abandoned places in altoona
This drinking fountain in one of the older cell blocks once quenched the thirst of the medium-security prisoners housed here. All Rights Reserved. Tons of cool architecture and history there. Westinghouse Atom Smasher in Forest Hills. A ghostly white figure of a woman was in the back right seat we all seen her. In fact, when entering the site, I was told that if I could find an open door, I could go in and explore as much as I wanted. It is said that he lost some bones along the way and was reburied as an incomplete body. Jennie Wade was a seamstress and the only civilian to be directly killed in the Battle of Gettysburg when a stray bullet entered this house, where she was visiting her sister. regularly. Other ghosts who reside You can't swing a dead cat in Gettysburg without hitting something haunted and the Tillie Pierce house is no exception. We have one of it in flames. BUTtwo weeks later, we are watching Ghost Hunters on TV. His presentation is quirky but his history and stories are kinda what you are looking for. While little remains of the structures, its a fascinating spot for history lovers looking for great abandoned sites in Pennsylvania. Google gives you the tourist attractions, but theres a ton of more locally known places not widely known. The Coplay Kilns are nine kilns that are the remnants of a large cement factory that was located on the outskirts of town. Centralia is possibly the most famous abandoned town in PA. kettner dam elk county,jones twp. During my exploration, I was able to, I believe, enter into every unlocked building, and each structure had interesting spaces to explore, though some obviously were more interesting than others. Fortunately, a group of local residents decided to open this abandoned mine to tours in 1962. At this historic site, a boulder-ridden hill and Gettysburg Battlefield location, ghostly soldiers are reported to be seen. However, by 1873, the town was essentially abandoned. So, when I heard that the former SCI Cresson Prison near Altoona was open for visits, I knew I needed to check it out as soon as I could. While several of these are off-limits to visitors because they are being used for the hydroponic farm, there were, at the time of my visit at least one that you could enter. It continued to house inmates until closing in 2013 due to the cost of maintaining the aging facility. The National Emergency Training Center was once St. Joseph's College, which until 1973 was a Catholic girls' school established in 1809. Trips Experiences Courses Places Foods . Although some of that glass has since been shattered at the hands of vandals. This tavern building was a French outpost in the 1740s and a war headquarters in the 1750s. Today, visitors can walk through the surrounding park, marvel at the size of Austin Dam and its crumbling ruins, and pay their respects to those killed here. Contrast that with other areas of the prison where the more modern, industrial-style buildings are prominent features. Thank you! While some of the auxiliary wings were torn down when converting the site into a prison, much of the structure still stands today. No doubt countless pick-up games were played on this court over the years the prison was in operation. Today, visitors can go deep underground to see this once-active mine and learn more about coal mining. Buildings that dynamite couldn't bring down were abandoned because of bathroom issues. Ghosts said to hang out here include former employee "Bus" Seymore, who is heard typing upstairs, and a little girl who sits in the conference room and has a "thing" for flashlights. Looking around I noticed others with worn names. Of all the abandoned train tunnels in PA, this might be the easiest to reach as its located directly adjacent to a large parking lot. The buildings were built in the 1920s and 1930s for workers at the nearby limestone mine. Another building to search out is the prisons gymnasium. That was torn down a few years ago, but it was never open to the public to explore when it still existed. All rights reserved. It is nearly 500 feet long, and visitors can walk through the tunnel, keeping an eye out for abandoned tracks along the way. Let us know in the comments below. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. The land where the sanatorium would sit was donated by steel-tycoon Andrew Carnegie in 1911, and, in 1913, the Cresson Tuberculosis Sanatorium was opened atop a ridge in the Allegheny Mountains, though construction wouldnt be completed until 1916. This farmhouse, built during the Civil War, was once even used as a war hospital. Almost all of the buildings have either a number or a letter emblazoned on them. And, save a few of the modern structures, the buildings are in very rough shape. (Submitted by Chris Berglund). Some of the older cells have an enormous amount of peeling paint coming off the ceiling and walls, thus my recommendation to bring a dust mask along. Tille Pierce is well known as she wrote a book in the aftermath of Gettysburg about her experiences during the battle. According to those in the know, this area is haunted by the