Something Scary

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Gothic window with point at the top set into brown stone wall. Green leaves of a nearby tree are reflected in the glass.
Gothic window at Cornwall Iron Furnace (photo via Facebook)

Despite all that's going on in the world, many Trails of History sites have found a way to share some Halloween fun, candy, and scary stories with their communities. Socially distanced Trick-or-Treating has primarily meant "drive-thru Halloween," but there are also some online offerings.

Two vehicles lined up for drive-thru Trick or Treating. Two museum staff are there to hand out goody bags. A tree-covered hill is in the background.
Drive-thru Trick-or-Treating at the PA Lumber Museum (photo via Facebook)

Last weekend the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum hosted a drive-thru event in their parking lot that drew more than two dozen carloads of local residents. Area businesses donated candy, which museum staff and volunteers pre-packaged in goody bags along with the text of a story that would normally be shared at the museum's Halloween lantern tours. You can see more pictures from the event in a Facebook album.
White background with black silhouette of two story manor house
Silhouette of the Manor House at Pennsbury (via Facebook)

If you haven't yet carved your Halloween pumpkin, Pennsbury Manor has some site-related silhouettes you can use as patterns (see above). You'll find more, including Bill the Ox, on their Facebook post.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania shared a ghost story, "Foul Play with the Lamp," that first appeared in print in 1874. The story is narrated by a train engineer and includes numerous details of railroad communication and operations - but it takes an eerie turn. The Facebook post is below or you can find it using this link.

During this Halloween season, Daniel Sohn shares a railroad ghost story from the October issue of “Milepost,” the...

Posted by Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, October 28, 2020


More ghost stories are available at
Graeme Park. See their Facebook below or at this link for a recorded story (including details to help you decide if it's too scary) and info about virtual programs available.

Happy Halloween from Graeme Park! Join Graeme Park Volunteer, Erin, for a traditional Halloween Legend for all ages...

Posted by Graeme Park on Monday, October 26, 2020


Definitely too scary for me, but maybe not for everyone - The State Museum of Pennsylvania has been featuring spiders on Facebook this week. Learn everything you need to know, and get thoroughly creeped out in the process (see below or visit Facebook link).

Pennsylvania is home to many species of spiders, and thankfully most of them prefer to live outdoors. Some, like the...

Posted by The State Museum of Pennsylvania on Thursday, October 29, 2020


And finally, I'll leave you with this. It's not actually Halloween-related, although it does involve people dressing up. Last week, Drake Well Museum & Park hosted an online event, "Pithole Person of the Year," in which staff presented short vignettes about people who were part of the history of Pithole, an oil boomtown that came and went quickly. The audience voted to declare who would be Person of the Year. This week, Drake Well posted a short video in which the winner was presented with her award. Enjoy! (And I'll see you on the other side.)

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