Haunted Roads of Western Pennsylvania

by Thomas White

  The most widely told Mystery Mile legend is also the one that separates it from the other roads we have discussed so far. When talking to people who have heard the stories, or after conducting a quick Internet search, you will soon discover that the road has a dramatic effect on animals, both domestic and wild. Something on the mile-long stretch causes even pets and farm animals to act erratically and become aggressive and agitated. Once the animals pass out of the area, they reportedly return to normal. The common belief is that some malevolent supernatural force drives the animals mad.

  It is not just animals that are affected. Cars and trucks that use the road allegedly stall or have problems frequently in the mile-long corridor. Legend trippers have experienced car problems there for years. It is said that if you stop your car to investigate the area, it may not start again—or at least not quickly. Once they are off Mystery Mile, the vehicles seem to operate normally.

  Looking north on Mystery Mile. Authors’ collection.

  The source of these supernatural disturbances is attributed to several possible causes. According to some versions of the legend, the area around Kelley Road and Wolf Run Road, which it meets at its southern end, was cursed by the American Indians who were driven out of their settlements along the Ohio River more than two centuries ago. This seems to be the oldest explanation for the occurrences. Another possible source was tied to the alleged activity of satanic cults that met along the road. Their occult rites summoned an evil spirit or demon that still causes problems for those who pass by. With either explanation, the animals can sense the evil presence and it affects their behavior.

  Other suggested causes of the mysterious animal behavior are less supernatural and more science fiction. Across the Ohio River from Industry is the site of the old Shippingport Atomic Power Plant (the first in the nation) and the newer Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station. Its towers loom over the horizon. It has been suggested that something about the facilities has an effect on the animals along Mystery Mile. This explanation fails, however, to explain why it only impacts one road and why the other animals in the area are not affected. The other technical explanation that has been put forward is linked to the high-tension lines that cross over the northern part of the road. It is speculated that the magnetic fields created by the lines alter the behavior of local wildlife. No one has provided any scientific evidence to back up these claims.

  High-tension lines stretching over the northern end of Mystery Mile. They have been blamed for odd animal behavior in the area, though there is no evidence to support such claims. Authors’ collection.

  More traditional ghosts and apparitions have also been reported on the road. There are vague stories of mysterious children wearing “old-style” clothing appearing to visitors but few solid accounts. Who they are can only be guessed, but it is assumed that they once lived in the area. A story about the ghost of an angry young boy appeared several years ago on the Internet. The apparition could be seen from houses along the road and provoked a sense of sadness and anger to those who saw him. These kind of ghostly children are sometimes reported as emerging from a mysterious mist or fog, only to disappear a few minutes after they are seen. A very old and small cemetery lies at the northernmost end of Kelley Road. Though it is usually not referenced in the ghost stories, old cemeteries frequently inspire such tales. Ghost children seem to be reported more often on the road in the past decade, corresponding with the growing national interest in ghost hunting.

  An aerial view of Shippingport Atomic Power Station, 1964. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

  Shippingport Atomic Power Station and the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station, 1983. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

  There is also a ghost story involving a car accident that allegedly occurred near a bend in the road a few decades ago. A young couple came up on the curve too quickly, and their car skidded off the road and crashed. Both were killed by the impact. Now the screeching tires and the sound of the horrible crash can be heard if you are on the road late at night. There is also an alternative version of the story that is supposedly much older, predating the paved road. It involves a young, newly married couple whose carriage wrecked at the curve after the horses were distracted. In this version, you also hear the sound of the crash of the carriage and perhaps even a cry for help. It may be that this version of the crash story was “borrowed” from nearby Mudlick Hollow, which has a nearly identical ghost story. We will discuss Mudlick Hollow Road shortly. As previously stated, such ghostly accidents are common urban legends, though they are sometimes inspired by real events or even just the potential of danger for careless teenage drivers. So far no one has uncovered an accident on the road that fits the description of this story (car or carriage), though that does not mean that there was not one.

  The small cemetery at the end of Mystery Mile/Kelley Road. Authors’ collection.

  Some unique tombstones in the cemetery on Mystery Mile. Authors’ collection.

  There is one man in Beaver County who has been investigating the legends of Mystery Mile for years. Joshua Maley first heard the stories when he was five years old in the early 1980s. His father grew up near Mystery Mile, and would take him for rides along the road, recounting the legends as they went. As an adult, Maley became interested in the road again and wrote a screenplay for a movie that was inspired by the legends. The Way of Seeming, which is in production now, combines different versions of the legends in what Maley described as “a supernatural/psychological thriller.” He is also producing a documentary about the road and its legends to accompany the film.

