"Blob"fest

Every year around the same time something strange occurs at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Hundreds of spectators run rampant out of the theatre and onto the streets. Their look of terror assumes they just saw a monster. Perhaps they did! But chances are they're just re-enacting the famous scene from the campy sci-fi classic. The film originally cost $120,00 to produce. It starred Aneta Corsaut who played Jane, and a hot newcomer; Steven McQueen. This was the last time he used Steven as he later became ubercool Steve McQueen, and unfortunately met a tragic fate. An interesting fact with the film is McQueen was offered $2,500 or 10% gross of the film. He chose the $2,500 figuring the film would tank, the movie caught a buzz and made over $4,000,000.00.


Filmed mainly at Valley Forge Films, Director Irvin Yeaworth used local landmarks in the film to add authenticity, including local homes, a landmark theatre, diners, and even a local high school.

Every year thousands flock here to pay homage. The annual Blobfest occurs every July in the town of Phoenixville. The festival features numerous vendors, B-movie screenings, costume contests, a fire extinguisher parade, and of course the infamous theatre run out.

Follow us the rest of the week as we continue our "Blob" tour!

Magnet Hills & Gravity Hills

Gravity: We can all comprehend it; even the youngest child rolling a ball understands it. But what if I told you there were places on Earth where these laws of gravity no longer existed. What if you could watch a ball roll uphill, or even see liquid slowly move in the opposite direction! What if I said you could put your car in neutral and accelerate back up a hill without the help of the engine? Would you call me crazy? A few who know me very well may, but not for these reasons. Truth is these places exist all over the world!

Commonly they are referred to as gravity hills, magnet hills, or mystery spots. A few are even popular tourist destinations, but most are found in rural locations and are really only known by the locals. With these mysterious spots are also lots of legends, usually referring to paranormal or supernatural powers at work. Many tales involve friendly spirits actually guiding your car away from a danger that awaits. Others believe these places have a strange magnetic field, which attributes to the attraction of more spirits, but also has a strange magnetic pull on your vehicle. The most common and most sensible theory on gravity hills is that they're simply an optical illusion. The land layout and the surrounding landscapes actually fool your eye into believing that gravity is actually being defied and objects are rolling uphill.

I'm guessing Isaac Newton isn't going to be rolling in his grave anytime soon. But you can be assured that Outta the Way will keep looking for these mysterious places and will still enjoy them with utter amazement. Will also keep our theory to ourselves that it's really Newton's spirit just playing a cruel joke on all of us!

Gravity Hill Video Click Here!

Outta the Way! on Flickr

Outta the Way! on Flickr

Cross Dressing Spirits of Rexmont, Pennsylvania

The tiny village of Rexmont is quite easy to miss. There's not even a signal light in this sleepy town. But this village is full of history and quite a bit of mystery as well.

The town was founded in the 1870's by a successful financier named Cyrus Rex. Cyrus wanted to give the local furnace workers a chance to own property as opposed to living in factory villages. He began to sell one acre plots for the men and their families to build homes on. In 1875 Cyrus had his very own home built. He shared the home with his niece Susan Amanda.

Cyrus didn't spend much of his life in the town he founded, he preferred to travel abroad with his partner Dr. Andrew Glenninger. When he was in town, Cyrus was known to be seen parading around in elegant gowns.

Today the residence is private, but has been a Bed and Breakfast in the recent past. Even so there always seems to be an uninvited overnight guest. Former visitors to the Inn have often spotted a spirit roaming the hallways and rooms. This apparition seems to enjoy sporting long elegant victorian gowns. Perhaps it's Cyrus' niece who spent much of her life in the home, many believe it's Cyrus himself re-visiting his former home the way he was most comfortable.

More on the Rexmont Inn and other local Outta the Way spots

Washington's Crossing at the Delaware

On a chilly Christmas evening in 1776, George Washington may have changed the fate of America forever. After suffering moral defeats in New York City, General Washington needed to regain the morale of his troops. He devised an attack on the Hessian forces in Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey. Washington and his troops set camp at the village of Taylorsville, Pennsylvania, located on the banks of the Delaware River. The town was developed around a ferry crossing owned by Samuel McConkey. Mr. McConkey also owned an inn and tavern, which served as a guard post to keep alert for attacking British Troops. It’s also believed that Washington and his troops dined at McConkey’s Ferry Inn before that treacherous night on the Delaware.

