Dark History of Penn's Woods: Murder, Madness, and Misadventure in Southeastern Pennsylvania

by Jennifer L. Green

“Dark History of Penn’s Woods is the perfect book to keep you up all night… It’s ghostly, it’s ghastly, and we guarantee some of the included photos will stay with you!” — Philly MagWhen ships under the command of white Europeans first sailed into the Delaware Bay in 1609, southeastern Pennsylvania's documented history of the strange and unusual began. This book tackles seven true "dark histories" from Chester and Delaware counties, which include tales of murder, witchcraft, cannibalism, tragic accidents and macabre events that actually happened in the Greater Philadelphia region. All stories are meticulously researched and placed within the greater context of Pennsylvania and world history. For example, the murder of three children by an indentured servant is placed within the context the kidnapping of children into servitude in England for sale to the Americas. The trial and execution of a woman for killing her infants is placed within the context of the rights of women in early America and how the court system failed them. The treatment of witchcraft is placed within the larger relationship of Quakers with the supernatural in Pennsylvania. This is not a book of ghost stories; this is an exploration of the real events that led people to believe in ghosts. It aims to strike a balance between a colloquial work that is accessible by a variety of readers, and an solid academic work.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, True Crime

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover art is a bit too lurid for this book. Granted, it describes some weird events but they are solidly backed up by scholarly research and no supernatural undertones are mentioned. It is a local history book about the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. My college alma mater is there so I know the area.

I can't wait to tell my sister that the Revolutionary War hero, "Mad" Anthony Wayne is buried (at least part of him is) in her hometown of Wayne, PA. Maybe we'll take a detour sometime and look for his resting place at the Episcopal church cemetery.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read chronicling famous murders, natural disasters, witchcraft beliefs, and other cases of the strange and macabre in the Philadelphia area from the colonial period through the 1960s. (No paranormal events.) My favorite chapters were about the double burial of Revolutionary War hero Anthony Wayne (which required an overview of the history of boiling the flesh from human bones) and the Flood of 1843 which reminded me very much of Tropical Storm Ida in 2021, which caused similar catastrophe throughout the region. The one on Spontaneous Human Combustion was also quite interesting, but I really could have done without the crime scene photo of Helen Conway's body. Despite being black and white, it's quite gruesome and actually gave me a jump (and not in a good way).

[Dominique Lamssies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and researched read that is enjoyable and touches on each category of nasty goings on, like true crime, the unexplainable, natural disasters and the supernatural.

That said, there's not much supernatural going on. The first chapter in the book explains why, but the rest of the book is basically true crime stuff. Not bad by any means, just not what I wanted.

Recommended for true crime and local Pennsylvania history fans.

[Flowergarden24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short book that is really interesting if you live in the area. I liked seeing the photos . I The 1843 flood, Oberle murders and the Helen Conway case were events I hadn't heard of. I liked getting the facts on Anthony Wayne and "Sandy Flash". Brief but intriguing.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, especially since I live in southeastern PA. Even if I didn’t, though, it would still be interesting. Well researched, kept my attention, and some well chosen historical oddities. Fact is often as interesting, if not more so, than fiction. Such is the case here.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bite-sized journey into some dark history in a small section of SE Pennsylvania. The stories were well researched and read like vignettes. The ending was abrupt, I would've liked a conclusion chapter (or even a page) to wrap things up.

[James M · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of the book very interesting because of learning what I did nor know about places right in my back yard.

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting local stories.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've attended Jennifer's lectures in the past and found them informative and thrilling. Delaware County is my home and a weird place to live.

[Bridget M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed hearing the author’s lecture at my local library. She encouraged us to check out her book so I did! I really enjoyed her comparative approach to the crimes. She puts a lot of research into each tale. Some of the stories are shocking and some read like folklore. Green’s book teaches you a lot about the area while also exploring crimes previously committed.