Have you experienced creaky floors that no one is walking on? Cold spots, flickering lights, or unexplained sounds lurking in the night? Then you may have been an unwilling participant of the unknown.
A phenomenon that some label as paranormal.
Mapping out some of Greene County’s haunted locations can be fun events, even for the squeamish of heart.
Starting with the Hartley Inn that was built in 1847, the old, reddish brick building still stands and serves as a restaurant today.
The many antiques that fill the establishment will transport you to a bygone era as you enter the diner. Towards the back of the restaurant, there are pictures of the establishment from the days of old. One of them has a strange image of a shadowy man wearing a 1940s style Fedora and trench-coat standing behind the bar. When you go there for a bite to eat, take time to have a look.
According to Hartley employee Harmony Dare, “You definitely see apparitions out of the corners of your eyes. A hair flick is not uncommon, or a brush on the ear.” Her calm demeanor assures the listener these phenomena were nothing malicious. She continued, “Sometimes, even a little tug of the hair, very playfully, like a child would do.”
“In the basement, there is someone lurking. We call him Fred,” she paused and giggled for a moment. She continued, “A lot of the workers are afraid of the basement. Me personally, I don’t fear anything.”
Harmony became a bit vague when it came to talking about the entity they call Fred.
When you visit the Hartley Inn, perhaps Harmony will share more details about Fred while you enjoy a delicious, homecooked meal.
Just down the road from the Hartley Inn is another beautiful building that is a mixture of half cut stone that was built in 1790 as an Episcopal church. The other half, a red brick section, was constructed in 1810. It was the first school of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Located next to the covered bridge in Old Town, the Greene Academy of Art on North Market Street has many reports of paranormal activities that occur at both the academy and the nearby Laurel Point Cemetery.
Another local gem is the Greene County Historical Society Museum, which houses thousands of historical items that help preserve the complex history of the county’s Native American culture, as well as the European settlers.
The museum’s Executive Director, Matt Cumberledge, is happy to share the paranormal activity that lurks on the premises.
“I can hear children playing in the building and grounds at times. Shadowy images in the glass cases are not uncommon. Footsteps on staircases and flickering lights happen often.”
Believers maintain the building’s tragic history as an institution for the poor, elderly, and mentally ill is the cause of the spiritual unrest. The barbaric treatments of the era undoubtably resulted in horrific trauma and deaths. Those chained and mistreated souls are reportedly unable to find peace to this day.
However, Cumberledge does not feel threatened by these experiences. He enjoys his time at the museum and feels it is a noble job preserving the history of the county.
A tour of the incredible structure will reveal painstakingly restored period rooms. In addition, there are civil war reenactments, a popular fall festival, and an open house around the Christmas season. And don’t miss the restored log cabin on the grounds.
The next stop on the ghost tour takes us to one of Waynesburg’s most prestigious homes, the Denny House that is located on High Street. Open to the public on Thursdays for delicious drinks and great food, the location has a past of hauntings and paranormal investigators have located multiple female entities and one male that still makes a claim to the house.
An overnight investigation by local ghost hunters led to the team witnessing a ghastly woman dressed in white upstairs, disembodied voices, and other unexplained sounds. There is a small entity of a dog still on the grounds, and a little ghost boy named Jack that likes to play in the basement.
Candelabras will mysteriously move and fall onto the floor. According to the investigations, the house holds a high level of activity, but nothing was ever dangerous or caused harm.
The Denny House is also a beautiful destination to have your wedding, reception, or other gatherings. The surroundings will make for unforgettable, enchanted memories.
Our last stop takes us to the western part of Greene County, to the historic Crow Rock in Wind Ridge.
Crow Rock has an infamous past of pain, woe and death. The Crow sisters, who were wandering along on a spring day, came face to face with two Native Americans and a renegade. The renegade had possibly been taken by the Indians as a child and was raised by them.
Of the four sisters, three were brutally murdered, but a fourth managed to escape and survive.
During an intensely bloody period between the Native Americans and the settlers, the girls were taken capture and interrogated about local settlements and forts before they were marched to Crow Rock and slaughtered.
The sight, known for its ghastly apparitions and disembodied voices, is the real thing. Individuals have heard terrible moaning as if someone is in pain in the woodland. If you sit quietly, listening to the fall leaves rustle in the cool breeze, you may come across a haunting yourself.
In addition, visitors have reported the sounds of hoofbeats and felt phantom scratches or hair pulling.
If you find yourself among these locations and dig into the history of them, don’t be surprised if you get a little chill up your spine along the way.
