Haunted Roads of Western Pennsylvania

by Thomas White, Tony Lavorgne

Ghostly travelers are said to wander the lonely roads of western Pennsylvania. A creeping fog rises from Blue Mist Road, and stories of car crashes, lynchings and even strange beasts haunt this isolated stretch outside Pittsburgh. Is it the angry spirit of a jealous husband or a gypsy king who stalks Erie County’s Axe Murder Hollow? Shades of Death Road in Washington County may be host to phantom coal miners killed during a deadly labor dispute. With firsthand accounts and historical research, authors Thomas White and Tony Lavorgne travel the backcountry roads and byways of western Pennsylvania to discover their ghost tales and mysterious legends.

Genres: Nonfiction, Folklore, Paranormal, Ghosts

131 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 28, 2015

About the author

Thomas White is the university archivist and curator of special collections in the Gumberg Library at Duquesne University. He is also an adjunct lecturer in Duquesne's History Department and an adjunct professor of history at La Roche College. White received a master's degree in public history from Duquesne University. Besides the folklore and history of Pennsylvania, his areas of interest include public history and American cultural history. He is the author of Legends and Lore of Western Pennsylvania, Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania, Ghosts of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Forgotten Tales of Pittsburgh and Forgotten Tales of Philadelphia (co-authored with Edward White), all published by The History Press.

Reviews

[Lori Krause · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have given the book three stars because there isn't a half star and I didn't think it warranted four stars. While it did have its spooky moments, most of the book teetered on the where and not the why. If you don't understand that, well, I didn't either. I hoped for tales of hauntings, and it instead gave me myths and legends. It was quite a disappointment for me because I live in western PA and had hoped to run into a few ghosts, and now, sadly, I don't think I will. It was a decent read as long as you don't have expectations going in. The history behind the haunted roads was fascinating, and I am glad I read it.

[Nick Guzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’m a sucker for anything of local interest but I can’t believe I never knew about Green Man before 🥺 i wanna head aht to Beaver County now and give him some beer and cigarettes

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in high school in the 90’s, my sister and her college friends took me to Hogback Road in Mercer County. The driver put her keys on the bridge and I remember getting out and running around the car. We did not see a troll, but I do remember a lot of giggles.

This book presented interesting backstories on the featured roads. Most I had not heard about except Hogback and the Green Man. It was a quick, interesting read but not recommended before bedtime.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exploration of Myths & Legends, Not Tales of Hauntings

I saw this new book in the new Haunted America series and was excited to dig into some great tales. Unfortunately, this book is not what I expected. It's not really a book about tales of hauntings. It's an exploration of myths and legends regarding the roads in Western Pennsylvania. There are long discussions of possibilities of how the myths started and photos of various locations. It's not a bad book, but it should be retitled so as not to mislead readers. If this is what other books in the series are like, I will be passing on them. Readers, you have been notified.

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors deconstruct the legends and myths surrounding these roads well, but there isn't much haunting left after they're done. Still an interesting read though.

[susan lee desser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curious story

Growing up in PA this sounded it interesting. It did cover a local legend and I found the story about the Green Man fascinating.

[Earl Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read for anyone from Western PA. I heard Thomas White speak at a lecture series held at Liveburgh Studios in the Pittsburgh area and he was very interesting.

[Elena Santangelo · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's October. I just wanted some entertaining ghost stories to pass a few darkening afternoons. I like a well-told ghost story, and it's a great way to learn a little of the history of a place. Plus I live in PA, albeit on the eastern side, but I've been to Pittsburgh several times, so this seemed like a good choice. It wasn't though.

The authors seemed to target this book toward what they called legend trippers (they used the term over and over and over). What they merely meant was ghost hunters who take trips to visit supposedly haunted places. Thing was, after introducing each road and the few sightings or reported events along each stretch, they went out of their way to find mundane explanations for everything, point out the gullibility of people who try to summon ghosts, and otherwise discourage the ghost hunters who bought their book. They spent 90% of their writing doing this and only 10% on trying to tell ghost stories, which they did badly.

I say "few" sightings because most of the roads didn't have ghosts associated with them so much as thirdhand reports of satanic cults or Klu Klux Klan activity or the same old urban legends about teenage couples driving lonely roads that you hear about every back road in the country (in fact, the authors say this at one point). Only a few of the roads seemed to have truly unique legends attached to them and the area's history. They're worth reading, but the rest is all padding and pontification.

Thank goodness this was a library book and I didn't spend money on it. Don't waste your time.

[Rhina M. Finley · Rating 4 out of 5]

" Take an EErie road trip into the haunted history of Western Pennsylvania". Let's just put it this way, I'm not traveling down any of those roads unless seven people are with me!