ghost of a young girl who wears a white dress. They assumed he, like them, was an extra working on the film. Please only visit with permission. Same story of lady in white on beluah road. TheAllegheny Tunnel(known originally as the Summit Tunnel) in nearby Gallitzin wasthe longest railroad tunnel in the worldat the time of its completion, at3,612 feet. In a side room, weight equipment can still be found in several spots. This historic hotel has been in operation for over a century, but is now believed to be a private residence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_Hole_Tunnel, Very interesting .Does anyone have a picture of Turners Inn Restaurant on Route 40? Visitors to the theaters ladys room also claim to have seen theater guests dressed in early 1900s attire. Embark on a creepy day trip to Altoona, perhaps the most haunted town near Pittsburgh, where you will have plenty of opportunities to experience the paranormal. Over the years, many stage crew members, actors, office . A haunted location: Baker Mansion in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The grounds here are so massive that I made a second full-day visit in November of 2021. In fact, it preserves several important buildings in the Lukens Historic District. Urban exploration isn't usually legal, so you're going to need to look for illegal answers if you want to find anything outside of a state or local park. On the second floor, youll find offices for workers at the prison. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. This huge, disused viaduct is now a crumbling concrete underworld of covered in years of graffiti. Legend has it that she was a new bride on her honeymoon at the Wopsononock Hotel, which burned down long ago. Some stories say she is a hitchhiker ghost or that she stops young men to see if they are her husband. Perhaps the largest abandoned spot in Pennsylvania is an abandoned stretch of PA Turnpike. If you are looking for something a bit different, Big House Produce has also started hosting other types of events such as ghost hunts and airsoft military-style games in the facility. Another says the girls at the school all died of a mysterious illness. In conjunction with the Allegheny Tunnel mentioned above, theHorseshoe Curveallowed trains to cross back and forth over the steep Allegheny Mountains, something that had been impossible before 1854. There is a wedding dress in a glass case that is said to move on it's own, especially around Halloween and full moons. Id love to be a guide there. Id love to explore the interior of some of those downtown buildings. It was wild! If you don't want to travel out of the city to see trains or are looking for something to do while visiting the city's railroad museum, this is a great spot to quickly experience the joys of watching trains. Discover Castle Halloween Museum in Altoona, Pennsylvania: Journey through a collection of over 35,000 Halloween items from all generations. Its worth knowing that this is a huge site (I spent four hours there and could have easily spent more time). 100 years ago did not know you could get close to it!!! These bunkers were used to test nuclear-powered jet engines as part of the governments Atoms for Peace program. Yet, when the individual goes to investigate the cigar smell or smoke, he or she sees no one at all. This is a crock. The kitchen (above) and the laundry (below) are just two of the more interesting service areas I explored while visiting the abandoned Cresson State Prison. Opened from 1855 until 1972, this was the longest active anthracite coal mine in the world and had tunnels as deep as 800 feet below the ground. (Submitted by Chris Berglund). Between these two Tudor Revival buildings, make sure to find Grace Chapel. Witnesses say they have felt a heavy presence inside, during which it is difficult to breathe. After sitting vacant for several years, the site was purchased with the goal of turning it into a hydroponic farm. https://youtube.com/c/ODDySEEy. Help spread the word. The ruined remains of a coal mining ghost town are hidden within the woods. Eldora Park between Donora and Monongahela in Carroll Township. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). The status of visitors being allowed is unknown, but I assume that it is currently closed to exploration. Grew up there and is definetly eerie up on the buckhorn. After the war, it became a church camp until the early 1970s. When visiting, make sure to be respectful as this is a historic site and attempts are being made to preserve it. Tours are given and during the Halloween season, midnight tours. Her parents buried Redstone Cem where we go For future events, Ive been told that they will be providing a map of the site, which should help with finding your way around the facility and finding the buildings that you most want to visit. Offer subject to change without notice. Since the spring of 2021, they have held events where photographers and history lovers can visit the prison and explore the site on their own. Without a doubt, this site is easily one of the largest abandoned places in Pennsylvania and one of the most varied. In 1956, the facility was incorporated into the Lawrence F. Flick State Hospital. 