The story of a shadowy “black ghost” captivated the imagination of New Philadelphians.
For about two weeks in March 1914, a neighborhood in the city of New Philadelphia found itself captivated by an unlikely visitor. A mysterious “black ghost” was said to be wandering the neighborhood around Minnich Avenue. Residents discussed the appearance of a tall, dark figure clothed in black, that was witnessed between 10 pm and 2 am before vanishing. Most sightings were reported near Minnich Avenue and Fifth Street, and in the alley between Poplar and Park Streets. Those who claimed to have seen the ghost insisted it floated rather than walked and glided through dimly lit stretches before disappearing into the shadows.
Descriptions of the ghost varied little. Witnesses said it wore a black dress or cloak and black hat, and though it never threatened or harmed anyone, it inspired genuine fear. No one, it seemed, mustered the courage to approach it closely. Instead, residents claimed that they hurried home at the first glimpse, spreading accounts that only deepened the mystery. The regularity of the sightings and the number of witnesses gave the story an unsettling credibility.
Before long, the entire city was “going,” as one newspaper put it. Speculation flourished in barber shops, parlors, and homes. Some theories sounded plausible; others were dismissed as flights of imagination. Determined to uncover the truth, a group of high school boys mounted their own midnight investigation. They gathering one night on Minnich Avenue where they waited in eager anticipation for the disembodied soul to appear. But the ghost declined the invitation and the night passed without incident.
The police, too, took the matter seriously enough to patrol the neighborhood for three consecutive evenings in hopes of determining the cause of the sightings. Officers searched for evidence of a prankster or some rational explanation behind the mounting hysteria but ultimately they saw nothing. The elusive specter seemed to prefer solitary witnesses and fleeting glimpses, and refused to materialize when crowds assembled or authorities stood watch.
As the days passed without further confirmed appearances, public opinion began to shift. Rumors circulated that a local woman had been caught impersonating the “woman in black,” but police firmly denied the claim. Gradually, curiosity replaced alarm, and skepticism overtook belief. Whether the black ghost had slipped away, been frightened off by its own notoriety, or existed only in the imaginations of excited residents, no one could say. But for a few strange weeks in March 1914, the black ghost Minnich Avenue held the entire city spellbound.
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© Noel B. Poirier, 2025.
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