Calling all amateur ghost hunters and curious paranormal purveyors! Did you know that Happy Valley is home to a number of friendly spirits and folk stories? While you're in town, follow along the Haunted Valley map and check out some of these supernatural spots– if you dare!
This tour was developed with the help of Haunted Valley... The Ghosts of Penn State by Matt Swayne and other paranormal reports. All sources can be found at the bottom of this page.
George W. Atherton served as the seventh president of the university from 1882 to 1906. The "second founder" of Penn State, Atherton saved Penn State from bankruptcy and gained Penn State its recognition as a land-grant institution. He expanded Penn State's offerings from its agricultural beginnings to include engineering courses and expanded liberal arts classes. His name can be seen around University Park and on North and South Atherton St.
If you pass through the middle of campus, you will find another odd Atherton-adorned structure: the president's own grave. Atherton is interred in a marble grave right next to Schwab Auditorium. While there is an eerie feeling at the sight of the grave, Atherton more often haunts the next door Schwab Auditorium. As one-third of "Schwaboo," Atherton is said to tug on shirts, rustle the curtains, move objects, and leave a light breeze is his wake. Perhaps his friendly spirit is keeping an eye on his beloved university.
President Atherton's Grave sits on the north side of the Schwab Auditorium. There is a bench to rest and reflect.
In 1902, the Schwab Auditorium was built with the help of a donation from Charles M. Schwab, a steel tycoon. He was once one of the richest men in Pennsylvania, before his gambling addiction took over and he lost all that was remaining of his fortune during the Great Depression. Schwab died relatively penniless and is now thought to haunt the Schwab Auditorium.
One night, performers and audience members watched in awe as a seat lowered all by itself, as if Schwab was taking a seat at the performance. In 1970, Hagan King, a student at Penn State, was stuck late at the Schwab Auditorium all alone. He reported to The Penn Stater that he felt like someone was watching him. As he looked up to the stage, he saw two figures hovering above the stage, staring right at him. Perhaps the second figure was the ghost of Atherton, whose grave rests right outside of Schwab Auditorium, or maybe it was a different figure altogether...
Peter Zimmerman was working at the theater when he saw a figure standing in the middle of the stage. Peter called out to who he thought was his coworker, but the figure began to morph into a man with long hair. As he called out to the apparition, the man glided to the right side of the stage and disappeared right through the wall. Another Schwab worker, Dave Will, reported seeing a similar looking figure while he was working late one night in 1972. A man with long hair, dressed in a Revolutionary War-era uniform appeared in gray mist right beside him. Will encountered this figure twice more throughout his lifetime. Was this figure a soldier haunting the auditorium? Or perhaps it is an actor playing the role of a soldier, haunting the theater where he used to perform.
These haunted happenings in the theater are affectionately referred to as "Schwaboo," and these repeated occurrences make Schwab Auditorium one of the most haunted spots on campus.
Schwab Auditorium is open for various productions throughout the year, including the THON Showcase, For the Glory Homecoming Talent Show, and productions from the Center for the Performing Arts (CPA). To see the CPA schedule, you can check out their event calendar here.
Old Botany has the distinction of being the oldest building on campus whose exterior has not been significantly altered. As its name suggests, it was the former home of Penn State's botany department, which after years of mergers and changes, is now a part of the Department of Biology. In 1962, the University's Board of Trustees designated the building a historic landmark.
Aside from the building's historic significance, it is also known for housing the ghost of Frances "Fanny" Atherton in the building's attic. Fanny is said to be watching over her husband's grave across the street from the attic window. Some have said she has a sorrowful, desperate expression, perhaps because she is unsatisfied with Pollock Rd separating her from her husband who rests across the street.
Even more paranormal activity has been observed in Old Botany. One day, an employee placed her key in a door and it swung open, despite the chain and bolt being untouched. The employee peeped into the room and much to her surprise, a roll of carpeting that had been thrown away was placed in front of the doorway. To protect herself, she locked herself in her office. Here, she heard the front door open and footsteps echo up the stairs. After 10 minutes had passed, the employee left her office and talked to a faculty member who had just arrived at work. They had both heard books thudding on the floor. Following the noise, they found the office door wide open with the lights turned on... but no sign of who could be responsible.
Behind Old Botany lies the former site of the "Ghost Walk," a tree-lined path that was known for being dark and mysterious. Legend had it that in the 1860s, a student was walking down the path when a blizzard hit State College. He got caught in the storm, freezing to death on the path. Until the path was removed, people reported having visions of the dead student traversing the path.
