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Pennsylvania's Unexplained Mysteries: Ghosts, UFOs, Cryptids, & More
Do you like true stories of the unexplained?
Pennsylvania is filled with phenomena science cannot explain. Houses in which the floorboards creak and doors open on their own, battlefields where fallen soldiers walk again, strange sounds coming from the forest, spooky lights in the sky, and much more.
Renowned paranormalist Tony Urban has collected over 25 tales of the unexplained from one end of PA to the other.
So, put on a pot of tea and settle into your favorite chair. It’s time to read first-hand accounts of the unexplainable as told by the people who lived through them.
Pennsylvania is filled with phenomena science cannot explain. Houses in which the floorboards creak and doors open on their own, battlefields where fallen soldiers walk again, strange sounds coming from the forest, spooky lights in the sky, and much more.
Renowned paranormalist Tony Urban has collected over 25 tales of the unexplained from one end of PA to the other.
So, put on a pot of tea and settle into your favorite chair. It’s time to read first-hand accounts of the unexplainable as told by the people who lived through them.
- GenresParanormalNonfiction
162 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 28, 2020
35 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Tony Urban
66 books204 followersA professional photographer, writer and fan of general weirdness (both real and imagined), Tony has traveled tens of thousands of miles seeking out everything from haunted locations, UFO crash sites and monsters like Bigfoot and the Mothman. In a previous life, he worked in the independent movie industry but he finds his current career much more exciting.
Tony's first writing memory involves penning a short story about taking a road trip with his best friend and his dog (two different creatures) to watch KoKo B Ware in a professional wrestling event in Pittsburgh. He wrote that epic saga while in the 3rd grade and it was all downhill from there. His first books were a series of o)eat travelogues but recently his zombie apocalypse series, "Life of the Dead" has been a bestseller online and grossed out readers all over the world. His ultimate goal in life is to be killed by a monster thought by most to be imaginary. Sasquatch, werewolves, chupacabras, he’s not picky. If that fails, he’d enjoy making a living as a full time writer. Which of those two scenarios is more likely is up to the readers to decide.
Please sign up for my mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/P8lc9
Tony's first writing memory involves penning a short story about taking a road trip with his best friend and his dog (two different creatures) to watch KoKo B Ware in a professional wrestling event in Pittsburgh. He wrote that epic saga while in the 3rd grade and it was all downhill from there. His first books were a series of o)eat travelogues but recently his zombie apocalypse series, "Life of the Dead" has been a bestseller online and grossed out readers all over the world. His ultimate goal in life is to be killed by a monster thought by most to be imaginary. Sasquatch, werewolves, chupacabras, he’s not picky. If that fails, he’d enjoy making a living as a full time writer. Which of those two scenarios is more likely is up to the readers to decide.
Please sign up for my mailing list at:
http://eepurl.com/P8lc9
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 15, 2022
Two confessions: Sharon and I are regular “Ghost Adventures” viewers. I don’t necessarily believe in ghosts, but the stories of old buildings and mysteries intrigue me. Secondly, as a native Pennsylvanian living in Maryland, it amazes me how local history exists so much more on this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Pennsylvania is roughly four times the size of its southern neighbor, so Pittsburghers feel no connection to those in Scranton, for example.
We start in Pittsburgh and then move our way to Friedens and Meyersdale. Locals will be surprised to see how many stories occur in Johnstown, Somerset, Bedford, and Altoona. A lot of wide-open space contributes to paranoia. On the other hand, you could quickly tell these ghost stories to your children, and they would have no way of questioning you. It may even inspire you to visit one of the places in question and hear the oral history.
In what has been an excellent year for books, we have enjoyed the literary equivalents to filet mignon. Mystery collections like this are more like a pile of Oreos. We like them for what they are and still consume them. Of course, you can neither prove nor disprove the veracity of the sightings but will not enter dark, wooded areas with a certain amount of trepidation. Yet, it is somehow comforting to believe more than meets the eye.
The author makes the quirky choice to print the Pennsylvanians’ stories unedited for grammar or punctuation. You can almost hear the Yinzer accent as they share their tales of woe and fear. How have I never met these people? I know very few people who openly admit belief in the supernatural, but ghost stories sometimes still manage to absorb us. Whatever moment it was, I started hearing things bump in the night.
Lisa Conger recommended this to me, and I was cynical and skeptical, but I am glad to have read about these experiences. We all do not believe in this because we can usually rationalize things that make explained noises. However, the book works because the stories would frighten adults who could also use them to spook their children at sleepovers. More importantly, this is about a two-day read for most of you.
