Pennsylvania is strange. Acres of deep forests have prompted legends of creatures like the Squonk and Bigfoot. Its immigrants have brought with them folk traditions of hex doctors, curses, and witches. Its violent past evokes restless ghosts from the Battle of Gettysburg and the struggles of the Molly Maguires. Yeah, Pennsylvania is strange.
I’ve been an avid reader all my life, and a bookseller for over eighteen years. I’ve read a lot of books regarding legends and lore of Pennsylvania, from Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania to Spooky Pennsylvania . Most of these tales are focused on the more populous areas of the state.
Here in northcentral Pennsylvania, there’s simply fewer people; thus, fewer tales are recorded. There are some in Flatlanders & Ridgerunners , but it’s a mix of folktales, but not as many weird tales. There’s a little about the Sidehill Gouger, but nothing about the hidden Indian burial grounds just outside Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.
William P. Robertson takes care of that with his book, Pennsylvania Strange: Witches, Ghosts & Monsters of the Keystone State . Bill’s writing career covers more than two decades, and I’ve known him for most of them. He visited the bookstore back when we were in a damp basement on Main Street in Wellsboro.