Philadelphia Weirdness: Road Ghosts

Berks County is featured in one the strangest hauntings regarding road-related weirdness. At Hawk Sanctuary Mountain there is a legend that a shining, ten-feet tall apparition spooks drivers travelling along the two-road lane which ascends the mountain. The mountain, situated between Ecksville and Bailey's Crossing, is also allegedly haunted by the spirits of settlers who were killed by Indians during the 1700s. Meanwhile Bristol - located in the extreme south of Bucks County, northeast of Philly - is also haunted by a road specter. Midnight Mary is the name given to the female ghost that lurks around Bordertown Road. Like a majority of classic phantom hitchhiker tales, Mary, often dressed in white, and usually dripping wet, often vanishes from the backseat of vehicles. Legend claims that the woman died in a car accident when she was travelling home from a prom with her boyfriend. Strangely, although her boyfriend's body was dredged from the murky waters, her body was never found, and yet her drenched form is often observed walking into Manor Lake.

Allen's Lane in central Philadelphia is haunted by a rather grim ghost, that of a Revolutionary War soldier who has often been seen on horseback on the road carrying his own head by his side. Sightings of the spook date back to the 1700s but the headless phantom was seen as recently as 1986 by two police officers.

St. Peter's Church Cemetery on 4th and Pine is another ideal hot (or should that read 'cold' ?) spot for ghosts. A horse-drawn carriage has been sighted frequently in the area, even gliding through the church!

Just outside of the city is Bowman's Tower Hill, located between Washington's Crossing and New Hope. The bridge is said to be haunted by several spirits, including that of a pregnant woman who allegedly committed suicide there. Legend has it that motorists who drive through at night have often reported hearing the cries of a child.

Image Credit: Flickr user eggybird