Adventure: Fort Neccessity

Reposted from the Archives...

As Crash Originally Wrote:

"Before Captain Crash explored the Laurel Highlands, before ambitious immigrants dug the deep mines into their mountainsides, before early settlers farmed their homesteads in that wilderness, before even the American Revolution, a young British soldier by the name of George Washington roamed across the very same ground that has hosted so many of my adventures today. His mission,however, was very different than my own: push back the French forces, aligned with the local Indian tribes, to claim to the land to what would become Pittsburgh in the name of the British Empire. A few skirmishes lead to Washington's most dismal defeat as a commander, the Battle of Fort Necessity. Knowing his troops were about to be attacked, Washington ordered the construction of a fort in the Great Meadows, amidst the Pondfield area of the Laurel Highlands. This fort can still be seen today, albeit a reconstruction as the French burned the original. But the Great Meadow is entirely original, an amazing expanse of clear hills within the wooded mountaintops. Its tranquil setting hides the blood that once soaked it in an historic massacre, leading to stories of being haunted all this time later. Dramatic yes, but not horribly adventurous as it all sits as a park now. So Gunz and I saved this for one of those days when we wanted to take it easy... and the day came under the beautiful fall colors."

Crash's Pictures:

Heading out...

The rebuilt fort and earthworks where the battle occurred...

Hiking through the Great Meadows surrounding the fort, where bodies of soldiers were strewn about. Crash notes:

"From the Fort we headed up into the endlessness that is the Great Meadows. Some nice paths allowed us to loop through them for a mile or two. Crazy that 250 years ago people were fighting to the death right where we were stepping, literally defining the course of history. Many people claim the spirits of the soldiers and Indians here are restless and start their battles again. Not today. It was cool and eeriely quiet, flanked by bright autumn colors."

Analysis:
No reportable phenomena, as per both Crash and Gunz. Nothing shows in photos. No true investigation took place as Crash and Gunz were unable to gain access to the battlefield at night as it is a violation of the historic site's rules, and the alleged hauntings have been described as nocturnal only.


Crash's Conclusion:
A fairly abrupt ending but there really wasn't much more worth showing, other than some hardcore tree climbing I guess. You may be thinking this is pretty weak for my adventures but c'mon... we all know I'm a sucker for this historical crap. Ghosts? None. But just walking through those meadows, knowing that young men died where you stand while defending what they believed in is a truely intense feeling. So it may have been educational, but I'm claiming it to be adventurous as well. If you're in the area, I seriously recommend checking it out... unlike most of my trips, you'll find signs for this place all along the roads. Can't miss it.

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Thanks for looking and reading this great piece of history and the paranormal.
//Kirby//

Adventure: Scripture Rocks

Reposted from archives, with updated materials...

Kirby's Introduction:

Urban legends and ghost stories are prevalent in nearly every city, town, and community. So often they are nothing more than the brainchild of a creative con, perverted by generations of retellings with even more fabricated details. But when one of these stories is fact rather than fiction, the proof tends to border on the outright bizarre. Enter: Scripture Rocks.

Scripture Rocks are an eerie, allegedly haunted even, monument to either one man's ascent toward divinity or descent into insanity. Located just outside of the small town of Brookville in the Pa Wilds, these hundred year old petroglyphs are perhaps one of the greatest legends of not just Jefferson County, but all of Pennsylvania.

Captain Crash happens to be a bit of an expert on this topic in particular. He even served as the head guide for a short but well made documentary about the legend of Scripture Rocks. His role in the video, presented below, serves as a much better medium than the usual picture and dialogue combination typically utilized here. Monty, co-directing the documentary, made a great effort to bring one of Captain Crash's best adventures to life and even add to it.

After the jump, a great documentary to watch, a fantastic legend to read, and thrilling pictures to view. Just Click 'Read More' from the homepage.

Adventure: Bells Mills Bridge

Reposted from the Archives:

As many of you know, Captain Crash is practically the leading authority on all things haunted in the Pittsburgh region. Ghost hunts are his bread and butter; and while his lengthy ghost stories are renowned, some are pretty simple. The tale of Bells Mills Bridge is one of latter.

As Crash originally wrote:

"Ternous and I were bored as shit one night and, knowing his apartment was relatively close by, I said hey let's go look for Bells Mills. What's at Bells Mills you ask? Not much. The only remaining covered bridge in Westmoreland County and one of but a fraction in the state still in use. Oh and its supposedly haunted. As the local folklore tells, the ghost of the original contractor of the bridge watches over the bridge and follows everyone across it to ensure their safe passage. Not knowing where exactly the bridge was located, I navigated Ternous and his spifftastic little Neon in circles on random backroads until we finally found it. The pics are few and self-explanatory (not to mention of poor quality,) so no further commentary is needed."

Crash's Pictures:

Analysis:
Though there appears to the occurrence of 'orbs' in the latter two pictures, it is unlikely that these constitute the phenomenon in a paranormal sense. These appear to simply be anomalies
upon the lens. Couple this with a lack of any sensation or physical anomalies reported by either Crash or Ternous, and it is conclusive that this site provided no paranormal activity, at least during the 'Team Crash' investigation. The possibility of this bridge being haunted is further exacerbated by Crash's inability to locate any historical information to confirm the story that would provide the alleged ghost, which my research also confirmed.

Conclusion:
Not Haunted


Closing, as originally written by Crash:

"Probably the least creepy of all ghost hunts I've embarked upon, with not even so much as a strange noise or funny feeling the whole time. Just darkness, and lots of it. But alas, what can the Captain expect from just a short jaunt taken at complete random rather than my usual well-planned adventures. My absolute fascination with bridges forced me to post this one up though."

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Thanks for reading my first real post here...

//Kirby//

BOO

Happy Halloween everyone. Just a short note from yours truly about what to expect up until that most haunted of days. Many of the fans of this site come for the crazy ghost stories and urban legends I have accumulated from throughout the Pittsburgh region; the ghost of Polly Williams at White Rock, the curse of General Mad Anthony, the murder of Betty Knox on Dunbar Mountain, the mystery of Douglas Stahlman's carvings at the Scripture Rocks, and so on and so on.

Yep, I've compiled a lot of spooky stuff and every October I like to showcase it right here. This year Kirby will be leading the charge. He's already started bringing back some great haunts from the website's old format, and creating a great listing to keep track of them all! And hopefully yours truly can add a few new things too.

Until then, happy haunting everyone.

Boo!
-Crash