  While conducting his research, Maley may have discovered the origin of the name Mystery Mile. Interestingly, it was not originally tied to Kelley Road but rather Wolf Run Road. He explains:

  The oldest story I’ve discovered goes back to when the road was originally paved. According to the story, the paving of Wolf Run Road was inexplicably stopped after about a mile. It remained unfinished for a long time, to the point where people wondered where this mystery mile would ever lead. Sometime later it was finished, but not quite as planned, as the final paved road went off in a different direction, leaving a small piece of the original that basically didn’t go anywhere. This story was passed on to me by someone interested in the area, who had heard this from his grandparents. I have never seen any records that detail when the road was paved, so I’m not sure how old it is. If you look on Google Maps you can see the “Y” in the road and the dirt path that extends out. But it’s hard to say if the dirt path inspired the story, or if the story came about to explain the path.

  Since Wolf Run Road is essentially perpendicular to Kelley Road, one can see how the legend might easily move the short distance as time went on to the more isolated of the two roads. Maley also noticed that many of the stories he was told date back to the time of younger people’s grandparents, placing their origin in the late 1940s or ’50s.

  Though Maley has never experienced anything supernatural on his many trips to the road, he came across multiple versions of the legends that we have mentioned so far. Some of the most convincing ones involved the strange animal activity. Even Maley’s father, whom he described as not being easily swayed into believing such things, had some strange experiences in his youth growing up near the road. He reported that in a certain part of the road, he would be aggressively chased by the chickens and goats that belonged to a nearby family. Whenever he reached a certain point, the animals would immediately stop and go back. He also noted that there seemed to be an abnormally high number of animals struck by vehicles on the road because they frequently darted out into the path of cars.

  It seems, given the numerous accounts, that the strange behavior of animals may be the truly unexplained mystery of Mystery Mile. However, we have no way to really quantify these strange happenings, so it will be left to the reader to decide. But what of the Indian curse and the cults? Are they really the cause of the strange happenings? As discussed earlier in the book, it seems
that the reports of the cults may have originated in the 1980s during the Satanic Panic. They seemed to be popping up everywhere at that time, though there is no evidence that organized Satanists gathered on the road. That does not mean that a few independent or would-be Satanists didn’t attempt some type of ritual there after hearing the legend, but we have uncovered no firsthand accounts of this happening so far.

  The allegations of satanic cult activity were taken seriously in Beaver County, just as they were in the other communities in western Pennsylvania. An example of this occurred in Aliquippa. In February 1989, the site of satanic ceremonies was reportedly discovered in the woods. Passersby discovered what they claimed was a large rock that served as an altar; a black, leather-bound satanic bible; and a rotting animal hide. The report caused the police to investigate. They soon discovered that the altar was in fact just a rock, the black leather-bound book was a copy of the New Testament and the rotting animal hide was merely an old sweater. It turns out that a local man had simply forgotten them when he was outside reading one day. This did not stop the rumors from flying, and even though the truth was known, the man and his family were harassed by a handful of people who still believed he was a Satanist. Sometimes the truth mattered little once a legend was established.

  Indian curses are something that we have not yet covered but that frequently appear in ghost stories. The Ohio River Valley was full of American Indian settlements at one time. Early in its history, it was home to a branch of the mound builders, but by the 1700s, it was home to members of several different tribes, collectively referred to as the Ohio Indians. Some of the Lenape (also known as the Delaware) had come from eastern Pennsylvania as European settlers spread out. There were also Seneca, who were members of the Iroquois League and nominally in charge of the other tribes; the Mingo, who were a Seneca-related group; and the Shawnee Indians. Other tribes were represented in smaller numbers as well. One of the most important Indian settlements in the area was Logstown, near present-day Ambridge. It was active from the 1720s through the late 1750s. Logstown was the site of several treaties and negotiations between the English and the Indians until the French and Indian War (1754–63). The war marked the turning point and the beginning of the end for the Indians who lived in the Ohio River Valley in western Pennsylvania. By 1800, they had been dispersed or driven farther west, leaving only a few remains and memories of their presence in the area. They likely had many reasons to want to curse their former lands if they were so inclined.

  A map of Indian country and Indian settlements in the Ohio River Valley from Colonel Bouquet’s march against the Indians in 1764. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

  The idea of Indian ghosts and Indian curses is common in American folklore. In many ways, the civilization of the natives can be metaphorically viewed as a ghost of what it once was, and it is difficult for modern Americans to truly understand or connect with the Indian experience. These types of legends can be an indirect way to address the complexities of American Indian history. Tales of Indian ghosts and curses, aside from the obvious supernatural element, have several cultural functions. First, they are a simple reminder of the original inhabitants of the land—a community memory of sorts. Also, in the legends, Indian curses are usually the result of the loss of native lands either through violence or coercion. The tensions of westward expansion here in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are well documented. Indian curses are a reminder of the human cost of the expansion of America (or, in this case, Pennsylvania.) Like curses, the appearance of native ghosts can also represent this feeling of collective guilt over Indian displacement and a reminder of social injustice.

  At the same time, Indian ghosts and curses also represent the successful growth and expansion of America. In a strange way, they show the ultimate success of the American experiment. In her excellent academic study The National Uncanny: Indian Ghosts and American Subjects, Renee L. Bergland explores this subject in depth. She explains, “For many Americans, both European and Native, Native American ghosts signify hope as well as fear. Although they threaten the American national project, they also nationalize the imagination. Guilt over the dispossession of Indians and fear of their departed spirits sometimes function as perverse sources of pleasure and pride for white Americans because they signify a successful appropriation of the American spirit.”

