Pennsylvania has more than three centuries of colonial history, battlefields, prisons, old hotels, historic mansions and institutions—so perhaps it is not surprising that the Keystone State has accumulated an extraordinary collection of ghost stories.
Some of Pennsylvania’s supernatural legends are connected to documented tragedies. Others have developed through generations of local folklore, visitor experiences, paranormal investigations and storytelling. Apparitions, phantom footsteps and mysterious voices make fascinating tales, but paranormal activity has not been scientifically established.
For anyone fascinated by the stories behind supposedly haunted locations, Pennsylvania offers everything from Civil War battlefields to abandoned institutional buildings. You can discover even more eerie destinations in our Haunted Places and Halloween History collection.
Here are nine of the most famous reportedly haunted places in Pennsylvania, chosen for their history, longstanding ghost lore and importance in American paranormal culture.
👻 Haunted Places in Pennsylvania at a Glance
| Haunted Place | Location | Famous Legend or Paranormal Claim | Visitor Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern State Penitentiary | Philadelphia | Shadow figures, voices and unexplained sounds | Historic prison and museum |
| Gettysburg National Military Park | Gettysburg | Phantom soldiers, gunfire and battlefield apparitions | National military park |
| Pennhurst State School and Hospital | Spring City | Voices, footsteps and shadow figures | History tours and paranormal events |
| Fort Mifflin | Philadelphia | Screaming woman, soldiers and unexplained activity | Historic fort and paranormal programs |
| Farnsworth House Inn | Gettysburg | Civil War soldiers and numerous reported spirits | Inn, restaurant and ghost tours |
| Jennie Wade House | Gettysburg | Apparitions, footsteps and unexplained voices | Historic house museum and tours |
| Old Jail Museum | Jim Thorpe | Molly Maguire legends and mysterious handprint | Guided historic tours |
| Historic Hotel Bethlehem | Bethlehem | May Yohe, “Daddy” Thomas and Room 932 | Operating hotel |
| Graeme Park | Horsham | Ghost of Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson | Historic house and special paranormal events |
The ranking is necessarily subjective. These locations were selected for their combination of documented history, enduring supernatural folklore and prominence among Pennsylvania’s haunted destinations.
🏚️ 1. Eastern State Penitentiary — Philadelphia
Few buildings in Pennsylvania look more naturally suited to a ghost story than Eastern State Penitentiary.
Opened in 1829, the enormous fortress-like prison was revolutionary for its time. Its original system emphasized solitary confinement intended to encourage prisoners to reflect on their crimes and become penitent—the idea from which the word penitentiary comes. The radial prison design eventually became influential around the world.
Conditions inside could be extraordinarily isolating. Prisoners originally spent most of their time alone in individual cells, and the institution eventually became severely overcrowded. Eastern State abandoned its original Pennsylvania System in 1913 and finally ceased prison operations in 1970, with brief use as a city jail continuing into 1971.
👻 The Haunting
Decades of paranormal stories have transformed Eastern State into one of America’s best-known supposedly haunted prisons.
Visitors and investigators have described shadowy figures, unexplained whispers, distant crying, strange laughter and the sensation of being touched when no visible person was nearby. These reports remain anecdotal, but they have become deeply intertwined with the penitentiary’s modern reputation.
The prison is now preserved as a historic site and museum, giving visitors an opportunity to walk through its crumbling cellblocks while learning about the history of incarceration in the United States.
Eastern State also hosts Halloween programming, although its genuine history is often far more unsettling than anything created for entertainment.
⚔️ 2. Gettysburg National Military Park — Gettysburg
If any Pennsylvania location was destined to inspire ghost stories, it is Gettysburg.
From July 1 through July 3, 1863, Union and Confederate armies fought one of the most consequential battles of the American Civil War. More than 160,000 soldiers participated, and approximately 51,000 became casualties—killed, wounded, captured or missing.
The fighting swept across places that visitors can still explore today, including Devil’s Den, Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Cemetery Ridge and the ground crossed during Pickett’s Charge.