Old Botany is home to the Asian Studies program and is not open to the public. The building's historic architecture can be admired from outside, and there is a blue historical marker to mark the building's significance.
Late one afternoon in 1969 during Thanksgiving break, the studious Betsy Aardsma went to the Pattee Library to gather information for her English paper. Aardsma was a graduate student at Penn State and had a special interest in politics, advocating for the women's and civil rights movements. Aardsma was browsing an aisle of the Stacks when a man appeared and stabbed her in the heart. The man screamed "That girl needs help!" catching the attention of two students who came to the scene before he ran away. Immediately, one of the students began to perform CPR, while the other chased after the runner. Unfortunately, the man was able to get away.
Aardsma was wearing a red dress which camouflaged the bleeding from her stab wound and led bystanders to believe she had simply fainted. Students paramedics continued to perform CPR on Aardsma as she was taken to the on-campus Ritenour Health Center in an ambulance. Shortly after Aardsma arrived at the Health Center, she was pronounced dead. Though theories abound about who could be Aardsma's killer, the murder has never been officially solved.
Since Aardsma's passing, library workers and guests alike often report an eerie presence when they're in the Stacks. It can feel like one is being watched. There are also stories of sudden breezes coming through the Stacks, even with closed windows and bookshelves that should block a draft. Others have reported hearing anguished cries, and some have even seen the ghost of a young woman while studying in the Stacks.
The Pattee & Paterno Libraries are open to the community during regular operating hours. Libary hours change based on the academic calendar. You can check their current operating hours here. "The Stacks" are a nickname given to the collections housed on the third and fourth floor. There is also a Starbucks located on the first floor if you want to grab a drink or bite to eat.
In 1857, Old Coaly was a trusty pack mule that helped with the construction of Old Main. He would haul limestone from the nearby quarry along with just three other mules and two horses. When construction was finally finished after six years, Penn State bought Coaly for $190 (a hefty price at the time) because he was such a hard worker. For the next thirty years, the black mule completed odd jobs on campus and became a beloved member of the community. Old Coaly unofficially became Penn State’s first mascot before the arrival of the Nittany Lion.
In Old Coaly’s lifetime, he was purported to have magical powers. One morning, Coaly appeared at the top of Old Main’s bell towering, hee-hawing as everyone arrived on campus for their morning sessions. Students claimed that he had “teleported” himself to the top of the tower.
When Old Coaly finally passed, his skeleton was preserved and kept on various spots on campus, including in Old Main, Watts Hall, an old Penn State veterinary hospital, and various Agricultural buildings. Today, he can be seen on the first floor of the HUB-Robeson Center.
The spirit of Old Coaly is still said to haunt some of his old homes. In Watts Hall, students recalled hearing a constant braying warbling. On particularly restless nights, Old Coaly’s hooves could be heard plodding down the halls. One night, a student even reported seeing an apparition of a donkey. It seems as though Old Coaly’s spirit is still alive on campus!
The HUB-Robeson Center is open 24 hours a day. Old Coaly's remains can be found on the first floor, in between the HUB-Robeson Gallery and Freeman Auditorium. You can head downstairs to the ground floor if you want a bite to eat or to grab a coffee. For more information on the HUB Galleries, look here. For more information on dining options at the HUB, look here.
In 1819, Colonel James Johnston and his wife Hannah built the Boalsburg Tavern. It soon became the center of social activity in the village, and provided stagecoach riders a place to rest and have a warm meal. On Valentine's Day 1934, a fire ravaged the building leaving the interior severely damaged. The heavy limestone walls were able to save the outside structure, but the owners were struggling financially and abandoned the tavern. Roanna Hill Winsor bought the damaged building at a sheriff's sale for $500 four years later. Using plans of the building from the Historic American Building Survey, Winsor meticulously restored the tavern to close to its original design. Because of Winsor's work, the tavern still has many of the original elements of the Colonel's tavern. She continued to live in an apartment on the second floor of the tavern until World War II, when she joined the Navy Women's Reserve. After the war, Winsor sold the tavern to Harry and Mary Duffy, who renamed the tavern Duffy's Boalsburg Tavern.
Harry ran the tavern until his death in 1961, but he is reported to still keep an eye on his beloved restaurant. Staff have turned around to find chairs moved, lights flicked on, water running, doors slammed, and glasses knocked off the bar. One night, the lights suddenly shut off and a waitress exclaimed "that's enough, Harry." Immediately, the lights turned back on. Patrons have also reported seeing orbs floating around the dining room, feeling unexplained cold spots, and having encounters with colonial-dressed apparitions.
