The Spookiest Places in Spooky Season
Photo from the Philadelphia Inquiry.
Spooky scary skeletons usually send shivers down the spines of children, but to adults, Halloween may not be as scary anymore. After a certain age, Halloween does not necessarily provide the same thrill for most.
While buying discounted candy at a local convenience store will fill the void of the lack of fun the day after the traditional holiday, some can’t help but reminisce about the days when Halloween was one of the best times of the year.
One may ask, how can this be fixed? Well, visiting some of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania is surely a good start.
If one were to look up some of the spookiest places in the United States, Pennsylvania would definitely be on that list, probably multiple times. The state is filled with reports of supernatural activity, likely because Pennsylvania was such an important part of some of American history’s major milestones.
Hospitals. Theatres. Name a type of building and there’s a very high chance that one has many reports of being haunted in the Keystone State.
Philadelphia is home to some of the spookiest places in the entire state. One of its top frights is the Eastern State Penitentiary. Another name for a prison, this particular penitentiary opened in 1829 and has been a hot spot for paranormal activity ever since. Inmates and guards alike have confirmed supernatural sightings. Today, various groups get together to investigate the site which can easily be explored.
The Mishler Theatre in Altoona is another place in Pennsylvania where many have claimed to experience paranormal activity. Originally founded in 1906 by Isaac Mishler, many have stated they have seen the man wandering around the building into where his office used to be, all while a trail of cigar smoke following him.
The state’s capital city of Harrisburg is also known to have numerous reports of paranormal activity, especially the Harrisburg State Hospital. Open from 1851 to 2006, this was the first public asylum in Pennsylvania. Noises and screams can still be heard throughout the grounds and in tunnels that are underneath the building. Sometimes one may even hear someone utter a full name, but that is more rare.
This list would not be complete without mentioning Gettysburg, which is without a doubt the spookiest place in Pennsylvania. This is due to the deadliest battle in the Civil War taking place in the town. While pretty much every part of Gettysburg has been said to have some aspect of paranormal activity going on, one of the most notable is the Sachs Covered Bridge. General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate troops retreated over the bridge at the end of the Battle of Gettysburg. Many visitors claim to hear the sound of war or see figures of soldiers who died in this location.
While deciding which of these spooky places to go to can be exhilarating, it’s important to remember that being safe is just as important as having fun during the holiday. In other words, try to not make the spirits that mad while visiting!