  In a sense, the Indian way of life had to die for American culture to fully form. The devastation of the native cultures provided a unifying experience for settlers in early America. At the end of her book, Bergland succinctly states, “Native American phantoms can signify the triumph of nationalism. They can also prophesy its failure.” While she focused primarily on literary and historical sources, her reasoning applies as well to folklore and legends. In the coming pages, we will note the presence of Indian-related legends on some of western Pennsylvania’s other haunted roads that were close to Indian settlements.

  Ultimately, if someone really did place a curse on the land, whether Indians or cultists, any definite proof has been lost. Belief in the curse does provide some sense of unifying purpose for Mystery Mile’s strange happenings, accidents and ghosts. Aside from the usual legends, there is one more historical happening to consider when discussing Mystery Mile.

  Like Axe Murder Hollow, there is a completely verifiable and horrifically tragic story that occurred nearby. This true story has not seemed to have much obvious impact on the legend, however, which is probably for the best. Joshua Maley described the incident as follows:

  The creepiest, and by far the saddest, thing about the road is the story of Patty Patton. Patty was a little girl who lived on Wolf Run Road in the 1950s and was murdered very close to her home. She was only four when she died. Unlike many of the urban legends surrounding this road, Patty’s murder is a well-documented and notorious cold case in Beaver County. According to the reports, Patty went outside to play on March 21, 1956. By 2:00 p.m. that afternoon, she had been found dead on a hillside about half a mile from her house…Because of the large search party that went out to find her, the surrounding forest was heavily trampled and evidence of what happened was largely erased. Markings on Patty’s body suggested she was strangled.

  The case remains unsolved to this day. Maley went on to discuss the crime’s impact (or lack thereof) on the road’s legends:

  I’ve never once heard of a legend surrounding Mystery Mile that directly relates to Patty Patton’s unexplained murder, which strikes me as odd. The other alleged deaths on the road (for which there seem to be no record) seem to have urban legends tied to them, so why not Patty’s? And could Patty’s story be the real reason behind the name Mystery Mile? It’s hard to say.

  Like the other haunted roads, real events blend with urban legends and personal experiences in a liminal area, creating a narrative that is hard to define. Since so many of Mystery Mile’s legends have been difficult to track or have only survived as short kernel or summary narratives, much of the road’s lore will remain mysterious for now. Upriver is another of Beaver County’s haunted roads that has legends tied to at least one historically verifiable local figure.

  Near the town of Vanport, along the Ohio River, are the haunted woods of Mudlick Hollow. Through these woods runs a road of the same name that has been the location of numerous supernatural happenings. Mudlick Hollow Road’s legends have roots that extend back to the town’s earliest days.

  Vanport was founded in 1835 by Thomas Boggs, who believed its location would draw businesses and people. The fortunes of the town lay originally in pottery, kilns and mining. Even though the town was not as successful as Boggs had hoped, it did well enough to warrant the construction of a ferry at the end of Two Mile Creek. As it grew, the town drew a successful businessman named Patrick Mulvanon in the 1840s. At the time, he was engaged to a lovely young woman named Anna Mines. According to the story, Patrick was so in love with Anna that he decided to build her a new house worthy of the status he felt she deserved. He purchased a tract of land no m
ore than a mile from Vanport at the mouth of Mudlick Hollow. There he built her a three-story mansion with large white pillars, several fireplaces, a ballroom and an intricately carved staircase. The locals initially labeled it the “White House” because of its extravagance.

  This is where the story takes a dark turn. When the house was finished in 1846, Patrick brought Anna to see her new home. She loved it immediately, and after exploring the house, she came to the top of the stairs. Patrick was waiting for her at the bottom when she tripped. To his horror, he watched her fall head over heels down the stairs. By the time her body had stopped, she was dead of a broken neck. Patrick was never mentally able to recover. He wept uncontrollably for days, wandering the woods, wailing and sobbing. He eventually sold the house and moved to another part of Beaver County.

  But the story does not end there. After he died, his ghost returned to the hollow, still mourning Anna’s death. Those who traveled the road could hear him weeping in the woods. The story would eventually draw legend trippers, hoping to encounter his ghost. Mulvanon’s was not the only tragic story or ghost related to the road, though his ghost is sometimes blamed for the others.

  Another legend dates to the late 1800s and involves a newlywed couple that was traveling in their horse and carriage on the then unpaved road. As they neared a bend, something spooked their horse causing it to go off the road and tumble down the hillside toward the creek. The bride was thrown from the carriage, which landed on top of her. Her bones were crushed and her neck was broken. The groom was also severely injured, but survived for several hours, lying on the ground in the darkness before he died. It has often been said that it was Mulvanon’s ghost that spooked the horses, causing the fatal accident.