Emma's Ghost - Chester, Pennsylvania

Back in 1892, in Chester, PA there was a murder that took place at what is known as the Schmidt residence.  A young German girl Emma Pfitzenmyer was staying at the home of her sister Caroline who was married to Frederick Schmidt.  She returned early from a night at a ball, bid goodnight to Frederick who was home with his son and retired to her room upstairs.  Caroline returned from the dance later and climbed the stairs to say good night to her sister.  She screamed in horror as she found her dead, stabbed to death.  The murderer was never discovered.

The Schmidt residence sat empty for many years due to rumors of hauntings.  That is until one stout family looking forward to living with a ghost, the Rumford family, moved into the home.

Their daughter Matty reported seeing strange things in the house and the reports went on without attention.  Until one evening, the girl saw something move from her closet and it had long waving hair.  As she put out her hand to confirm that it was really there, to her dismay she realized it was an apparition and as she went to run from the room, something grabbed her arm.  She was later found at the bottom of the stairs unconscious and bleeding from the mouth.  It was confirmed from the Mattie's description that the apparition resembled the dead Emma Pfitzenmeyer.

Some time later Mrs. Rumford reported seeing a ghostly image at the foot of her bed.  Again, the description resembled that of Emma.  Mr. Rumford was not a big believer in these stories.  However, on one occasion he was in the room with his wife as she spotted Emma's ghost.  As she called him to look at it, Emma's ghost had disappeared.  However, he saw a strange smokey mist where his wife had claimed she saw the apparition.  Upon investigating to find an explanation for how the smoke got there, he found none.

Ghost Dinner Party at The Crier in the Country

 The original owner, Lydia Pennel haunts this inn/restaurant, The Crier in the Country located in Glenn Mills, PA.  The house was built in 1740 and Lydia was one of the original inhabitants.  It was her and her husband's home for many, many years.  She was forced to sell the bed and breakfast.  Some say she never wanted to leave and hasn't.  It became an inn/restaurant in the 1940's.  There are stories of moving chandeliers, singing and appearances of apparitions in the upstairs dining room named after Lydia as it was her former bedroom.  Ghosts over for dinner?  The sounds of a dinner party can be heard in the empty dining hall downstairs on occasion.

Servers set a dining room for a party, the next day the place settings would all be stacked in piles and placed in the center of each table.

Once in the during the house's lifetime as a inn/restaurant, a young boy was staying on the 3rd floor.  He reported seeing a shadow like apparition.  His new pet dog was staying in the room with him and was viciously trying to defend him.  The dog jumped at the apparition near the window and smashed through it falling to his death.  It is thought that some of these "unknown" entities may be from British soldiers who where hanged nearby during the Revolutionary War.  At one point, the house and it's grounds served as an encampment for British soldiers.

Artist's rendition of "Shadow figure" or "Shadow people"

The person who purchased the property from Lydia, Henry Saulnier, also haunts the place.  Workers at the inn believe his apparition has been seen in the kitchen by a young girl.  She stated she saw a man wearing "funny clothing".  Later identifying the man in a photo in the lobby which turned out to be Henry Saulnier who had long since passed away.

The Crier in the Country Inn and Restaurant

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