The current owners Tracy and Darren Moriarty say the tavern is haunted. Tracy told the Centre County Gazette in 2018 that "there is a ghost on the porch, there is a campfire man in the brick room, and we know they are here, but they are peaceful." The staff of Duffy's Tavern say that Harry is a friendly ghost, just looking for some love from the patrons of his tavern.
Duffy's Boalsburg Tavern is open from Tuesday to Saturday, check out their website for up to date hours.
David Boal came to the Centre County area in the early 1800s in search of a better life. The Scottish-Irish pioneer founded the Boalsburg village and erected his grand Boal Estate. The Boals became a highly influential family, and his son George later helped found the Farmers High School, which became The Pennsylvania State University. A fourth generation Boal, Theodore Davis Boal, married Mathilde de Lagarde, a French aristocrat whose aunt married a descendant of Christopher Columbus.
Through this marriage, the couple inherited the chapel of the Columbus family. They imported the chapel to their American estate, where it lives today. The Boal Museum & Columbus Chapel is now open to the public and hosts a collection of relics from the family's international ancestry and a large collection of World War I-era weapons and tools. It is also home to Christopher Columbus's personal desk and the largest collection of his artifacts in North America.
A paranormal investigation led by Spring Hill Paranormal Investigators revealed a high level of paranormal activity in Boal Mansion. "Spring Hill Paranormal says that in forty years, they've never seen the amount of paranormal activity that they've seen at Boal Mansion" according to former Museum Director Bob Cameron. The ghosts are all reported to be friendly and kind.
You can check out the Columbus Chapel & Boal Mansion Museum by a taking tour. Drop-in tours are available seasonally or you can book a tour by appointment. Check out their up-to-date hours on their website.
The Columbus Chapel & Boal Museum also hosts special events like the Boalsburg Renaissance Faire and the Kristkindl Market. Special events in collaboration with the Springhill Paranormal Investigators also explore the metaphysical and paranormal.
In the mid-1800s, the Lemont House was erected as a general store and home. Over the years, many tenants took over the location, but it was known as "The Clover Farm Store" to area residents. J. Irving Ross bought the house in 1887 and passed it on to his son Elmer upon his death. When Elmer passed away, he passed it on to his daughter Edith. Edith spent a lot of time tending to her home, store, and flower gardens. Edith could frequently be found sweeping the front porch, hoping to talk to anybody passing by. Edith never married and passed away not long after her father.
After Joe Rishel bought the House, he began to experience the paranormal. He reported seeing a locked door open and close by itself. When he investigated, he felt a cold presence. Then, his tenants began to report hearing a voice call out "Are you there?" while they worked late at night. Another business owner in the complex reported that her motion detector would go off at random times with no guest in sight. Perhaps, Edith still keeps an eye on the site of her former home.
Today, the Lemont House is home to a number of offices and the local favorite Café Lemont.
Café Lemont is open daily except certain snow days and holidays. Check out their website for current hours.
The Lemont Granary is the last granary remaining in Pennsylvania. A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In 1885, Moses Thompson built the Granary to help distribute locally grown agricultural products via the railroad. Restoration efforts began in the late 1970s and the Granary is now the focal piece of many Lemont Village events.
For years, Lemont hosted the Haunted Granary festival to raise funds for the Granary's restoration. At this event, volunteers would tell the legend of an 11-year-old boy who was crushed to death in the Granary. One night, the boy wandered into the grain elevator when pounds of grains fell upon him. The boy was forgotten and months and months went by. When the boy was finally discovered, his bones had been eaten by rats.
While there's no record of a death occurring at the Granary, an eerie feeling still falls upon the granary around Halloween.
The Granary is located in the center of the Lemont Village. You can venture inside during special events hosted by the Lemont Village Association, such as the Lemont Christmas Market and Gourmet Candlelight Dinner. You can check out their schedule of events on their website.
There is a blue historical marker outside of the Granary that details its significance. Further up the road from the Granary lies the popular Mount Nittany Trailhead. Check the Granary out on your way to the mountain!
In the 1800s, the iron boom made Bellefonte the most influential town between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. The prosperity of the town led to the construction of many lavish homes and mansions in the Victorian style. Revitalization and preservation efforts from Bellefonte residents and officials have kept the Victorian tradition alive, and you can see homes with the historic character today. The Historic Bellefonte Victorian Homes walking tour takes you past nearly 60 of these historic homes, a must see for architecture fans.
Victorian homes are also often the sight of haunts and eerie feelings. The Addams Family themselves lived in a Victorian mansion! The Queen Bed & Breakfast is one of these haunted homes in Bellefonte. When Nancy Noll acquired The Queen in 1974, it had been abandoned for several years. One night shortly after her family moved it, a bookcase came crashing down in one of the bedrooms. A friendly ghost named Harry is said to be behind this occurrence and other haunted happenings in the home.
The Queen, A Victorian Bed & Breakfast is an operating bed & breakfast. You can see rates and availability on their website.
Our Fair Lady and Riffles & Runs B&B also take you inside Victorian homes. You can check them all out on the Bed & Breakfast page!
The Hastings Mansion is the most famous haunted home in Bellefonte. The mansion has been converted into private apartments, but you can still see the stately mansion from the street. Special tours led by Local Historia around Halloween have brought guests inside the home as well.
Bellefonte has been home to five Pennsylvania governors, including Daniel H. Hastings, who served from 1895 to 1898. Hastings’ home was built on the former site of the Red Lion Inn. While Hastings was serving as governor, the capitol building burned down, and he renovated parts of his home to resemble the lost building. The south wing, portico, windows, bracketing, pilasters, and pediment doors all take inspiration from the old capitol building.
The mansion’s haunted history stems from the times of the Red Lion Inn. The third floor of the building is said to be haunted by the "lady in white" who died on her wedding night. The restless woman is said to sulk the floors in her white wedding gown. Another ghastly resident of the haunted mansion is a watchman, who still makes his rounds ensuring each door is locked and secured. There are also reports of a young child, spotted playing on the stairs, vanishing into thin air once you notice him.
The mansion was also once home to a possessed grandfather clock. The clock was built with a realistic human face and if one stared at it long enough, the face would come to life and wink at the person. The clock has since been removed, but perhaps the spirit of it still rests in the mansion.
The Hastings Mansion is a private residence. Most of the governor's stately touches to the mansion can be viewed from the outside.
Special events hosted by Local Historia offered around Halloween have taken guests inside the mansion. You can see if they have scheduled a special event on their website. Local Historia also offers non-spooky walking tours year-round, as well as private tours.
The former site of Scotia is located on PA State Game Lands No. 176. In the late 19th century, the area was discovered to be rich with iron ore and a small town complete with a school, church, and civic center developed in the area to support the business of Scotia Ironworks. Eventually, the iron ore was depleted and the town became a bit of a ghost town. Forest overtook the area and only a few signs that a town existed still survive. While walking around the trails, you may find some old foundations and ruins of the former town.
The site is also said to be haunted by citizens who used to live there. One of these citizens, Bert Delige, took a job at Scotia Ironworks in the 1900s looking for a better life. This plan turned south when one night, he went on a drunken rampage and found the wife of his former boss walking home. He jumped her demanding money, and when she couldn't provide, he slashed her throat with a razor, killing her on the trail. Authorities immediately suspected Bert, but without evidence, they couldn't convict. Soon after the slashing, Bert brought his brother to the hiding place of the murder weapon. The authorities now had proof and arrested Bert. With the evidence stacked against him, Bert confessed to the murder and was sentenced to death. On April 25, 1911, Bert became the last prisoner to ever be hanged in Bellefonte.
Visitors to the Barrens have sensed a female ghost on the trails, perhaps the restless murder victim seeking vengeance. Another account sees a group of hunters on the lookout for deer at night. Their spotlight brought them to the exact spot where Bert took the innocent woman's life. The hunters said they saw a large, dark and dense shape come towards them. It had the profile of a larger than life man, more commanding than a typical spirit. The hunters had unknowingly ventured out to the Barrens on April 25, the anniversary of Bert's execution. Ever since, hunters have been more cautious to go to the Barrens around the time of the deaths.
The Purple Lizard map for Scotia Barrens provides an in-depth look at the the iron town and points out all the ruins you can see on the trail. A pond near the parking area is also a popular spot for bird watching and relaxation.
It is easy to get lost so it is important to have GPS navigation, such as your phone, on you. You can follow along the trail on an app such as AllTrails.
When talking about the formation of the Nittany Valley, area folklorists have recounted the story of Nit-A-Nee, a Native American princess who fell in love with a warrior named Lion's Paw. When Lion's Paw passed away, Nit-A-Nee carried him to the center of the valley and buried him in a makeshift grave. For days, she worked on building a mound over the grave. On the last day of a full moon, she finally completed the mound when a big storm erupted. Thunder and lightning struck throughout the valley, while Nit-A-Nee stretched her hands over the burial mound, trying to protect it. Suddenly, the mound began to grow larger and larger. As the storm dissipated, a large mountain appeared where the burial once stood. The spirit of Nit-A-Nee appeared in a mountain lion that materialized on the summit of Mount Nittany.
Princess Nit-A-Nee later fell in love with a French miner named Malachi Boyer. Nit-A-Nee's family didn't approve of the relationship between the Princess and the miner, so the couple decided to run away from the valley. They couldn't make it far before Nit-A-Nee's chief father and seven brothers caught the couple. The family accused Malachi of kidnapping the princess and threw him into the a water-filled cavern, now know as Penn's Cave. Malachi desperately swam around, frantically looking for an escape route, but he was unsuccessful. As he grew tired, he swam to the center of the cavern before finally drowning.
Now a popular tourist attraction, visitors say that if you are silent and listen closely, you can hear the spirit of Malachi calling to his love "Nit-A-Nee, Nit-A-Nee..."
Penn's Cave offers boat tours through the all-watern tavern year-round. Their hours vary by season, check out their website for up-to-date information.
The Millheim Hotel has been a staple in Millheim for over 225 years. A famous regular to this popular gathering spot was Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States from 1850 to 1853. He was said to be a frequent visitor to the hotel because of its convenient location halfway between Washington, D.C. and the president's hometown of Buffalo, NY. During one of his visits, he met a local Millheim woman and began a passionate love affair. The Millheim woman soon fell pregnant, much to the president's dismay. Millard wanted nothing to do with the scandal of an illegitimate child, so he stopped his visits to the hotel, never to return. The mother died of a broken heart and now haunts the Hotel, waiting for her love to return.
This story is mostly legend, but the owners of the Millheim Hotel still say the hotel is haunted. They hear a woman all the time making noises and slamming doors. There is a feeling in that air that someone is nearby. A barmaid reported watching a door slam in the back room with no draft around. Regardless, they say the ghost is a friendly one and they welcome her into their hotel.
The Millheim Hotel is open daily, check out their Facebook for up to date information. The Hotel also offers "old-style" accomodations for prospective boarders.
Ingleby is a small ghost town located outside of Poe Paddy State Park. In its prime, it was home to a railroad stop, a picnic area, a one room schoolhouse, and a resort. According to documents from the Penns Valley Historical Society, there is a small graveyard in Ingleby with only 6 graves- all children.
Ingleby is also said to be home to the Ingleby Monster, a beast known by multiple descriptions. Some know the Ingleby Monster as a half-man, half-deer amalgamation living deep in the woods. Other tales tell of a more murderous being. There was a house in the woods home to an influential family. One night, the family didn't show up in town on Friday night, so a group went to their home to check on them. They arrived to an empty house with a table fully set for dinner, all the food left uneaten. The people left in a fright, never to return.
The house remained abandoned until an elderly man purchased the property. The man was never seen around the town and kept to himself. One fateful day, a neighbor stopped by and found him beheaded- now the second unsolved murder that occurred in the same home. Perhaps the homeowners were taken by the Ingleby Monster, or perhaps another darker spirit haunted the town.
Ingleby was erected near the tracks of the old Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad. Most of the land that made up the town of Ingleby is privately owned and not accessible to the public, however, the Penns Creek Trail lies where the old railroad lied. This popular walking trail ends going through a tunnel.
The Ingleby View Outlook in Poe Paddy State Park also overlooks the area that was once known as Ingleby. This is located on Poe Paddy Dr.
“Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum.” COLUMBUS CHAPEL & BOAL MUSEUM, www.boalmuseum.com/.
“Former Owner’s Spirit Lives on at Lemont House.” Centre Daily Times [State College], 31 Oct. 1994, pp. 1–10.
Hagerty, Lyndsey, and Andrew Hagerty. “Duffy’s Boalsburg Tavern.” NightWatch Paranormal,
www.nightwatchparanormal.com/boalsburg-tavern.html.
“Spooky Tales Surround Millheim and Nearby Areas.” Lockhaven.Com, The Express, 30 Oct. 2013,
www.lockhaven.com/news/community/2013/10/spooky-tales-surround-millheim-and-nearby-areas/.
Swayne, Matthew L. “Centre Spooks: Tales of Ghosts and Spirits Haunt County.” StateCollege.Com, 31 Oct. 2019,
www.statecollege.com/articles/local-news/centre-spooks-tales-of-ghosts-and-spirits-haunt-county/.
Swayne, Matthew L. Haunted Valley--: The Ghosts of Penn State. CreateSpace, 2010.
“Uncovering Spooky Spots.” The Daily Collegian, 31 Oct. 2006,
© 2025 The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau | Design & Development by 3twenty9 Design
We have a question for you!
