Legend of Hell's Funnel

On the outskirts of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, there is a ghostly spirit known to haunt the rural surroundings. Off of a seemingly pleasant rural route, lies a dark history. Legends abound telling the tale of a man and his mill.

Early in the 20th century while working feverishly one day in his mill, the man sustained an accident. The sharp spinning blades from the mill dismembered the gentleman's hand. Since the area was quite remote, phones and neighbors were scarce. The man rushed to his home which sat on the property, his wife could do nothing but watch her husband suffer and bleed to death. Being so distraught over the loss of her husband, she took her own life.

The area surrounding their former home is thought to be haunted by the spirits of both. There is a small lake near the home where most of the apparitions have appeared. I've heard stories that people have seen a woman in a white dress walking around the lake, as well as hovering above. There are also tales of those who have been scratched on the arm while approaching the lake.

On a nighttime visit to Hell's Funnel, Outta the Way didn't notice any apparitions, though we did spot a few orbs in photographs and felt an unsettling feeling. "No Trespassing" signs are posted liberally around the area, and Outta the Way asks that you respect these wishes. Besides, maybe it's just my horror movie fascination, but don't all these hand-less spirits usually fashion a hook in the afterlife?

Legend of Toad Road and the 7 gates of Hell

Located in Hellam Township, in the middle of York county, lies a mysterious road. Trout Run road is often referred to by it's more sinister name, Toad road.

According to local legend, there was once an insane asylum located deep in the woods off this road. During the 1800's, there was a large fire in the institution. Due to the Toad road asylum's location in the woods, the firefighters were unable to get back to the hospital to assist in extinguishing the blaze. What ensued was total chaos, something right out of a horror film. Hundreds of criminally insane individuals ran rampant through the dark, dense, woods. The State police were eventually called in to handle the situation. According to local legends the police combed the woods and beat into submission all the patients they were able to track down. It's been thought that for many years there were still survivors in the woods just waiting for a trespasser to find his old burned out home.
Traveling down the road it seems like your average rural thruway. Lively trees dot the pavement, country homes pass by, and farmlands sprinkle the pathways. But just as your immersing up the country beauty, something strange occurs on this seemingly pleasant way. The road becomes unpaved, and quite rocky, a feeling occurs like you should no longer be here. As you pass around a sharp bend, you notice a red gate and an abundance of "No Trespassing" signs. Welcome to the first gate of hell!

The City of York supposedly put these up to discourage folks from trespassing back the paths. Local legend states that there are six more of these gates located in the woods, if you find the seventh gate you'll be on the site of the burned out institution-or you'll be in Hell itself!

The City of York of course denies all these stories, and unfortunately there's not much hard evidence to support the folklore. Many people claim the city did all they could to cover up these heinous activities. Could you blame them?

For the full effect of this trip we would recommend a nighttime visit, when our imaginations seem to run a little bit higher. If you put the windows down, maybe you can still hear the screams and cries of a lost psychopath roaming the woods, still waiting for that unsuspecting visitor!


WARNING!! Entering the woods on Trout Run road without permission will attract an unwanted visitor and they will have no problems issuing a citation for trespassing!

White Lady of Buckhorn Mountain

High upon the Buckhorn mountain in Altoona, Pennsylvania, used to sit a luxurious hidden resort. Young honeymooners would often traverse the dangerous curvy roads just to spend quality time in this romantic getaway. Many believe numerous visitors never actually made it to their destination. A particularly treacherous stretch of road known affectionately as the "Devil's elbow" often led to the untimely death of unfortunate couples. Over many decades the resort eventually fell on hard times and was closed for good. Today the mountaintop is a advantageous location for several radio and television transmission devices.

Late one evening, a technician who had just finished some repairs on the equipment, was preparing for his journey back down the mountain. While navigating his way through the treacherous curves, he spotted a female in a white shimmering dress, attempting to hitch a ride. The overzealous driver was struck by her beauty and came to an immediate halt. Pulling over, he offered her a ride, in which she gladly accepted. The man began to go forth on his adventure home, feeling smitten with such a beautiful woman by his side. When he again attempted to soak in her stunning beauty, he realized she was gone, just as quickly as she appeared.

The Tommyknockers

October 1824, deep in the coal mines of Western Pennsylvania, two miners are working alone in a small shaft.
"Where's my hammer?" exclaims Henry.
"I don't know!" replies John.
Henry fires immediately back "c'mon I got lots of work to do yet!"
"Seriously, I haven't seen it" John snaps back at his co-worker.
"Well it didn't just get off and walk away!" Henry shouted back.

Suddenly a obvious knocking sound was heard coming from the other end of the shaft.
Knock, knock, knock!
As the knocking became louder and closer, dirt began to crumble onto the top of the miner's heads. The supporting timber beams began to splinter and bend as the weight of the above ground was forcefully coming down. The two men eagerly grabbed their tools and hoped to make a quick retreat. Unexpectedly and out of nowhere the two men spotted a green gnome creature go barreling right past them. The startled pair stood in amazement and disbelief at each other as the weight of the earth came collapsing upon them.