👻 The Haunting
Gettysburg has accumulated an enormous body of supernatural folklore.
Visitors have reported phantom gunfire, unexplained drumbeats, footsteps, voices and apparitions resembling Civil War soldiers. Stories have become particularly associated with Devil’s Den and other heavily contested parts of the battlefield.
Some accounts describe soldiers disappearing suddenly or strange figures appearing in photographs. Others involve the sounds of battle seemingly returning for a few moments before fading away.
None proves supernatural activity, but Gettysburg’s combination of preserved landscape, enormous human loss and more than 160 years of storytelling has made the battlefield one of America’s most famous destinations for ghost enthusiasts.
Remember that Gettysburg is first and foremost a historic battlefield and memorial landscape. Visitors should remain on permitted roads and trails and treat monuments and burial areas respectfully.
🏥 3. Pennhurst State School and Hospital — Spring City
Pennhurst’s real history deserves to be understood before its paranormal reputation.
The institution opened in 1908 as the Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic and later became known as Pennhurst State School and Hospital. Overcrowding, inadequate funding and abusive conditions eventually made Pennhurst a major focus of disability-rights activism and litigation. It closed in 1987.
The experiences of former residents should never be reduced to scary entertainment. Pennhurst occupies an important place in the history of institutionalization and the struggle for the civil rights and dignity of people with disabilities.
👻 The Haunting
The abandoned buildings nevertheless developed a major paranormal reputation.
Visitors and investigators have reported footsteps in empty corridors, unexplained voices, shadowy figures, knocks and unusual sounds. Portions of the surviving complex now host organized paranormal investigations along with historical and photography tours.
Pennhurst is one location where haunted tourism requires particular sensitivity. Its frightening history involved real people and documented suffering, not merely supernatural legend.
🏰 4. Fort Mifflin — Philadelphia
Standing beside the Delaware River near Philadelphia International Airport, Fort Mifflin is one of Pennsylvania’s most atmospheric historic sites.
Its defining moment came during the American Revolution in 1777. American soldiers occupying the fort delayed British attempts to control the Delaware River and resupply British-held Philadelphia.
The resulting siege produced what Fort Mifflin describes as the largest bombardment of the Revolutionary War. During one particularly intense period, approximately 1,000 cannonballs were reportedly fired at the fort within an hour.
Fort Mifflin later served additional military purposes and housed prisoners during the Civil War.
👻 The Haunting
Unlike many historical sites that avoid discussing ghosts, Fort Mifflin openly explores its paranormal reputation.
Reports include mysterious footsteps, voices, apparitions and other unexplained phenomena. One of the fort’s longstanding supernatural traditions concerns a screaming female presence, while other stories involve soldiers seemingly continuing their duties long after death.
Fort Mifflin even offers paranormal programs allowing visitors to explore the site’s history and investigate the stories for themselves. The organization describes the experience as an opportunity for guests to decide whether the fort is truly haunted.
🪖 5. Farnsworth House Inn — Gettysburg
The Farnsworth House Inn almost seems designed for a haunted-history list.
The original section of the house dates to 1810, with a brick addition constructed in 1833. During the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate sharpshooters occupied the building, and more than 100 bullet holes remain visible in its brick walls. The property subsequently served as a field hospital for wounded soldiers.
Today, it operates as an inn, restaurant and historic attraction.
👻 The Haunting
The Farnsworth House has enthusiastically embraced its reputation as one of Gettysburg’s haunted buildings.
Ghost stories involve soldiers, mysterious footsteps, unexplained sounds and apparitions supposedly appearing throughout the property. Its Civil War history, surviving battle damage and period atmosphere have also made it a popular location for paranormal television programs and ghost tours.
Guests can actually spend the night here, making the Farnsworth House one of the more immersive haunted destinations in Pennsylvania.
If haunted overnight stays sound appealing, you may also enjoy our guide to The Top 10 Most Haunted Hotels in America.
