The Story Behind Pittsburgh's Most Haunted House Will Give You Nightmares
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Beth Price-Williams
Author
Congelier House in Pittsburgh, now little more than a stretch of road still swarming with paranormal activity (if you believe what some say), has etched itself into history as America’s most haunted house. Despite terrifying people for decades, historians have debunked much of the story of Congelier House. However, many still believe the local legend. Into which category do you fall: Do you still believe the tale or do you agree that it’s all simply a long-told myth?
Congelier House - also known as the House on Ridge Avenue and the House the Devil Built - appeared in Manchester on the North Side in the 1860s. It was built, according to local legend, by a well-to-do fella from the south, Charles Congelier. The majestic home - mansion, if you want to get technical - housed Congelier, Lyda (his wife), and Essie (the maid).
Life in the Congelier House appeared to be a happy one but, as the old saying goes, you never know what's really going on behind closed doors. Sometimes you don't even know what's going on in your own house. Lyda would find that out sometime in 1871 when, to her dismay and heartbreak, she discovered her husband and Essie were entwined in a passionate affair. That discovery sparked Lyda's own passion, the kind of passion that drives a modern-day horror flick.
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An enraged Lyda decided to confront her husband and his mistress - some say with a knife and some say with a meat cleaver in her hand. With that knife or meat cleaver, Lyda took out her rage on both Charles and Essie, permanently ending their affair.
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Out of her mind from grief or rage, no one really knows, she rocked back and forth on her rocking chair, cradling the head of Essie. That, so the legend goes, is just how she was found several days after the brutal murders had taken place. And...that is what led to the House on Ridge Avenue remaining empty for nearly two decades.
Congelier House, despite its horrifying history, finally sold in 1892 when a local railroad company purchased it to provide housing for its railroad workers. By the century's end, the House on Ridge Avenue again had a for sale sign on the front lawn. With its workers chased out by the paranormal, including strange noises emanating from all corners of the house and figures seen walking down the hallways, the railroad company had no choice but to find a buyer, perhaps someone who had little clue as to what had transpired in that house.
Along came a man known as Dr. Adolph Brunrichter, a recluse. Neighbors rarely saw the doctor, until one day they heard the shrill shriek of a woman coming from inside the home. By the time police had arrived and discovered the bloody site and a decapitated young woman, the reclusive doctor had disappeared.
Along came a man known as Dr. Adolph Brunrichter, a recluse. Neighbors rarely saw the doctor, until one day they heard the shrill shriek of a woman coming from inside the home. By the time police had arrived and discovered the bloody site and a decapitated young woman, the reclusive doctor had disappeared.
A different Congelier family is said to have lived in the House on Ridge Avenue back in the 1920s, after the Dr. Adolph Brunrichter debacle. Their daughter, Marie, tragically died, after being sliced with glass from a window broken during an explosion of a nearby natural gas tank.
Alas, the legend of Congelier House was discounted after researchers failed to find any records of a Charles Congelier, a Dr. Adolph Brunrichter, or evidence that a railroad company ever owned the House on Ridge Avenue.
The House on Ridge Avenue, long considered America's most haunted house, was replaced by a stretch of road. Some of those who believe in the paranormal still believe Congelier House's haunted past and tell stories of seeing apparitions walking along the side of the road where the House on Ridge Avenue once stood.
The House on Ridge Avenue, long considered America's most haunted house, was replaced by a stretch of road. Some of those who believe in the paranormal still believe Congelier House's haunted past and tell stories of seeing apparitions walking along the side of the road where the House on Ridge Avenue once stood.
Though now just a memory and despite claims of debunking its story, Congelier House in Pittsburgh remains embedded in local lure. You can still visit the site where Congelier House once stood, capturing the imaginations of Pittsburghers for decades, or visit one or more of these eight genuinely haunted places in Pennsylvania.
When you visit one of those many haunted houses in Pittsburgh, don’t forget your camera.
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More to Explore
Haunted Places In Pittsburgh
What are some of the most haunted places in Pittsburgh?
The Congelier House in Pittsburgh may no longer be standing, but there are plenty of other haunted places in Pittsburgh we can still visit – if we dare, that is.
- Coulterville Cemetery in McKeesport has long been known for its paranormal activity. The cemetery sits on the site of a former orphanage that tragically burned down many years ago; all of the orphans perished, but their restless souls are said to still remain. If you visit after dark, look back as you leave the cemetery. You might see an apparition of the orphanage on fire and the faces of desperate children peering out of the windows. Once you’ve left the cemetery, check your car windows. Are there child-sized handprints on them?
- If you’re up for a hike, head over to Dead Man’s Hollow in McKeesport, an area well-known for its paranormal events. Now the site of abandoned factory ruins, the hollow also saw a murder – of a man named George McClure – in 1880. His alleged murderer denied any role in McClure’s death and went to his execution with those denials. The executed 19-year-old’s soul is said to be so restless that it haunts Dead Man’s Hollow today. Another spirit is also said to haunt this natural area. Little is known about him except that he was hanged. Who he was or why he was hanged simply isn’t known.
- Next time you’re in Avella, make sure you take a drive down Shades of Death Road. It’s said to be one of the most haunted roads in Pittsburgh. The ominous-sounding road is said to be the unintended burial spot of a group of miners, who were trapped underground in a mining accident in the 1920s. Those who are brave enough to drive down Shades of Death Road at night tell of seeing shadows run in front of their cars and of hearing the anguished cries of the miners.
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