The Tommyknockers are a greenish gnome-like creature originating out of Cornish folklore. They are closely similar to Leprechauns, except they primarily occupy mines, often seen working side by side with the miners. Tales of their existence in Western Pennsylvania began in the 1820's. As more and more immigrants descended on the area, the popular myths and legends from the Mother countries became more prevalent. The Tommyknockers name is derived from the knocking sounds miners would often hear before a cave-in. Many believed these impish trolls were actually the spirits of previous miners who succumbed to the industry.

The Tommyknockers were known to be a very mischievous bunch. They would often play practical jokes on the miners, often times taking the food from the lunches, as well as hiding their tools. Many in the mining field believed theses strange gnomes possessed the powers to change your life, for the better or worse. In fact, in some parts of the country miners were so fearful of the Tommyknockers that mines were actually closing due to overwhelming anxieties.

The Tommyknockers were known to do tremendous deeds. They would do favors and bring fortunes to those who believed. They were also known to cause mayhem, injury and even death to those who refused to believe!
(Art by Sam Thiewes)

Ghost of Midnight Mary

It's Spring of 1934, a young couple are cruising along the shore of Tullytown lake in Bristol, Pennsylvania. The anxious pair are on the way to their high school prom. The boyish man is dressed in his finest suit, his lovely date in her most gorgeous pink dress, with a flower corsage adorning her wrist. As the inexperienced couple traveled along the road, the young man must have become distracted, perhaps he was too enamored with his date. Abruptly the car swerves around a sharp turn at a high rate of speed. The young gentleman fights to regain control of the automobile, suddenly they veer off the road and into the surrounding lake bed. A passerby saw the vehicle become completely submerged in the body of water. The youthful pair were believed to have perished in the horrid accident, though only the boy's body was found.

55 years later a truck driver is passing along Bordertown road. He's on his way to make a delivery at a local company. The man then unexpectedly spotted a young woman walking along the road in a fashionable pink dress. Fearing for the young lady's safety the driver immediately pulls over and offers her a ride. As she climbed into the cab of the truck, the driver could tell she was obviously distraught. As they meandered along the road, the young lady began sobbing and murmuring about her boyfriend leaving her. The driver continuously drove while trying to console the saddened girl. As her cries become more incessant, the good samaritan glances over in an attempt to embrace the somber teen. His heart skipped a beat, his spine tingled, and his rig nearly ran off the road. When he looked over all that remained was a puddle of water and a flower corsage.

Werewolf of Northumberland, Pennsylvania

Near the turn of the 20th century in the sparsely populated county of Northumberland Pennsylvania, a young girl was about to form a bond with an isolated older man that would alter their lives forever.

Young May Paul lived on a modest farm with her reserved family. May's major responsibilities on the farm included herding and tending to the family's sheep. The young lady was very well liked throughout the tiny community and had no trouble making friends. However she quietly caught the attention of an elder gentleman whom everyone was fearful of. He would often be seen following the young lady around town, as well as watching her from afar as she tended to the flocks. Their kinship seemed strange and disturbing to many individuals, though never seemed to cross any boundaries.

As strange occurrences began to happen on surrounding farms, the Paul family farm seemed to stay safe. Wolf attacks on the surrounding sheep herds were becoming common place. Onslaughts were being reported in broad daylight, yet the Paul family stayed safe from any encounters and didn't suffer one casualty.

Due to all the recent attacks on the docile creatures, bounties were being paid out for hunters who could produce a dead corpse. Late one evening a nearby neighbor spotted the glowing eyes of a wolf being lit by the full moon. The man quickly retrieved his rifle and let off a fiery blast. The yelp and cries from the wolf echoed for acres. Feeling content that the predator was taken care of, the man retired for the evening. The following day, early dawn the man trudged through his land until he found a trail of blood. Through the thicket of trees he followed the crimson trail until he came upon the body of the elder gentleman. The man laid dead from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. Many arousing suspicions claimed the frightening old man was in reality a werewolf.

Strangely enough May Paul never had a single sheep perish due to a wolf attack, even though quite often a large gray wolf would be seen menacing about the perimeters of her property, staring so ominously at the woman from afar.

Pottstown Pig Tree

(Photo from Creepy Places)
The Skull tree along Devil's road isn't the only tree in Pennsylvania with folklore surrounding it. With roots shaped like a pigs snout, and a set of holes where eyes would set, it's easy to see how the pig tree got its name. What's not so simple to figure out is why its become so mysterious.

The legend of the pig tree states to take a personal item from someone you wish to cause harm to, you then place the item into the eye hole of the tree. It's thought that if the sun pierces through the object, the curse has worked. It should also be known that if the sun doesn't shine through, the curse is than reversed onto you. I'm not too sure there's anyone I despise that much to take that risk!