At approximately 6:00 p.m. on Christmas evening, Washington and his troops set out on the Delaware River. The Durham boats Washington specifically asked for seemed to be the perfect fit for all his men plus their heavy gear. The Durham boats were used for hauling iron on the river. This evening they would receive their hardest workout. A classic Pennsylvanian nor’easter was looming on the horizon. The battle through the icy waters of the Delaware was just one of the many to come in those ten crucial days. Sleet, snow and freezing rain fell down on Washington’s troops as they fought through the blustery night. After the crossing, Washington marched his men into Trenton, New Jersey and devised a two prong attack, which would change the Revolution forever.

It is thought that more men perished from diseases and sickness along the banks of the Delaware than in the battles that proceeded. The Thompson-Neely house, which still stands, acted as a hospital during the troop’s encampment at Taylorsville. It is unknown exactly how many men perished in this site, and almost all who died are still unknown. While the building of the Delaware Canal was going on, many workers found body remains in the soil outlaying the river.

A soldier’s grave was later made to commemorate all who lost their lives during that cold December in 1776. The tombstones that line the bank only represent a few of the many who lost their lives for our freedoms.

In 1918 the town of Taylorsville was changed to Washington’s Crossing. Today, many of the buildings still stand, allowing us to retrace history and walk the hallowed grounds where many had given blood and life for the many freedoms we so boldly display today.

Spirits at the Strasburg Cemetery

Annie Gonder doesn’t always prefer to stay at home. The nearby Strasburg Cemetery where her remains are buried also seems to be a favorite spot for her. As you approach the rusty iron gates of the cemetery, you feel a presence around you. The bats flying overhead make your pulse race higher as you approach the old, worn tombs of the Gonder family. Something seems afoul. The gravestone of Annie is placed in the opposite direction of the rest of the family. Was the family so ashamed of Annie they turned their backs on her even in death? Or was Annie getting the last laugh on the Gonder family, and shunning away from them? If you hang around the Strasburg Cemetery long enough, maybe you can ask her for yourself!

Great American Holly Tree

Located on the grounds of the Indian Steps Museum, hovering higher than the two-story museum, Is thought to be the largest American Holly tree in North America.

The tree was just a tiny seedling when the Pilgrims originally landed at Plymouth Rock. Today the holly tree acts as a living American artifact.

Each year a small branch is taken from the tree to commemorate the museum and the beautiful land that surrounds it.

Hopewell Furnace

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania is full of small ghosts towns. Peppered throughout the state are small reminders of towns who strived to survive, yet fell into non-existence. From the little mining towns of western Pennsylvania, to the timber rich villages of northeastern Pennsylvania, all had aspirations of putting together enough industry to put their names on the map. Unfortunately after the industries washed up, and dispersed with technology, most of these towns vanished into state game lands. Leaving nothing behind but small reminders of what could have been, decaying foundations overrun with vegetation, and the occasional town cemetery hidden eerily in the woods leave constant reminders.
Though the most famous ghost town in Pennsylvania still attracts thousands of visitors every year. In fact the federal government helps to keep it that way.

The town of Hopewell was established due to its lucrative iron making furnaces. The Hopewell furnace was established in 1771 and would quickly become the largest iron making producer in the country. The industrial town shortly followed. The employees of the furnace would receive notes for their work, which could than be cashed in to local merchants for goods.

The furnace prospered most in times of despair, the civil war proved to be the most profitable time for the furnace. The furnace supplied goods and ammunition to both Union and Confederate soldiers. During times of peace the furnace maintained by supplying the nation with kettles, machinery and their famous pot-bellied stoves. In the year 1883 the entire town was left abandoned, leaving behind homes, furnaces, workshops, and even a church. Today the furnace and town are maintained by the United States parks department. It is considered to be the best preserved iron making town in all of North America.

St. Peter's Village Antique Arcade.

The tiny village of St. Peter's makes you feel as if you've just stepped back into another era in history. All the homes and businesses look very similar to the way they looked when they were built in the 1800's. Even the village arcade with it's more modern technology takes you back to a much simpler time. The arcade is full of vintage arcade games and pinball machines. Most seem to be from the 1960's and 1970's, some are quite obscure and difficult to find. Most of the pinball machines gives you two plays for one quarter. Aside from the pinball machines there are also a few shooting games, including the game "Arctic Gun" which uses an actual modified Remington rifle. Perhaps you'd like to try your skills shooting black cats and witches in the game "Haunted House." The entire arcade oozes with nostalgia, the most modern game I noticed was the classic "Pac-Man." Maybe it was the song "Car Wash" pulsating out of the speakers as I dropped a quarter into the "Swinger" pinball machine, but for a few minutes I felt I was transported back in time, and all of life's everyday stresses seemed to fade away and life seemed a whole lot simpler.

