He often hangs around the train engine in the museums lobby and in the elevator before he disappears into a puff of smoke. Lock Ridge furnace in Alburtis Pa. There is no artificial light in any of the buildings, leading to some dramatic natural light and shadow combinations. This is a crock. I went to help clean with Titusville Pa American Legion when I was little. These disused steel furnaces are now haunting ruins that may one day be a national park. As their carriage rounded the Devils Elbow, there was an accident and both were killed. Anyone know of any abandoned places you're allowed to legally explore in the State College/ Altoona area? Have you been to Brownsville? The devils elbow is where the White Lady of Wopsy Mountain supposedly died, When would be the best time to see her im also looking for any haunted cemeteries around Altoona, Its definitely not called horseshoe curve its one way to snow shoe. Demolished unfortunately. Turned out Rockview had the CERT team there. Thanks, Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, PA is an eerie abandoned place to explore. You can hike in state parks at night, but any other area and you risk being shot as a trespasser or by a hunter. I stumbled across a very old headstone with 1700 dates on it. https://youtube.com/c/ODDySEEy. In the 1960s, the shop closed for good, simply shutting their doors and walking away. Check out these haunted and historic hot spots in Pennsylvania, and be ready for some bizarre encounters with the supernatural. Fortunately, however, the current owner is trying to refurbish the homes and turn them into a period homestay. The portion of the prison grounds made available for tours by the folks at Hydroponic Life (AKA Big House Produce) is MASSIVE! This abandoned iron furnace was one of the first to use cokea type of high-carbon fuelto make iron. He has also traveled to more than 30 different countries around the world. Urban exploration isn't usually legal, so you're going to need to look for illegal answers if you want to find anything outside of a state or local park. Delve into the history of the railroad industry in Altoona or discover the museums haunted past. Opened as a state-of-the-art prison in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiaryin Philadelphia was the model for many future correctional facilities. Voice your opinion here! Find museums in Altoona, PA, Culmerville Hotel - Zottola's Pub and Eatery, National Emergency Training Center - St. Joseph's College. This former mining community has been abandoned for many decades and while much of it has been lost to the woodland, pieces remain, including several concrete structures and an old rail line. 8. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Hope you have fun! One of the least known places on this list are the jet bunkers in the Quehanna Wild Area. For the next two decades, the prison set abandoned until it was opened for limited tours in 1988. The seam below this coal region town caught on fire in the early 1960s, which marked the beginning of the end for the community. And then, the church suddenly burned down. Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure, Sacred Granaries, Kasbahs and Feasts in Morocco, Monster of the Month: The Hopkinsville Goblins, How to Grow a Dye Garden With Aaron Sanders Head, Paper Botanicals With Kate Croghan Alarcn, Writing the Food Memoir: A Workshop With Gina Rae La Cerva, Reading the Urban Landscape With Annie Novak, Making Scents: Experimental Perfumery With Saskia Wilson-Brown, Secret Nun Cookies at Monasterio del Corpus Christi, Wonder Is Everywhere: Civil War Gold, a New Moai, and More From Around the Web, The Woman Preserving the Endangered Cuisine of Indian Jews, How a Lone Researcher Faced Down Millions of Army Ants on the March in Ecuador. Opened from 1855 until 1972, this was the longest active anthracite coal mine in the world and had tunnels as deep as 800 feet below the ground. The Devil's Elbow is a dangerous curve along Wopsy Road that has a story about a ghostly white lady. Im always on the lookout for abandoned places in Pennsylvania that I can legally explore. Ironton Rail Trail Abandoned PA Turnpike Young and Sons Machine Shop. Located just a few miles from Centralia, Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine is a once-abandoned mine in the heart of Pennsylvanias coal region. I lived in Clairton , pleasant hills and bethel Park, I now live in California but miss Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. 