch. It's well-worth the trip!
Eastern State Penitentiary (Philadelphia, PA)
Located in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison that operated from 1829-1971. It's widely considered one of the most haunted prisons in the country, due to its brutal history of isolation, harsh punishments, and countless reports of paranormal encounters. When the prison opened, it was built to reform inmates through total isolation. Conditions were so horrible that author Charles Dickens condemned the isolation as a form of psychological torture when he visited it in 1842. Then, in the early 20th Century, the prison abandoned isolation but housed several inmates per cell.
Today, Eastern State Penitentiary is a museum and historic location, but it's also a major haunted attraction ever Halloween season. For more information, visit the museum's website.
With so much history, there's plenty of spooky Pennsylvania destinations to check out this Halloween season. If you're not from the state, definitely consider a road trip, but if you're already a Keystone resident, consider exploring a location on this list that you've not yet visited.
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