Across the Water: An Accomac Murder

This truly grand building has a remarkable history dating back to the beginnings of our country. The Accomac Inn had its beginnings in 1722 when a two-hundred-acre tract called “The Partner’s Adventure” was first surveyed for Philip Syng and Thomas Brown.

Continue reading Across the Water: An Accomac Murder

The House of Horrors: Mechanics Grove Lancaster County

In 1935 a formidable figure of crime and mystery stood in the shadow of five ugly charges: abortion, abortion resulting in a death, abortion resulting in the death of a child, and two violations of the narcotics laws. Dr. Harry C. Zimmerly was a practicing physician in Mechanics Grove, a village just below Quarryville. The rundown farmhouse-hospital named the “House of Horrors” drew thousands who came from most everywhere, nosing about in the hopes that they might find some trace of the remains of the girls and women that went missing. Moral derelicts of a Sadist, whose Sadistic tendencies were goaded on by hope, freely taken and freely given.

Continue reading The House of Horrors: Mechanics Grove Lancaster County

Plan to Metal Detect in Pennsylvania? Here’s a few things you should know

This blog is for all my fellow searchers and history hunters. Most of us probably have equipment that we use daily, but some of you readers may be new to the hunt and need advice on where to start. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to metal detectors. My advice is if you are just starting out, start with something simple to make it easier on yourself.

Continue reading Plan to Metal Detect in Pennsylvania? Here’s a few things you should know

The ghost village of Safe Harbor: Born in fire and died by ice

Everyone that knows me knows that I’m sort of a history hunter. I have a great interest in historical landmarks/places, especially those of the abandoned kind or the places now known as ghost towns. Being a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I decided to dig deeper into the history of Safe Harbor. Firstly, I’ll take you through some of the history of how Safe Harbor became what it is today, and then I will lead you through a nature trail that allows you to revisit what was once the original Safe Harbor Village that was devastated and destroyed by the 1904 ice flood.

If you visit Safe Harbor Dam today, you will see this sign. It commemorates the Conestoga Navigation Company and the bold venture of turning Lancaster into a port city. Its ambitious goal was to give Lancaster direct access to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other ports. Never mind the fact that Lancaster is 102 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.

Continue reading The ghost village of Safe Harbor: Born in fire and died by ice

The Northwest River Trail

Earlier this week I walked the Northwest River Trail between Columbia and Chickies Rock. The Northwest Lancaster County River Trail follows the route of the historic Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, tracing the Susquehanna River northwest from Columbia to Falmouth. While the majority of the trail is paved, the northern segment from Bainbridge to Falmouth is largely undeveloped and best suited for walking, hiking, or mountain biking. The route now contains a trove of historic iron furnaces and building ruins, a canal lock, sections of the original towpath and canal bed, and an abandoned railroad tunnel.

Continue reading The Northwest River Trail

The History & Haunts of Chickies Rock

Located between the boroughs of Columbia and Marietta is Chickies Rock. At over 422 acres, it is the county’s second-largest regional park. Its most notable feature is the massive outcropping of quartzite rock towering 200 feet above the river. The vista offers impressive views of York County, the borough of Marietta, and farmlands of northwestern Lancaster County.

IMG_0956

Bike paths and walking trails now lead visitors to the sites of interest in Chickies Rock County Park. But one thing seems to run through its long history, unbidden and dark: the supernatural. Locals will agree that the view from Chickies Rock is indeed spectacular and that the history and geology of the site are interesting. But along with the beauty, science, and history are tales that encompass the mysterious: legends of curses, ghosts and strange monsters.

Continue reading The History & Haunts of Chickies Rock

Hunting for Buried Treasure? Here are 5 lost treasures in Pennsylvania

What kid didn’t grow up with dreams of finding mysterious maps and buried chests of gold? I know I did.

Pennsylvania isn’t anywhere near the “high seas” trafficked by legendary swashbuckling pirates, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hidden treasure out there.

Throughout history the Keystone state has had several tales of lost loot within the hills, mountains and caves. We probably won’t find a sunken Spanish galleon in the Allegheny River anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hidden treasure out there waiting to be discovered. Hundreds of individual coins as well as silver and gold pieces have turned up across the state, but none of the historical hoards have ever been fully excavated.

Continue reading Hunting for Buried Treasure? Here are 5 lost treasures in Pennsylvania

Strolling down Carroll Avenue in Angelino Heights

One of L.A.’s hottest spots for historic homes is Carroll Avenue, where the Victorian architectural style is on full display. Carroll Avenue is in Angelino Heights, which is one of Los Angeles’ oldest neighborhoods. The dozen or so towering Victorians that line Carroll Avenue collectively form one of the most picturesque spots in the city. The wooden turrets and shaded portraits feel frozen in time, calling back to a post-Spanish, pre-Hollywood way of life that feels like a secret part of LA history.

Continue reading Strolling down Carroll Avenue in Angelino Heights

Visiting the Getty Villa

Best known for its sweeping coastlines and golden sunsets, Southern California doesn’t seem like the sort of place where you would find a grand Roman country house. Yet that’s part of the enchantment of the Getty Villa, a home of an extraordinary collection of Greek and Roman art.

If you want to visit ancient Rome and enjoy one of the most spectacular views in all of Los Angeles, go visit the Getty Villa, nestled up high in the Pacific Palisades. The Villa is a time warp back into another civilization, a zen walk through beautifully manicured gardens, and gateway to a million-dollar view of the Pacific Ocean.

Continue reading Visiting the Getty Villa

Hollywood Underground

Screen Shot 2019-08-16 at 3.11.28 PMThere’s plenty of hiking trails around Los Angeles, but sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the wilderness and hike places such as Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. It’s a really interesting place that not many people know about, and it’s not really explored. There’s no end to the amazing amount of art displayed. Their collection includes the complete replicas of Michelangelo statues, dozens of beautiful stained glass windows, including two that have absurd multi-media presentations, a mosaic of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and a giant bronze statue of George Washington.

Originally developed in the early 1900s, it quickly became one of the most progressive cemeteries of its day – permanently changing the business aspects of American cemeteries through its example. Fate brought a man named Hubert Eaton to become its president in 1916. Eaton’s vision, and the fact that Forest Lawn has continued to hold firm to Eaton’s famous Builder’s Creed, has turned the concept of a cemetery from that of crumbling tombstones to a true “garden” of peace.

Continue reading Hollywood Underground