Welcome to Pittsburgh! What do you want to do first? Not sure yet? Well what about plans for tomorrow?
…Well you still have time to decide… Where are you staying? You haven't booked a hotel yet?!?!
From intimate crimes of passion and dark family ties to a history-changing Civil War, Pittsburgh’s ghosts of the past are still a haunting presence today. Find your favorite spot to haunt around the city - both believers and non-believers are welcome!
Know of a haunted hot spot we missed? Email and let us know and we'll send out the Ecto-1.
Church Brew Works
Some of the ghostly residents evidently weren't happy with being converted into a house of pale ales instead of prayers. Located in a 100-year-old Catholic church, Church Brew Works' haunted stories include a woman in white (was she left at the altar?), unexplained sounds and items moving by themselves.
Travel Channel sent the Ghost Hunters there in 2022 for their "The Haunted Brewery," episode. See for yourself in the video below what they were able to find:
Pittsburgh Playhouse | Point Park University
Iconic stars like Gene Kelly got their start at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, but some celebrities here became more famous after death. After John Johns suffered a heart attack on stage here, he later died in the dressing room, leading to apparitions appearing to visitors from a man in a tuxedo to a Lady in White calling the dead actor's name.
The original Playhouse (featured in the video below) was razed a few years ago, but it's not clear if the hauntings followed the troupe to their new Forbes Ave. location or if those spirits finally moved on.
Allegheny Cemetery
The ghost of Harry K. Thaw, son of coal
and railroad baron William Kendall Thaw,
is said to wander the grounds of Allegheny Cemetery near his burial site. His infamy,
tied to the murder of famed architect
Stanford White in 1906 and dubbed “the
trial of the century,” involved Thaw’s wife,
performer Evelyn Nesbit. He was found
mentally insane by a jury and confined to
an asylum for years. Schedule a tour of
the cemetery grounds to learn more.
Clayton: The Frick Mansion
Clayton, the former family home of millionaire Henry Clay
Frick, is said to have the spirits of two women thought to be
members of the Frick family wandering its halls. You can book
a tour and investigate for yourself at the preserved mansion.
Continue your investigation with a short walk from the house
to Homewood Cemetery where many of the Frick family
members are buried.
Green Man's Tunnel
You've heard of the Hat Man, but Pittsburgh's legend of the Green Man (perhaps a distant cousin?) is the best type of horror story. This ghost story stems from a true story about a disfigured man who loved taking midnight strolls and morphed into a glowing man who haunts this South Park rail tunnel.
Obviously, use your discretion if you go exploring dark, abandoned tunnels looking for phosphorescent persons; the city uses this tunnel to store road salt and other tales of murder and mayhem follow.
The Early American Room at Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning holds a special energy. Within a hidden staircase is a
bedroom containing some of the belongings of Martha
Jane Poe, a relative of Edgar Allen Poe.
Staff and docents
in the Cathedral have noticed odd noises, items moved
without being touched and dark shadows shifting around
corners. The rooms are often open for viewing and
occasional guided tours.
Dead Man's Hollow
We can't make a name like this up; Dead Man's Hollow Conservation Area is its real name, and the Allegheny Land Trust website even notes its ominous.
This former quarry and pipe factory have now been reclaimed by nature, with 450 acres of green space and 6 miles of trails, but the legends live on - murder, quakes, fires and mysterious deaths. Take the enchanted staircase and explore the factory ruins, just don't become the next haunted denizen that wanders this path.
The ghosts of gangster brothers Edward and Jack Biddle may be
found on the grounds of Calvary Cemetery, still angry that their lives
were cut short after a famous Pittsburgh prison break.
Convicted
of several crimes, including robbery and murder, the Biddles were
imprisoned and sentenced to hang. But the warden’s wife, Kate
Soffel, began a romance with Ed, and helped the Biddles escape
prison. The freedom didn't last long, as the brothers were both
killed in a gun battle, and Soffel was seriously injured.
The National Aviary
The National Aviary on the Northside was built on
the site of the former Western Penitentiary. During The
American Civil War, the prison was operated by Union
soldiers, keeping Confederate soldiers in lockdown.
The prison was overcrowded and unclean. Many soldiers
died in captivity, and it’s believed that their spirits still
wander the halls of the aviary.
Go Ghost Hunting
Ready to do some ghost hunting of your own? Call Ghosts N’at Paranormal Adventures (could there be a better Pittsburgh name?) and be on the lookout for upcoming events where they explore some of the spookiest places in Pittsburgh and beyond.
