The Lady in White
Fall has taken a firm grip on Western PA. Our days have been getting shorter and darker. We are swiftly moving towards Halloween and the dark spooky time of year.
From October till around Christmas our days become darker and more foreboding. Today we don’t usually worry too much while we sit in our well illuminated houses warm, secure and safe. But not that long ago, people feared this season.
Some believe that the veil between worlds begins to fade during this time of year. Allowing the spooky things that go bump in the night to be seen, heard and felt. During the next few blog posts Country Fox will explore some of our areas creepy and fear inducing locations.
Lady in White: Ghost Stories
All over the world people tell ghost stories. One popular ghost story is that of the Lady in White, or alternatively, the White Lady. She is a ghost typically dressed in a white dress, though she may feature other colors.
Haunting more rural areas and deserted stretches of road, she is seen beckoning to drivers and passerby’s. The stories associated with this ghost are generally tragic accidental death, murder, or suicide. There is also usually a theme of loss, betrayal or unrequited love.
White Lady of Wopsy
As with many ghost stories, there are several versions and little fact. On roads around Altoona, at the top of Wopsononock Mountain wanders a Lady in White.
Back in the day (no date is given), a woman, her husband and baby traveled along the mountain road. They lost control of their carriage at the “Devil’s Elbow”, a dangerous bend in the road. The accident caused the carriage to tumble down the mountain side. When the woman came to, she found her husband dead and baby missing. She began to wander the woods looking for her missing infant. She and the infant were never seen again.
Her ghost is reported to appear to drivers near the “Devil’s Elbow” every now and then, especially on foggy nights. Occasionally people tell of picking up a hitchhiking woman dressed in white. She climbs into the back seat and sits quietly. Eventually, the driver looks back and she is gone having disappeared into thin air.
White Lady of Buckhorn
Along the same stretch of road is a Lady in White known to frequent the Buckhorn area. Some believe it is the White Lady of Wopsy, but their stories vary slightly.
The Lady of Buckhorn tale usually involves a newly eloped husband and wife fleeing her irate father. In their attempt at escape, their carriage crashes at a dangerous bend in the road. The newly married bride dies in the crash and forever haunts that stretch of road.
The White Lady of Wilmore Dam
Along a stretch of road near the Wilmore Dam can sometimes be spotted the ghostly Lady in White. Her tale comes from a more recent time, the 1930’s.
One night a young couple were out and parked their car. After the young girl turned down the young man’s sexual advances he strangled her. Later, he admitted to the cops that he killed her and dumped her body in Willow Beach Lake (now Wilmore Dam). She can sometimes be seen haunting St. Bartholomew’s Churchyard.
White Lady of Beulah
A few months ago I wrote a post about the Ghost Town of Beulah. If you missed it or want to review you can visit the page here. The Lady in White can be seen along Beulah Road or in the Cemetery.
There are a couple of stories that have been told about the haunting. One tale is that she was left at the altar on her wedding day. Unbeknownst to her, her husband-to-be died in a hunting accident. She never saw her beloved and died of a broken heart.
The more commonly heard tale tells how she was one of the last members of the town of Beula. During a terrible winter snowstorm she attempted to make her way to Ebensburg. She was never seen again.
The White Lady of Shade Church
This small Lutheran Church located in the outskirts of Central City has a few ghost stories. There is a tale told of a poor bride abandoned by her groom for another woman (or he died). In her deepest depression she climbed the bell tower and leapt to her death. She now wanders the church and graveyard next door.
In Conclusion:
Mostly sad, these tales tell of the heart ache and loss that was real for people of long ago. Sudden tragic deaths are often cited as causes for hauntings. Tales of Ladies in White can be found all over our area. Perhaps you know of some that I missed. If you do, leave a comment!