31.6K Click the map to see more nearby things to do " Not far from Johnstown Pa. is the Staple Bend railroad tunnel. This mental hospital was open until December 1982 when the state decided to turn the site into a prison. This site has a 100-year history as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a mental hospital, and a modern prison, meaning that you can explore everything from an old psychiatric ward to modern cell blocks. Join paranormal investigators from JABA Paranormal on March 31, 2017 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. on a paranormal investigation. The hardwood basketball court at the former SCI-Cresson is definitely showing its age, although at one time Im sure it was magnificent. Open house dates for the prison are announced on the Facebook page for the site and all events are listed on their website. Find this one in the Sacramento River Canyon. Collection of trolley cars in the woods represent one man's attempt to preserve transportation history. The Limestone Trail trailhead is located at the northeast corner of the parking lots at GPS coordinates 40.48496, -78.28334. The seam below this coal region town caught on fire in the early 1960s, which marked the beginning of the end for the community. A planned settlement in Pennsylvania once housed the aristocratic refugees of the French Revolution. Many legends surround the place, including that a gardener set the fire to cover his tracks after raping and killing many students. In the far left building white building (if looking at the front of the complex), youll find the prisons medical facility, which might be the most interesting space here. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. A man was said to have killed his wife by stabbing her on the porch sofa, then killed his children and himself upstairs. The Devil's Elbow Dysart, Pennsylvania 4.1 miles from Altoona, PA The Devil's Elbow is a dangerous curve along Wopsy Road that has a story about a ghostly white lady. Anything left of Luna Park in Scranton. Would like to see a photo of the old carbon county switch back and trail it was used for. Today, this approximately 200-foot arch looks in amazingly good condition and looks no worse for wear despite being over a century old. I definitely would bring a mask with you to deal with the likely unsafe air quality in the buildings (Which is kind of ironic since this facility was started as a sanatorium because of the clean mountain air here). Naval officerRobert Peary, a Cresson native credited with beingthe first explorer to reach the North Pole. Given the inexpensive cost of visiting and the different event types, theres a bit of something for anyone that loves historic and abandoned sites, and Id be lying if I said that this wasnt one of the coolest places Ive explored in a long time. This site is very unlike what youd see at the other famous abandoned prison in Pennsylvania, Eastern State Penitentiary. Often seen on the second floor is the ghost of an African-American man who wears 1800s clothing. It became a tavern in the 1760s, and was also used as a courtroom. The community even hosted President Ulysses S. Grant in 1871. Essentially every building at the former SCI Cresson had some form of access control room. And now thanks to new, private ownership, you can LEGALLY explore this maze of buildings, some dating back more than 100 years. After being closed, the mine was abandoned for two decades before it was open for tours in 1985. It is behind a f cow pasture. Would love to have good picture, so would many others. With that PSA out of the way, read on to discover the incredible history of this site and learn how you can visit it legally and what you can see. However, for those interested in abandoned places in Pennsylvania, Mount Moriah Cemetery still has corners that are quite overgrown. Spring City, PA. As if being an actual abandoned, haunted asylum wasn't enough, Pennhurst Asylum (aka Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic) operates as a haunted house during the Halloween season. Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and creator of the PA Bucket List travel blog. (Note: While to the best of our knowledge you can legally these abandoned places at the time of publication, access can always change. This tunnel was opened in 1886 by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company and carried trains until it was abandoned in 1956. There are actually two tunnels in that same area just a few miles apart. An abandoned hallway inside one of the historic sanatorium buildings. Thanks, Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, PA is an eerie abandoned place to explore. This old hotel, established in 1797, is haunted by Rachel, among other spirits. Today, visitors can walk or bike this section of roadway, passing through the two mile-long tunnels and exploring this post-apocalyptic site that is one of my favorite abandoned places in Pennsylvania. You may smell the distinct scent of sulfur lingering in the air as you approach