Pennsylvania Legends and Lore: Ghosts of the Commonwealth

Watch on the PBS app

Pennsylvania Legends and Lore: Ghosts of the Commonwealth explores the ghost stories and folk traditions that are an integral part of Pennsylvania’s cultural heritage. Vignettes include the Lost Hunter, Swamp Church, Vanishing Hitchhiker and more.

Sources for Pennsylvania Legends and Lore: Ghosts of the Commonwealth

Books:
  • German-American Folklore – Compiled and edited by Mac E. Barrick
  • Killing Tradition: Inside Hunting and Animal Rights Controversies – Simon Bronner
  • Pennsylvania Fireside Tales: Volume I – Jeffrey R. Frazier
  • The Black Ghost of Scotia and More Pennsylvania Fireside Tales – Jeffrey R. Frazier
  • Flat-landers and Ridge-runners: Folktales from the Mountains of Northern Pennsylvania – James York Glimm
  • South Central Pennsylvania Legends and Lore – David J. Puglia
  • Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning – Don Yoder & Thomas E. Graves
Penn State University Libraries Special Collections:
  • Penn State Photo Archive – Town and Environs/Historic Places/General
  • Henry Shoemaker papers, 1873–1952
  • Samuel Preston Bayard papers, 1935–1996
  • Pennsylvania State University, Folklore Studies Program records, 1972-1986
This program was recorded on location at the following sites:
  • Bethesda Evangelical Church – Farmers Mills, Pennsylvania
  • Centre Furnace Mansion – State College, Pennsylvania
  • Mountain Acres Lodge – Spring Mills, Pennsylvania

More from WPSU

High grass and swamp land.

Examine one of humanity’s most pressing challenges through the lens of the many academic disciplines needed to address the impacts and surrounding economic, social, and environmental issues that come with managing risk in a changing climate.

Posted on April 20, 2017

 

Woman Sewing

Explore some of the many textile arts that can be found throughout the state, examining the traditions behind them and the motivations of the craftspeople creating them.

Posted on January 21, 2022

 

blurry and grainy photo of a young woman holding a toddler

Hosted by actress and advocate Mariska Hargitay, and told by Detective Deirdri Fishel, Telling Amy’s Story follows the timeline of a domestic violence homicide.

Posted on April 1, 2022