Where Ya Been?

The past few months lots of changes have occurred in my life which has taken time away from blogging. I first would like to apologize to our loyal followers. Many of you look forward to the new and intriguing places we visit, and we love to share our experiences.

Hopefully some of the new changes in my life will allow for me to visit more places, and do more traveling throughout the areas. The first big change in my life occurred with a promotion at my job. This means more traveling around, and more money for chances to visit other strange locales. I also recently got married. Planning the wedding and the stress involved helped pull me away from blogging as well, but we just got back from a great honeymoon with lots of new experiences to share with you. Keep following us we haven't left you, we greatly appreciate all the support and look forward to sharing more odd travels on our road.

Spirits in Schuylkill County Prison

The county prison in Schuylkill county rests majestically on top of the hill overlooking the city of Pottsville. The fortress bears the resemblance of a medievel castle. A large brick tower looms in the front keeping watch of all that's going on below. The prison began it's operations in 1851, in less than 5 years the prison had doubled in size. Behind the lovely brick castle facade hinds a dark and gloomy past. The county prison was a popular place for numerous hangings. The first execution in the current prison took place in 1875. Two short years later the county would host it's most famous hanging. A 6 man gallow was constructed to hang Mollie Maguires convicted of murder. Over the years many more hangings and executions took place on the property, but none were as famed as the nationally known Mollie Maguires.

Numerous prisoners who have had the unfortunate chance of visiting the prison claim the place is full of spirits. Unexplained screams in the night go reported, ghostly spirits have been spotted by former guards as well as inmates. A number of employees on the graveyard shift have often heard chains rattling, particularly near the midnight hour. Are their ghostly spirits roaming around the dark halls of this local legend, or are imaginations just running a little higher when confinement is felt? Maybe they'll let me spend a night there, but do I have to commit a crime!

Molly Maguire Park Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania

In the middle of the 18th century a million Irish immigrants rushed to the United States to avoid the great potato famine that was taking place at home. Thousands of them ended up in the coal mountains of Pennsylvania. The rural areas couldn't provide much wealth for a family unless they were willing to go deep into the harsh elements of anthracite coal mining. For many this was their only option, and for this they suffered dearly.
Numerous Irish immigrants banded together and attempted to fight the large corporations. This brotherhood of employees became known as Molly Maguires. Though they were more prevalent in their homeland of Ireland, the Mollies held quite a presence in the coal regions of Pennsylvania. They were accused of numerous crimes against coal leaders. Charges ranged from burglary, treason, and even murder. To this day there is a still a disagreement about whether the Mollies were violent criminals or just fed up employees fighting back for their rights. Several of the Molly Maguires were hung throughout several counties in the state including Schuykill county. In the small borough of Mahanoy City a park has been dedicated to the lost Molly Maguires, the somber hooded statue that stands before you can't help but make you have some sort of feeling about these historical men.

"Irish" Traffic Signal Syracuse, New York

There's a small Irish neighborhood in Syracuse, New York with a traffic light unlike any other in the country. At the corner of Tompkins street and Milton avenue, perched high above the streets, the upside down Irish traffic light is situated. The light has been in the famed Tipperary Hill neighborhood since 1925.

Originally the light was an ordinary traffic signal, this made the locals of the area quite upset. They couldn't believe anyone would dare place British red, above Irish green.
The incensed neighboring youth began to shoot out the red lights by throwing stones at it. The city had to replace several lights, before finally agreeing to place the green light on top. The change however was short lived. Quickly thereafter the state of New York got involved and had the traffic light reversed back to the normal look. Almost immediately after the change the little stone throwers were back at it. Local newspapers made a tale about it being the work of leprechauns, given the incredible marksmanship that would be required to pelt out a traffic light with a rock.

Eventually the tiny Irish neighborhood won the right to have the green light placed on top. After several meetings with politicians and commissioners they were able to break through the red tape. Permission was granted to leave the green light on top, and a monument was even placed across the street commemorating the young stonethrowers.
To this day the light in Tipp Hill flashes the green on top and the red on the bottom, making it one of the most unique traffic lights in the World.

Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil is perhaps one of the most famous cryptid creatures in the United States. Tales of his existence have been passed along for centuries by numerous New Jersey residents. Early Native American tribes in the area often referred to the Pine Barren woods as "the place of the dragon." Within this isolated stretch of woods is where most of the sightings of the devil have occurred.

According to legends, the Jersey Devil is thought to be the 13th child of Mother Leeds. Upon finding out of her 13th pregnancy she stated "may it be a devil." While bearing forth the child, she invoked the devil during painful labor pains. The child was born normal but within minutes of birth sprouted a horse-like head, a forked tail, wings and hooves. Immediately the creature struck, killing the mid-wife who had helped bring him to the light, than escaping into the barren woods.

The Jersey Devil has certainly left a lasting impression on the garden state. Famed Naval heroes have spotted the creature, and even fired cannon blasts at him. Brothers of World leaders have witnessed the strange creature while hunting. The mysterious monster has spurred many stories and is often blamed for many tragedies and accidents. It's been documented that when the Jersey Devil seems to appear to a large amount of witnesses within a few days, that world tragedies often occur shortly after. Lately the Jersey Devil seems to be traveling a little farther out of his area. While he has been spotted throughout the entire state of New Jersey, his presence has been appearing throughout the entire Mid-Atlantic region.

Bigfoot in Pennsylvania

The most beloved cryptid creature in America seems to make his impression felt everywhere including Pennsylvania. The Sasquatch is quite frequently spotted in the deep forests of the Pacific Northwest, but there have been sightings of this mysterious creature in nearly every state.

Sasquatch or Bigfoot is usually described as a large ape-like creature who walks upright. Bigfoot has been deemed to range around 6' - 10' in height and weighing in at over 500 pounds. They are known to permeate a horrific stench, and are legendary for their monstrous footprints.

As early as 1879 there have been descriptions given of a hairy wild man roaming the woods throughout Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society has varied reports of sightings throughout every county in the state. A majority of the sightings appear in the central and northern parts of the heavily wooded commonwealth. But alarmingly a strange disproportion also occur within the suburbs of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Several witnesses have felt or spotted a strange ape-like man luring at them while hunting. Others have reported hearing odd inarticulate screams uttering from the woods. Seems if you're going to go out hunting for Bigfoot Pennsylvania may be a good place to start, just be sure you keep all your senses magnified.
Photo of Bigfoot sighting in Pennsylvania.

Raystown Ray

One of Pennsylvania's most famous cryptid creatures prefers to make his home in one of Pennsylvania's top tourist spots. Lake Raystown is home to muskies, catfish, and a giant prehistoric monster known as Raystown Ray.

Ray is thought to be very similar to the Loch Ness monster and is said to be a similar species of creature. While there have been numerous sightings of the monster in Loch Ness, Ray doesn't seem as bold. Multiple underwater divers in the lake have reported witnessing immeasurably massive creatures dwelling deep in the waters. Ray wasn't officially spotted though until April 2006 when a local man captured the above photograph. Since that time numerous stories and sightings of Ray have spread. Many doubt the validity of these stories and believe they are mainly used to attract tourists to the region. It's quite easy to dismiss these tales given the fact Lake Raystown is one of the largest man-made lakes in the country. What are your thoughts?