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

Selected landmark images from different towns featured in WPSU's Our Town series.

Discover the people and places of central Pennsylvania through the lenses of local residents. Watch »

Posted on December 12, 2022

 

Moving Vietnam Wall

This WPSU documentary explores the impact of the Vietnam War on the lives of Pennsylvanians who fought, protested, or prayed for their loved ones to come home alive. Watch »

Posted on March 14, 2022

 

Discussion panel on the set of Talking Together About Guns: Peace Officer

A series of panel discussions about guns and gun violence issues. Watch »

Posted on February 24, 2017