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. However, few have been left alone in the middle of nature like Rockland Furnace. That was torn down a few years ago, but it was never open to the public to explore when it still existed. After being closed, the mine was abandoned for two decades before it was open for tours in 1985. On the second floor, youll find offices for workers at the prison. Most drivers likely wouldnt give a second thought to driving through the Horseshoe Curve Tunnel. 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. I was young and didnt think anything about it. According to locals, she operated an orphanage located at this very site during the Civil War era. Fortunately this time, no one was killed. Ghosts said to hang out here include former employee "Bus" Seymore, who is heard typing upstairs, and a little girl who sits in the conference room and has a "thing" for flashlights. Thats a famous historical train site. This mine opened in 1860 and was actively mined until 1966. Oldest continuously operating railroad tunnel in the world is the Howard Tunnel in York County, Pa along the current Northern Central Railroad. regularly. Experiencing Raystown Lake Witout a Boat - You don't need a boat to explore Pennsylvania largest lake. Use the "Browse" or "Choose File" button below to select an image to upload along with your comment. 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. His cigar smoke has been smelled by witnesses as well. Visitors to this site have reported hearing the harrowing sounds of battle, although nothing appears to be happening on the quiet field. Ashville, PA (4.9 mi.) Click here to read her tragic tale. Tunnel is over 900 feet long so take a flashlight along. Since the mine was closed with the plan of reopening, much of the original mine equipment is still present. Today, its laying on its side around piles of bricks waiting for hopeful restoration. Thats very interesting story and you mention Rockview.. The hayrides are year-round so visit freely! This tavern building was a French outpost in the 1740s and a war headquarters in the 1750s. Copyright 2013-2023 Uncovering Media, LLC - All Rights Reserved, ruins of the Colonial Springs Bottling Plant, best-preserved iron furnaces in Pennsylvania, National Iron and Steel Museum in Coatesville, Hiking the Hemlock Trail in Laurel Hill State Park to See Its Massive Trees, 10 Strange Things Dropped on New Years Eve in Pennsylvania, Hiking in Hills Creek State Park in Tioga County, PA, Clyde Peelings Reptiland: A Reptile Lovers Dream Come True, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_Hole_Tunnel, https://pennhurstasylum.ticketleap.com/daytime-photography-tour/details. These bunkers were built to house explosive munitions as part of the Susquehanna Ordnance Depot. The Admiral Peary Monument in Cambria Countyhonors U.S. In fact, I didnt even talk about the other historic buildings and the many exterior sights. 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. You're awesome for doing it! The dam was later rebuilt, but failed again in 1942. Fortunately, a group of local residents decided to open this abandoned mine to tours in 1962. The Limestone Trail trailhead is located at the northeast corner of the parking lots at GPS coordinates 40.48496, -78.28334. Tunnelhill, PA (7.1 mi.) The Coplay Cement Company built the kilns in the early 1890s, and they were in use until 1904. 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. It was wild! Make sure to obey any signage you might see, and obtain owner permission or pay the admission fees where required.). An abandoned hallway inside one of the historic sanatorium buildings. There are actually two tunnels in that same area just a few miles apart. One thing I noticed in here was echos of my footsteps seemed just a bit eerie! Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. When visiting, make sure to be respectful as this is a historic site and attempts are being made to preserve it. The uncovered testimony of a teenage girl claims the ghost of Isaac Mishler haunts historic Altoona's Mishler Theatre. Although some of that glass has since been shattered at the hands of vandals. And there are plenty of them to check out. The community even hosted President Ulysses S. Grant in 1871. According to reports, soldiers are still active at this site. Westinghouse Atom Smasher in Forest Hills. 