Not only is Berks County filled with a variety of beautiful and interesting things, but also jam packed with all things scary and supernatural. What you might not know is that the hauntings that go on in our lovely county go on right under our noses. There are plenty of local ghost stories and sketchy pasts that lead to strange bumps in the night. But did you know that most of them lie just around the corner?
Hawk Mountain
I know that many of us have been to hawk mountain as the school makes it a point to schedule trips to the bird sanctuary every once in a while. The sanctuary was started in 1934 by Rosalie Edge after seeing the heartbreaking photographs of the carcasses of hundreds of hawks being shot by gunners after the Pennsylvania State Game Commission put a $5 bounty on the goshawk’s head in 1929. Now, the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association works to “conserve birds of prey worldwide by providing leadership in raptor conservation science and education, and by maintaining Hawk Mountain Sanctuary as a model observation, research and education facility.” According to their website.
But who knew that these hills would have haunts? The sanctuary was built on Kittatinny Ridge which was sacred grounds for the Lenni-Lenape Indians who resided in the area. After some persuasion and coercion of the French, the tribe massacred the Gerhardt family who resided in a cabin on the hill in 1756. The only survivor was that of eleven-year-old Matthias, who returned to rebuild a new family home where the old had been. In the 1800’s Matthias Schambacher and his wife had opened a tavern and inn in the house that Matthias had built. However, many who had stayed would often swear to never return. It is said that the Gerhardt family haunts the inn, by walking around the surrounding woods. Footsteps could be heard coming up to the door and stopping as if to listen in on the residing occupants in the inn. Strange sounds could be heard from the barn, and horses would bolt as they approached near the house. Bright, flashing lights and wailing sounds are often reported in the surrounding hillside.
Even scarier is the fact that some of the travelers never left the inn. Schambacher had confessed to killing at least 11 of the travelers that had stopped at the inn which he proceeded to rob and bury in the woods which he claims was from acts of whisperings in his ear from unknown voices.
After the death of Schambacher, another Matthias, a devout Catholic known for his plentiful good deeds, bought the house and fought an alleged evil force into submission. However, the force would end up winning the battle. Locals would later go to his home to find the door torn off the hinges, the house torn apart on the inside, and Matthias nowhere to be found. His body was found later mangled and in pieces near the house and the killer unidentified to this day.
There’s also lore of a witch who resided in the area. Apparently a witch had taken home in an old, abandoned, torn-down shack along Kittatinny Ridge. She’s known to still be a noisy neighbor and cause a stir among the mountain even after her passing.
Cry Baby Bridge
Located right down the road from our campus and along the Tulpehocken River, we have our own red covered bridge. Built in 1867, the Wertz covered bridge is a historic wooden bridge that is along the closed off road that leads to Berks County Heritage Center. Along with being one of only five covered bridges remaining in Berks County, it’s also the largest single-span covered bridge in Pennsylvania. Although now closed off to cars and automobiles, you can still walk across the bridge, especially if you want to hear some haunting noises.
The story is that a mother who lived in the area had become so distraught after her husband deserted her, that she took her child to the bridge and she threw them over the side. On quiet days, it is said that you can hear voices or the sound of a baby crying while walking over the bridge. I myself have heard crying while walking over the bridge, and I will say it is unsettling.
Gring’s Mill
Located right across the road from the Leurssen building and parking lot, you will be lead to Gring’s Mill. In 1931, C. Scott Althouse, a chemical dye manufacturer, built a bridge and dam to provide him electricity in his paint making process. In 1811, David Gring had constructed a grist mill which has since been turned into a Visitor Center and the county’s Park and Recreation Offices.
There are a couple of spooks that reside in our neighborly park. Hessian POW’s from a nearby cemetery are said to be seen haunting the area, along with a report about a girl named Mary. Mary had received a necklace from her husband for her birthday. After she had found out that he was unfaithful, she threw her birthday gift from him into her mirror. Shards of glass went flying, and she had large bleeding gashes that she rinsed in the Tulpehocken. Locals report that you can see the blood running in the creek if you look closely enough. Also the same Mary ending up not having much luck in love. She ended up remarrying what would be her killer. One night, she awoke to find him standing at the foot of her bed clutching a knife in his hands. Scared, she fled to the mill, raced up the stairs, and fell to her death through the floorboards three stories up. It’s been reported that you can see a ghost-like figure along the path, and experience cold spots within the mill itself.
Another story that Gring’s keeps, is about Louisa Bessinger. The story is that one hot day in 1875, Louisa had learned of her husband Phillips infidelity. She and her three children took the trolley to its last stop along the Tulpehocken where they walked the towpath of the Union canal picking up rocks and placing them in their basket as they walked. According to the story, the children believed they were to be going on a picnic, but as they reached lock 49 in the canal, Louisa took her three children and threw them, herself, and the basket of rocks into the river enacting a murder-suicide. There are several reports of supernatural activity near lock 49 including people seeing three children, wearing homemade clothes, who disappear as they walk along the towpath.
Penn State Berks
While not much is said about it, there are some strange things that go on at night on campus, especially that in the residence halls. It is public knowledge that there had been suicides each year for the first seven years that the campus had dorms. As sad as it is, there are now reports of ghostly apparitions, noises, and door slamming, shadows, and weird microwaves that turn on by themselves that go on in the residence halls at night. Could it be those students who took their life in the halls, or maybe just some ghostly neighbors across the river? Who knows? Maybe it’s just some of our overly creative students having a good laugh getting a scare out of others.