Allegheny Aqueduct

In the small town of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, sits an architectural marvel with astounding natural beauty. The aqueduct was built in 1824 by the Schuylkill Navigation Company under the direction of engineer Ephriam Beech. The aqueduct is essentially a bridge for boats. Mules or horses would pull the boats across the aqueduct into the next part of the Schuylkill canal system. The aqueduct spans roughly 112 feet and is comprised of five arches made from red sandstone and brownstone, incorporating a keystone theme. In 1983 the aqueduct was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the aqueduct is maintained by the county of Berks and is still in great shape.

Historical Berks County Pennsylvania

In the July zine we take a historic stroll through Berks county and western Chester county in Pennsylvania.

We'll take a visit to two historic company towns which nearly faced abandonment forever. One was at the foreground of the industrial era in America. Today the town sits with no residents and the remnants of an iron making giant. Another town was built around the mining and quarrying industry that grew around it. Today the small village is a weekend retreat area. We'll also pay visit to a few historic homes in the area, including the childhood home of a very prominent figure in American history. Lastly we'll take a walk over a bridge that was originally designed to carry boats.

So get ready to head outta the way, cause we're going "Outta the Way!"

Schuylkill County Prison and The Mollie Maguires.

Not too far from the Yuengling brewery in Pottsville lies a castle of solitude. The Schuylkill county prison was originally built in Orwigsburg in 1814. After some expansions and renovations it became too small and was changed into a school house. In 1851 the prison moved to it's current location in Pottsville. Completed with a castle facade, it was surely meant to intimidate.

The prison consisted of 38 cells, each cell holding 2 inmates. In 1876 a new addition was added to the fortress. A total of 86 new cells along with 6 solitary confinement cells in the basement were added. The following year the prison would gain much of it's infamy. On June 21, 1877 the largest mass execution in Pennsylvania history would take place. Six Mollie Maguires were hung at the prison, while another four were executed at the prison in Mauch Chunk. All ten men proclaimed their innocence. The whole history of the Mollie Maguires is shrouded in much doubt and full of conspiracies through large coal companies. In order to accommodate the hangings the Schuylkill county prison had a six man gallow built, though they opted to hang the men two at a time instead of all six at once. On the night of the executions miners and their families gathered outside the prison in silence to claim the innocence of the lives that would be lost here.

The county of Schuylkill executed a total of sixteen people by 1911, including nine Mollie Maguires. The state took control over all executions in 1911, though none remain as controversial as the ones that took place on that early summer evening in 1877.

Pennsylvania Serial Killer: Mathias Schambacher

In the June zine, we visit a bird sanctuary that has quite a horrendous past. Long before the conservation area was put into effect, this mountain was home to one of Pennsylvania's first serial killers.

Sometime during the mid 1800's an aspiring business owner named Mathias Schambacher bought a homestead on the mountain that was once the site of brutal family attack in the 1750's. He and his wife turned the home into a roadside tavern and an overnight inn. Overnight visitors to the inn claimed to feel an overwhelming sense of doom surrounding them. Many reported hearing strange noises and footsteps in the middle of the night. Most who stayed vowed to never stay again, but others weren't so lucky.

The locals began to grow suspicious of the activity's surrounding the inn. Some guests who stopped in were never seen from again. Locals claimed to have seen Mathias cleaning blood off the walls of his barn, others reported that their horses wouldn't even near the property. Mr. Schambacher was even seen selling the merchandise of a traveling salesman who had disappeared. Though all these little clues added up to no hard evidence.

In 1879 on his deathbed Mathias urged his wife to contact a preacher so he could confess his sins. "I have taken the lives of men" Mathias stated. Than continuing to describe the grisly manner in which he slaughtered so many road weary travelers. Detailing how he chopped the men up with an axe, than displaced their bones in the woods to be cleaned by the animals. The number of victims is not known, Mathias lost count after he filled his well with skulls. The meat from the victims was never discussed, though it is rumored that sausage appeared on the tavern menu shortly after the first victim disappeared.

Yuengling Ice Cream

When you think of Yuengling you usually think of beer, more precisely lager. But what most don't know is that ice cream may have helped to save the brewery. During prohibition Yuengling was no longer allowed to make alcoholic beer. They instead made a non-alcoholic near beer, but it may have been the creamery across from the brewery that kept the Yuengling name afloat. The ice cream packages back in those days also contained baseball cards, many of which are quite valuable today, and often difficult to find. The amazing thing is how long they continued to churn out ice cream even after prohibition. The Yuengling creamery continued serving customers in the nearby communities up until 1985 when they closed the creamery for good.