2023 Atlas Obscura. In 1974 it caught fire and was rebuilt, and to this day presents cultural offerings to the public. (Submitted by Chris Berglund). They can be accessed from several points along the spectacular Lehigh Gorge. This site is very unlike what youd see at the other famous abandoned prison in Pennsylvania, Eastern State Penitentiary. Centralia is possibly the most famous abandoned town in PA. Updated: Apr. She disappears from cars at the Devils Elbow. Between then and around the 1930s locals swore they would frequently see the headless apparition of the doctor around this area. Some stories say she is a hitchhiker ghost or that she stops young men to see if they are her husband. Night and day. You need to park on the side of the highway which there is only one spot to do so but youre not even close to where you need to be DONT WASTE YOUR TIME, Your email address will not be published. Folks say at this restaurant you can smell ghostly cigar smoke from its old days. We just happened to have our Rockview Jackets and were allowed in. When I visited, I was able to head into the garages, which were interesting to see, but the main feature here is the exterior murals. Frightened, the two desperately finally managed to close the Locals tell a harrowing story of something that may happen near here: A strange fog gathers quickly, and from out of the mysterious fog comes a ghostly battle. In conjunction with the Allegheny Tunnel mentioned above, theHorseshoe Curveallowed trains to cross back and forth over the steep Allegheny Mountains, something that had been impossible before 1854. You definitely WILL encounter flaking paint, broken glass, dark corridors, and other hazards typical when exploring abandoned buildings, so dress appropriately and come prepared for that. The Devils Elbow is a dangerous curve along Wopsy Road that has a story about a ghostly white lady. Essentially every building at the former SCI Cresson had some form of access control room. Known officially as a Van de Graaff Generator, this was the first industrial generator of its kind and was built in 1937. Ive mentioned several other abandoned coal mines on this list, but the Number 9 Coal Mine and Museum in Carbon County might be my favorite. The Tudor-style structures dating back to the original days as a tuberculosis sanitorium are some of the more interesting building facades at the abandoned prison complex. All Rights Reserved. . However, when traffic necessitated upgrades to the roadway, this section of road and its two tunnels were bypassed. There are filled with mold, peeling paint, and animal scat, just to name a few hazards. (Submitted by Chris Berglund). I have said in a post on another forum that if the couple killed were prominant, there should have been newspaper stories, exact dates, etc. I cant wait to explore this place!!!! Even more impressive, visits to the abandoned prison in Cresson are only $10 per hour of exploration (at the time of publication), which is very inexpensive. Guests are welcome to bring investigative equipment and a small flashlight. Yes, many people still live there. Current management has plans to restore much of the East Broad Top track, and the tunnels are being considered for rebuilding and trains once again riding thru the tunnels. In 1911, the dam failed and the ensuing flood of water killed 78 people. Completed in 1854,the Allegheny Tunnel is still in use tothis day, and theGallitzin Tunnels Parknext to it is a popular spot for railfans to congregate and watch trains enter and exit this historic tunnel. Easy access from white Haven. The Devil's Elbow Dysart, Pennsylvania 4.1 miles from Altoona, PA The Devil's Elbow is a dangerous curve along Wopsy Road that has a story about a ghostly white lady. The Railroaders Museum is said to be haunted by a spirit named Frank, who has been seen all over the museum. The most popular spot at Centralia was Graffiti Highway, but this spot was sadly destroyed recently by the property owner. Let us know in the comments below. While its not as large as the basketball court in the main gym, its still in pretty good shape and still had the baskets hanging at either end of the court. Some of the older housing units are three stories high, while the more modern ones are only two stories high. 31.6K Click the map to see more nearby things to do " 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 1924, the community was abandoned. Same story of lady in white on beluah road. The prison closed in 1971, and slowlydescended into ruinover the next 20 years. It was originally a military post that began in the 1700s. 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. After sitting vacant for several years, the site was purchased with the goal of turning it into a hydroponic farm. 3.8. However, the mine never again reopened as an active coal mine. Where im from we call it horseshoe curve. Read more 0 Flavel Mansion Astoria, Oregon In the late 1800s, the area around Oil Creek was home to tens of thousands of prospectors hoping to strike it rich. It's home to a ghost nicknamed Handsome Paul, who appears suited up for a night out. This public space is speckled with the eerie remnants of a defunct amusement park. 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. 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