Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania

Kevin Coolidge

Where are you from? It’s a question I’ve heard no matter where I’ve traveled. What do you answer? Do you tell them where you were born? Where you grew up? Where you went to college? I’ve always known where I’m from: I’m from Pennsylvania, home of Pittsburgh steel, birthplace of a nation filled with hard-working people, and site of some mighty peculiar history.

You already know that the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. You probably know that portions of Western Pennsylvania were disputed territory between the colonial British and French during the French and Indian War, but do you know about the act of cannibalism that occurred in May of 1872 at the Pennsylvania House Hotel in the city of York? Or that giant skeletons were excavated in some of the state’s ancient burial grounds, and a human skull with horns was discovered in Bradford County?

Historian Thomas White has spent countless hours pouring over books about the big events in Pennsylvania history, and along the way has stumbled across those little tidbits of history that get ignored in school. His book, Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania, covers the strange stuff--those bizarre anecdotes, legends, and forgotten stories that I like the best.

This book contains over 160 of Pennsylvania’s lesser-known tales. There are stories of the supernatural. I wasn’t aware that Pennsylvania had such a rich history of werewolves, ranging from the werewolf of Clinton County’s recorded by Henry Shoemaker, the werewolf of Shenango valley who could run on both two and four legs, to May Paul’s werewolf admirer. There are also witches, ghosts, monsters, alien big cats and even a leprechaun credited with saving a child’s life.

There are bizarre tales of spontaneous combustion in Coudersport, raining snails in Chester County, and the spooklights of the Lackawanna Valley. I loved the story about the goldfish credited with putting out a fire in Philadelphia, and the tale of the Frenchman’s gold rumored to be buried near Coudersport makes me want to grab my shovel and go for a hike in God’s country.

There are also trivia and news stories that don’t usually make the history books. Did you know that the smallest officially-designated wilderness area in America is in Pennsylvania? Or that the original Jeep was designed and constructed by the American Bantam Car Company in Butler County? There are also accounts of circus accidents, dam disasters, a communist working for the FBI, and an exploding rattlesnake.

Most of the tales are short, to the point, and fun to read. If you enjoyed Flatlanders and Ridgerunners by Jim Glimm or The Monsters of Pennsylvania by Patty Wilson, or if you just enjoy quirky stories, then pick up a copy of Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania, because it doesn’t really matter where you are from; it’s where you are going…

Ruled and schooled? Or satisfy your own thirst? Email me at from_my_shelf@yahoo.com Miss a past column? Explore the archives at http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com and catch up on past columns, comments, and more. Pennsylvania has at least one tawny cat, and that’s Hobo, author of Hobo Finds A Home, a children’s book about Hobo’s favorite subject, Hobo…