Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike

The Pennsylvania Turnpike was in fact a railroad before it became a highway. In the 1880s railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt began to build a railroad to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad. The new “South Pennsylvania Railroad” was to link the capitol city of Harrisburg and the industrial center of Pittsburgh 160 miles to the west. Initially ten tunnels were partially dug through the mountains of central Pennsylvania before the project was abandoned in 1885.

Nearly 50 years later in 1937, to make use of seven of the partially dug tunnels, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission turned the tunnels into a highway. In October of 1940 the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened, allowing a gateway of people to access roads to the west. On a daily basis, people began to travel through the Blue Mountain, Kittatinny Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, Sideling Hill, Rays Hill, Allegheny Mountain, and Laurel Hill. However, after 10 years of existence the highways became so overcrowded that traffic crawled to a halt on most days. The problem was that the tunnels were initially built for railroads and were built were too narrow for a highway. As such, the tunnels through the Blue, Kittatinny, Tuscarora, and Allegheny mountains were expanded through the “twinning” process, where a second, parallel, two-lane tunnel was created. The other tunnels were forgotten….abandoned. A bypass was build to avoid the 13 miles stretch of highway which still stands today and is visited by multiple tourists, including bikers.

Since being abandoned, multiple stories have emerged around hauntings of the tunnels. It was said that in the mid 1980’s gangs or occult groups would hide in the tunnels, waiting for bikers or hikers to attack. The groups then used these victims as sacrificial offerings. The most infamous of the tunnels being the Laurel Hill Tunnel. Today it is said that if you travel through the tunnels you will hear disembodied voices that echo. The tunnels will be icy cold as a result of the long lost spirits looking for a way out. Others talk about strange lights that can be seen within the tunnel as you approach. There is no electricity or power, yet lights, similar to flashlights can be seen shining within.

The tunnels are also said to be home to a Wendigo. Known as a half-man & half-beast creature from Native American folklore, the Algonquian tribe believed those who indulged in eating human flesh were transformed into a beast that would live forever. Thought to be one of many which exist in the US, it is believed to have come down from Canada and found refuge in the tunnels. Those who have seen the creature and lived say that it looks like a gaunt skeleton, covered in grey flesh and red eyes that peek out from the tunnels. It will forever roam the woods looking for its next meal.