We start in Pittsburgh and then move our way to Friedens and Meyersdale. Locals will be surprised to see how many stories occur in Johnstown, Somerset, Bedford, and Altoona. A lot of wide-open space contributes to paranoia. On the other hand, you could quickly tell these ghost stories to your children, and they would have no way of questioning you. It may even inspire you to visit one of the places in question and hear the oral history.
In what has been an excellent year for books, we have enjoyed the literary equivalents to filet mignon. Mystery collections like this are more like a pile of Oreos. We like them for what they are and still consume them. Of course, you can neither prove nor disprove the veracity of the sightings but will not enter dark, wooded areas with a certain amount of trepidation. Yet, it is somehow comforting to believe more than meets the eye.
The author makes the quirky choice to print the Pennsylvanians’ stories unedited for grammar or punctuation. You can almost hear the Yinzer accent as they share their tales of woe and fear. How have I never met these people? I know very few people who openly admit belief in the supernatural, but ghost stories sometimes still manage to absorb us. Whatever moment it was, I started hearing things bump in the night.
Lisa Conger recommended this to me, and I was cynical and skeptical, but I am glad to have read about these experiences. We all do not believe in this because we can usually rationalize things that make explained noises. However, the book works because the stories would frighten adults who could also use them to spook their children at sleepovers. More importantly, this is about a two-day read for most of you.
January 29, 2025
I seem to be on a Tony Urban kick, just trying to work my way through some of my easier TBR between traveling books. I have a book mountain I am trying to decrease.
This edition takes place in Pennsylvania, I have been to Pennsylvania and seen a lot of creepy places when I was there, so I can see these stories visually in my mind while reading the book. Urban takes the real life stories of people who lived these encounters and puts them into book form. All sorts of creepy fun, and a good quick read between longer reads.
This edition takes place in Pennsylvania, I have been to Pennsylvania and seen a lot of creepy places when I was there, so I can see these stories visually in my mind while reading the book. Urban takes the real life stories of people who lived these encounters and puts them into book form. All sorts of creepy fun, and a good quick read between longer reads.
January 14, 2022
Great read
I found this book very interesting considering I’m from Pennsylvania. I would definitely recommend it to others. I also may explore the area of one of the stories that is fairly close to me.
I found this book very interesting considering I’m from Pennsylvania. I would definitely recommend it to others. I also may explore the area of one of the stories that is fairly close to me.
February 14, 2023
Very Enjoyable
I'm fascinated with ghosts, things that go bump in the night, and have had my own experiences. I found this book very enjoyable. It was poorly edited, and at times didn't even finish a sentence!
I'm fascinated with ghosts, things that go bump in the night, and have had my own experiences. I found this book very enjoyable. It was poorly edited, and at times didn't even finish a sentence!
March 9, 2022
Paranormal in PA
Many stories of the paranormal in PA. If you like that sort of thing then this book is worth reading.
Many stories of the paranormal in PA. If you like that sort of thing then this book is worth reading.
July 17, 2022
meh
Some of the stories are spooky but none strike me as particularly terrifying. I won’t speak to the veracity if these tales… but I was not impressed.
Some of the stories are spooky but none strike me as particularly terrifying. I won’t speak to the veracity if these tales… but I was not impressed.
September 6, 2022
Meh. Not scary. I'm guessing he printed the stories exactly as told which included poor grammar and misspellings.
November 6, 2024
Horribly edited. I feel like some of the stories could have been told “better”. I had higher hopes for this book considering it had a lot of local places.
August 3, 2025
A good read for paranormal, ufo, big foot believers and those that don’t! Gives you food for thought as you read real life stories and encounters.
November 5, 2025
I am familiar with Urban's work from the Bigfoot stories. I enjoyed these collected works because it makes you feel like you are right there experiencing first-hand of what the narrator is sharing.
March 9, 2022
Disappointed. Only a handful of stories. They were good but I was expecting a lot more; an actual book not a magazine article, so to speak. Not worth what I paid to read it.
March 6, 2024
This was a good read. I was hoping for more “edge of your seat” kind of stories but it was pretty neat to read all the things that happened locally.
June 2, 2023
I got this book on May 21st, and I read the whole book. Reading a book in one day is a rarity for me. Wonderful collection of stories!! A couple of stories had me spooked. I really enjoyed this book and hearing ghost stories from my hometown.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews