10 Bucks County Hauntings And Other Ghost Stories

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — With a history dating back, officially, to the 1600s, Bucks County has a long and storied history. And with that history comes plenty of tales of the supernatural.

From a reputedly haunted historic mansion in Levittown to the streets of New Hope, which has been called America's most haunted town, Bucks County has no shortage of ghostly tales to enjoy during this Halloween season.

Haunted houses, spooky woods and a bridge where you can hear a baby cry are all within a short drive in Bucks County, if local legends are to be believed. Especially with possibly considering alternate Halloween activities this year, you might think about a visit to some of these scary spots.

(Information for this story was compiled from multiple sources of local lore and legends, including posts from Visit Bucks County, which has promoted the locations of several of the tales).

Midnight Mary (The Lady of the Lake)
Where: Bordentown Road
The Story: Just this side of the New Jersey border, near the Tullytown Lake on Bordentown Road, passersby have, for decades, reported seeing the image of a young woman. She's frequently described as wearing a pink dress and is sometimes seen dancing. There have even been those who, according to the legends, have picked her up hitchhiking. Midnight Mary has been associated with Gertrude Spring, a young women who died in 1935 and is buried at nearby St. James Episcopal Church — though no one seems to know quite why. There's also a legend that Mary crashed into the lake with her prom date and drowned, though there is no documented story to back this up.

Continental Tavern
Where: 2 N. Main St., Yardley
The Story: Since it was renovated in 1877, the Continental Tavern has been revealing secrets. It has been a stop on the Underground Railroad, a speakeasy during Prohibition, a home, a tavern and a hotel. It's also racked up its share of ghost stories. Spirits reportedly seen on the property include a young boy trying to find his mother and objects have been seen to move or shake on their own at the tavern. Among the thousands of artifacts discovered there have been a mysterious pistol and a corset covered in bloody bullet holes.

Cry Baby Bridge
Where: Van Sant Covered Bridge, Solebury
The Story: Built in 1875 near Washington Crossing Park, Van Sant Bridge, legends claim, is where a young mother, shunned by her family, threw her baby off of the bridge before hanging herself from its rafters. People who have driven through at night have claimed to have heard a baby crying, or the sound of a woman's feet dragging on their car roof.

Emily's Room
Where: Logan Inn, 10 W. Ferry St., New Hope
The Story: There are enough hauntings reported at the old restaurants, hotels and other building in New Hope to write an entire article (or book). But we're fond of the one at the Logan Inn. Built in 1727, people have claimed to see a Revolutionary War-era soldier banging a drum there, as well as dancing orbs. But, supposedly, Room 6 is the most haunted spot of all. Called "Emily's Room" after a former owner's mother, people staying there have reported seeing figures in a mirror, pressure on their chests while they slept and other phenomena, causing some guests to leave early.

Black Bass Hotel
Where: 3774 River Rd., Lumberville
The Story: Located north of New Hope along the Delaware River, the Black Bass Hotel, which was built in the 1740s, still has most of its original furniture and artwork. According to some, it still has many of its earlier inhabitants, too. One is a man believed to have been killed in a bar fight when the hotel was a tavern for a rough-and-tumble crowd. Another is a woman seen carrying a pistol and a third is an older woman sometimes seen crying.

Ghost Cat (And Friends)
Where: Historic Bolton Mansion, 85 Holly Dr., Levittown
The Story: Built in 1687, Bolton Mansion has a whole host of spectral stories that have given it a reputation as one of the area's most haunted buildings. The stories of spirits spotted there include a little girl looking out windows on the second floor, a woman in a white dress and, our favorite, a ghost cat prowling the mansion's floors. Contractors reported seeing children playing on stair landings and adult spirits running from room to room. Now a museum, the Bolton staff frequently welcomes paranormal teams and others, including the crew from "Ghost Detectives."

Hansell Road Lights
Where: Hansell Road, Buckingham Township
The Story: Set between farms in Buckingham Township, Hansell Road was once just a gravel country road winding into the woods. For years, drivers would pull over at nighttime and look into the woods, where many reported seeing strange lights moving toward their vehicles. Some have described the lights as red eyes. In the late 1990s, the township widened and paved the road, as well as building a park in the area. The stories have slowed since then, but haven't gone away entirely.

Dark Hollow Road
Where: Dark Hollow Road, Pipersville
The Story: With a name like Dark Hollow Road, it's got to be spooky, right? It is said that people walking the road, which is home to several historic buildings, have been followed by flickering lights. One spirit appears along with the scent of lavender and there's even a story about an old schoolhouse where the body of an abusive school teacher was found a century after his death. We're not aware of any documentation of that story, but why let facts get in way of a good scare?

Craven Hall Soldier
Where: 599 Newtown Rd., Warminster
The Story: At this home built in 1780, people say a young man in Colonial Era garb has been seen through the windows of the first floor. He's been said to bang on windows late at night, as if he's trying to escape. As the legend goes, this is the spirit of a Revolutionary War-era soldier who was buried on the grounds where the historic home was built.

The Devil's Half-Acre
Where: Rt. 32, headed north out of New Hope
The Story: Just south of the above-mentioned Dark Hollow Road, there's a stretch of land between Rt. 32 and the Delaware River colorfully known as The Devil's Half-Acre. According to legend, the only building along that stretch was a tavern built and run illegally in the 1800s, when the Pennsylvania Canal was being dug. As the story goes, canal workers would drink there and more than one died in drunken brawls. Fearing trouble with the law, the tavern's owner would bury the bodies in shallow graves behind the tavern — and the restless spirits of those workers reportedly haunt the area to this day.

Did we include your favorite Bucks County ghost story here? Have you ever had a spooky experience at one of these spots? Or is there another local haunt that Patch readers should know about? Let us know and your story might be included in a follow-up story.