and enter the tunnel as the Irish woman in white appears, angry that visitors have invaded her space. The future site of SCI Cresson began life as the Cresson Tuberculosis Sanatorium. An avid cigar smoker, Mishler frequently announces his presence through the faint smell and sometimes the billow of cigar smoke in the theater itself. Anyone have any pictures of White Swan Park which was near the Pittsburgh airport ? Since then, its been hidden away in the woods of this state forest. Only to find out, that is where caretakers had faced ghostly spirits. Im always on the lookout for abandoned places in Pennsylvania that I can legally explore. I said mostly abandoned because at least part of the former prison grounds is now being used by a new company for a new purpose. This 1906 theater building, still in operation today, is said to be home to three ghosts: Mr. Isaac Mishler, a howling dog, and a female spirit who plays pranks in the restroom. The post office and the fire dept are both in existence too. I am sure it will be a tourist site one day, too. My favorite is the trail leads you straight there! Located on state game lands a short distance south of Williamsport are the Alvira Bunkers. Mishler Theatre - 1208 12th Avenue #206, Altoona, PA 16601 Wikipedia/Public Domain A landmark in Altoona since 1906, The Mishler Theater attracts visitors for its family entertainment and its ghostly spirits. Is this place really haunted? Demolished unfortunately. Springwater still runs through this building, creating one of the most unique abandoned places in PA. It's near the Delta and while it's no longer functional, places like these are a photographer's dream. Finally, if youd like to help restore the site, they also have volunteer days periodically. Staff have reported a wild apparition Several buildings at Penn State University are allegedly haunted, including Pattee Library, said to be visited by the spirit of Betsy Aardsma, stabbed to death in the stacks in 1969. Based in the state capital of Harrisburg, Jim frequently travels around Pennsylvania and has visited, written about, and photographed all 67 counties in the state. While many are welded shut, a few are open. You missed the Rockland tunnel right by the Rockland Furnace. Today, this once-bustling borough is reduced to fewer than 10 residents. There is an abandon tunnel left from the East Broadtop Railroad along Rt 994 not far from Saltillo / Three Springs. What began as the Cresson Tuberculosis Sanatorium when it opened in 1913 morphed over the years into a state hospital and finally a state prison (SCI Cresson). to the Best Abandoned Places in PA will take you on an epic 379 mile route to seven of Pennsylvania's most intriguing abandoned places! Located along the Railroad Arch Trail, the South Penn Railroad Aqueduct sits at the end of a quiet and easy trail. They plan to continue offering events throughout 2022 while simultaneously remodeling, cleaning, and protecting the historical buildings at the abandoned Cresson State Prison. The Devil's Elbow is a dangerous curve along Wopsy Road that has a story about a ghostly white lady. Known as Pine Grove Furnace Prisoner of War Interrogation Camp, German and Japanese officers were brought here after being captured and interrogated. Map View Genres Near Me. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. I-81 went through there in the 60s and took a lot of it out. And there are plenty of them to check out. Current management has plans to restore much of the East Broad Top track, and the tunnels are being considered for rebuilding and trains once again riding thru the tunnels. Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. When I was young I hunted a farm field East of 209 in the Bushkill area. Beautiful place and grounds. Explore Altoona; Places to Stay; History of Altoona; Getting Around. Eastern State Penitentiary - Philadelphia and its Countryside Philadelphia www.easternstate.org In 1829, the first prisoner walked through the doors of Eastern State Penitentiary. The 1915 Maryland Theatre, once a vaudeville and movie house, operated until 1973. However, few have been left alone in the middle of nature like Rockland Furnace. However, in the back of the building, there is a very cool indoor basketball court that I was excited to stumble across. Search. I later did some research, and nobody seems to know the names, dates or any specific info. 27, . Hi Ginnie, I used to live in that area (1977-1992). They can be accessed from several points along the spectacular Lehigh Gorge. He often hangs around the train engine in the museums lobby and in the elevator before he disappears into a puff of smoke. Over the next few years, buildings were torn down and others were built in their place to turn the site into a modern and state-of-the-art prison. Hydroponic Life took over the SCI Cresson campus in late 2019 with plans to build hydroponic equipment, grow hydroponic produce and hemp, and develop sustainable energy projects on the property. One thing I noticed in here was echos of my footsteps seemed just a bit eerie! 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