A jail with a history of inmates not ready to move on, ponds with ghostly visitors, Civil War spirits that still roam the woods and a historic location haunted by a tragic past. Those are just a few of the haunted legends that make up Franklin County’s paranormal history.
2 ponds, 2 lost souls
Dykeman Pond is home to one of Franklin County’s saddest legends. The pond is located at Dykeman Springs Park in Shippensburg and was once the home of Mary Dykeman. The legend of the park states that Mary still roams the banks of the pond in search of her infant child who drowned in the 1800s.
A similar tale is said to haunt the area around Ponk Bank near Fayetteville. The “white lady” is a local legend that has reportedly been seen walking the road and the shores of the pond and can be heard crying for her lost baby who was believed to have died by drowning in the pond. There were even some accounts of the specter being seen riding in the back of trucks and causing accidents.
Franklin County’s most tragic event
When a horrific massacre occurs at a schoolhouse, it only makes sense that the grounds would be haunted. On July 26, 1764, teacher Enoch Brown and 10 of his students were attacked at their schoolhouse in Greencastle by four Delaware Lenape warriors. The attack left everyone dead except one student and has left a gloomy energy on the grounds where the school once stood. A memorial has been placed in the location, and visitors to the site have reported seeing the ghosts of young children nearby.
Ghosts of Monterey Pass Battlefield
The Civil War ghosts of Gettysburg and Antietam have been well documented over the years, but Franklin County has its own pin on the map of haunted Civil War ghost tours. The Battle of Monterey Pass took place after the Battle of Gettysburg on July 4, 1863. Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces retreated after suffering a defeat to Union troops led by Gen. George Meade. As Lee’s troops made their way back South, they were met with more Union attacks led by Brig. Gen. George Custer. It was reported that five men were killed, 10 wounded, with over 25 missing and with many captured by Union forces.
Like nearly every location where fighting took place, reports of paranormal activity have been shared. The sounds of war, men crying out and apparitions of young soldiers in the brush of the pass have been shared. Only the bravest would venture out at night and explore the woods of Monterey Pass. Every year the battlefield museum holds ghost tours where visitors can explore the grounds looking for a fright.
Old jail haunted by past, present
The most popular haunted attraction of Franklin County is the Old Jail in Chambersburg. Built in 1818, the Old Jail is one of the few buildings to still stand after the burning of Chambersburg in 1864, when Confederate troops took torches to the city. It also once housed several of the state’s most notorious criminals including David Lewis, also known as “Lewis the Robber,” and John Brown co-conspirator during the raid on Harpers Ferry, Capt. John Cook.
Prisons may be one of the most haunted locations in the world, and for good reasons. Death and misery are all the walls have ever seen. The Old Jail had its share. There were several executions that took place on the gallows in the yard, and there was even a section of cells in the dank, cold basement that contained the most violent of inmates. There are even secret rooms that were believed to be used to hide slaves during the Civil War.
A place with such history can only be expected to have spirits not yet ready to move on. Reports of men’s and women’s cries echoing in the dark cell blocks, the sounds of footsteps on the second and third floor when there was no one up there, and the opening and closing of cell doors are just some of the spooky activities that have been told.
However, it is not just ghosts of the past that can give visitors a fright. Every Halloween season, the Old Jail becomes the Haunted Jail, one of the region’s most popular holiday attractions. Every year a new theme is performed by local volunteers whose sole purpose is to give visitors a frightening experience they will never forget.
This is part three of a four-part series that will be featured during the month of October looking back at the darker side of Washington and Franklin Counties history as well as the fun of Halloween around the region.
