Standing at the Three Square Hollow Vista, I took in the view of the Cumberland Valley. Far below was the community of Newville and on the far side of the valley, South Mountain rose majestically, draped in the green splendor of Michaux State Forest. Here, on the northern side of the Cumberland Valley, vultures drifted … Continue reading The Blue Mountain Airplane Crash
Grave of Mary Reeser, Chestnut Hill Cemetery Note: I’ve been asked a number of times if and when I was going to do Mary’s story. Her story originally appeared almost ten years ago and had been pulled to be a part of Histories and Mysteries of Pennsylvania: Volume I. For this Halloween season, I’ve pulled … Continue reading Mary’s Mysterious Demise
Note: Before you say “I read on other sites that this incident happened near Duncannon and not Newville,” I want to state this incident has been recorded incorrectly in many modern reports and articles, which places it in the Dark Hollow region west of Duncannon, along Route 274. There is a Dark Hollow on State … Continue reading The Phantom Plane Incident
Resting near the rear of Evergreen Cemetery in Duncannon is a simple grave that gives no hint of the tragedy that befell the young lady resting there. Buried next to her parents, the stone only states her name and her birth and death dates: “Leah E. Ellenberger - 1902-1924.” Roughly fifteen miles south of here, … Continue reading Unsolved: The Lamb’s Gap Murders
In the distance, there was a storm brewing, both figuratively and literally. Standing on the breastworks overlooking Harrisburg, Camp Hill, Lemoyne, and Mechanicsburg, I could see the storm in the distance. The storm that brought me here was an approaching battle as the Confederate army advanced northward into Pennsylvania. However, another storm – a physical … Continue reading Fort Couch
I entered the grounds of Westminster Cemetery, located on the northwestern edge of Carlisle to pay my respects to three young girls whose senseless murders in 1934 shocked the residents of the Cumberland Valley and grabbed the attention of the nation. Heading west from Carlisle on Route 641, I entered the cemetery through the second … Continue reading The Babes in the Woods
The Pennsylvania Rambler 