🍞 6. Jennie Wade House — Gettysburg
The tragedy surrounding the Jennie Wade House is one of Gettysburg’s most poignant civilian stories.
Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade was helping at her sister’s home during the battle when she was killed on July 3, 1863. She was kneading bread when a bullet passed through two doors and struck her.
At just 20 years old, Wade became the only civilian directly killed by the fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg. More than 150 bullets reportedly struck the house during the battle.
👻 The Haunting
Unsurprisingly, a building associated with such a famous wartime tragedy eventually developed its own supernatural reputation.
Visitors have reported footsteps, unexplained voices and apparitions, while paranormal stories sometimes associate a young female figure with Jennie herself. Ghost-focused tours have helped make the house an established part of Gettysburg’s supernatural culture.
Whether or not you believe those stories, the surviving house offers an unusually personal perspective on how the Battle of Gettysburg affected ordinary civilians trapped between two armies.
⛓️ 7. Old Jail Museum — Jim Thorpe
A fortress-like stone jail, underground dungeon cells and a mysterious handprint that supposedly refuses to disappear give the Old Jail Museum in Jim Thorpe all the ingredients of a classic Pennsylvania ghost story.
Built in 1869–1870, the former Carbon County Jail remained in use until 1995. It contained 27 cells along with basement dungeon cells once used for solitary confinement.
Its most famous historical connection involves men accused of belonging to the Molly Maguires, the controversial secret organization associated with Pennsylvania’s 19th-century anthracite coal fields.
Four condemned men were hanged at the jail on June 21, 1877, the infamous “Day of the Rope.” Three additional executions connected with the Molly Maguire cases occurred there during the following two years.
👻 The Mysterious Handprint
The jail’s most famous unexplained feature is found inside Cell #17.
According to local tradition, condemned prisoner Alexander Campbell placed his dirty hand against the wall before his execution and declared that the mark would remain as evidence of his innocence.
The museum says the handprint remains visible despite attempts over the years to wash, paint over or otherwise remove it. Research has also raised questions about whether Campbell or another condemned prisoner originally created the mark.
Whatever caused it, the mysterious handprint has become one of Pennsylvania’s classic pieces of haunted folklore.
🏨 8. Historic Hotel Bethlehem — Bethlehem
Not every Pennsylvania ghost supposedly wants to frighten visitors.
Historic Hotel Bethlehem has openly embraced a collection of spirits it describes as decidedly friendly.
The present hotel opened in 1922 on a location with a much longer hospitality history. Its supernatural stories have become such a recognizable part of the property that the hotel maintains its own guide to its “friendly spirits.”
👻 The Haunting
Among the hotel’s best-known supernatural personalities is May Yohe, an actress and singer born at the earlier Eagle Hotel on the site in 1866.
Another is Francis “Daddy” Thomas, an early Bethlehem town guide whose apparition has reportedly been seen around the boiler-room area.
Then there is Room 932.
Guests have reported mysterious movement, flashing lamps and other unexplained occurrences. One couple reportedly awakened to see a man standing at the foot of their bed asking why they were in his room—only for the figure to disappear when the lights came on.
Room 932 has consequently become one of the hotel’s most requested rooms.
Hotel Bethlehem proves that a haunted hotel does not necessarily require a sinister ghost. Sometimes the spirits in the story simply seem reluctant to check out.
🕯️ 9. Graeme Park — Horsham
Graeme Park offers a very different kind of Pennsylvania haunting.
Its centerpiece, the Keith House, dates to the early 18th century and is the only surviving residence of a colonial Pennsylvania governor.
The property is especially associated with Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson, a prominent 18th-century writer who inherited Graeme Park from her father, Dr. Thomas Graeme. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission preserves the property as an important historic site.
👻 The Haunting
Stories of Elizabeth’s ghost reportedly began circulating shortly after her death in 1801.
Staff, volunteers and visitors have continued sharing accounts connected with the house, and Graeme Park has periodically hosted lantern tours and paranormal investigations built around its supernatural folklore.
Reports have included unexplained footsteps, voices and other strange occurrences inside the Keith House.
Whether Elizabeth actually returned to her former home is impossible to establish, but the longevity of the legend makes Graeme Park one of Pennsylvania’s most fascinating historic hauntings.
🚗 Planning a Haunted Pennsylvania Road Trip
Several places on this list can be visited as ordinary historic attractions rather than paranormal experiences.
Philadelphia offers Eastern State Penitentiary and Fort Mifflin, while Gettysburg alone contains enough battlefield history and ghost lore to occupy an entire weekend. Bethlehem, Jim Thorpe, Spring City and Horsham can expand a Pennsylvania haunted-history trip into several regions of the state.
Before visiting, always check the property’s current operating schedule. Some locations require tickets or reservations, while paranormal investigations and seasonal ghost tours may operate only on selected dates.
Never enter abandoned buildings or closed areas without permission. Former hospitals, prisons, battlefields and execution sites also represent places where real people suffered and died, so respectful behavior matters more than finding a good ghost-hunting photograph.
🔮 Are Pennsylvania’s Haunted Places Really Haunted?
There is no scientifically established evidence proving that ghosts inhabit any of these locations.
That does not make the stories meaningless.
Ghost legends often reveal how communities remember tragedy, war, injustice, death and dramatic historical events. A story repeated for generations can become part of a location’s cultural identity even when its supernatural elements cannot be verified.
Pennsylvania’s best haunted places are therefore interesting for two reasons: the history is real, while the mystery remains open to interpretation.
For more supernatural history beyond Pennsylvania, explore The World’s Most Haunted Buildings.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous haunted place in Pennsylvania?
Eastern State Penitentiary is arguably Pennsylvania’s most internationally recognizable haunted location. Its Gothic architecture, history of incarceration and decades of reported paranormal experiences have made it a major fixture of American ghost lore.
Gettysburg is an equally strong contender because supernatural stories extend throughout the battlefield and surrounding town.
What is the most haunted place in Gettysburg?
There is no objective answer, but the Gettysburg battlefield, Farnsworth House Inn and Jennie Wade House are among the town’s most frequently cited paranormal locations.
Can you stay overnight at a haunted place in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Historic Hotel Bethlehem and the Farnsworth House Inn are operating accommodations associated with longstanding ghost stories.
Can you investigate haunted places in Pennsylvania?
Some locations specifically offer paranormal programs or investigations, including Fort Mifflin and portions of Pennhurst. Availability and restrictions can change, so reservations should always be made through the property’s official website.
Are Pennsylvania’s haunted places suitable for children?
It depends on the location and program. Battlefield museums and ordinary daytime historical tours may be appropriate for families, while nighttime investigations, Halloween attractions and certain ghost tours may have age restrictions or contain frightening subject matter.
🔗 Related Articles
Continue exploring America’s haunted history:
- Haunted Places and Halloween History
- Top 10 Haunted Places in Ohio: Ghosts, Legends and History
- Top 10 Most Haunted Places in Indiana
- Top 10 Haunted Places in New Orleans
- The World’s Most Haunted Buildings
- The Top 10 Most Haunted Hotels in America
📚 Sources
- Eastern State Penitentiary — History of Eastern State Penitentiary
- National Park Service — Gettysburg Overview
- National Park Service — Jennie Wade
- History — Gettysburg: Ghost Stories From the Civil War Battlefield
- Pennhurst Memorial & Preservation Alliance
- Pennhurst Asylum — Paranormal Investigations and Tours
- Fort Mifflin — The History
- Fort Mifflin — Paranormal Programs
- Farnsworth House Inn — History
- Jennie Wade House — History
- Jennie Wade Ghost Tour
- Old Jail Museum — Jim Thorpe
- Historic Hotel Bethlehem — Meet Our Friendly Spirits
- Graeme Park — Is Graeme Park Haunted?
