When a newspaper reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer traveled  to the remote mountain wilderness of Clinton County in 1890 in search  of a story, he discovered more than the rustic ways and quaint customs  of the backwoods hill people-- he discovered an unspeakable horror. It  was in Sugar Valley where the Inquirer reporter discovered  William Bierly, an elderly man, known to locals as a "raving lunatic",  who had been chained like a wild beast for 35 years and forced to live  inside a wooden pen.

When a newspaper reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer traveled  to the remote mountain wilderness of Clinton County in 1890 in search  of a story, he discovered more than the rustic ways and quaint customs  of the backwoods hill people-- he discovered an unspeakable horror. It  was in Sugar Valley where the Inquirer reporter discovered  William Bierly, an elderly man, known to locals as a "raving lunatic",  who had been chained like a wild beast for 35 years and forced to live  inside a wooden pen.

Unpunished murders have always been a blight on Schuylkill County, especially during the 1920s and 30s. In some cases the murderer was identified but eluded capture, disappearing into the night, never to be seen again. Other cases, such as the peculiar death of William Laughlin in 1930, remain unsolved to this day.

Laughlin, who worked as a confectioner at his father's candy shop in Centralia, disappeared after attending a boxing match at Lakewood Park. His nude body was discovered the following day in a most unusual place-- inside a fortune-telling booth near the entrance of a now-defunct amusement park. 

Unpunished murders have always been a blight on Schuylkill County, especially during the 1920s and 30s. In some cases the murderer was identified but eluded capture, disappearing into the night, never to be seen again. Other cases, such as the peculiar death of William Laughlin in 1930, remain unsolved to this day.

Laughlin, who worked as a confectioner at his father's candy shop in Centralia, disappeared after attending a boxing match at Lakewood Park. His nude body was discovered the following day in a most unusual place-- inside a fortune-telling booth near the entrance of a now-defunct amusement park. 

While many ghost stories are easily debunked or explained by natural phenomena, other stories-- such as the haunting of the Titus homestead in Luzerne County in early 20th century-- defy explanation and seem to provide irrefutable proof that the dead don't always stay in their graves.

While many ghost stories are easily debunked or explained by natural phenomena, other stories-- such as the haunting of the Titus homestead in Luzerne County in early 20th century-- defy explanation and seem to provide irrefutable proof that the dead don't always stay in their graves.

The quiet borough of Lykens in upper Dauphin County was thrust into the national spotlight in July of 1932 when Barney Godleski, an out-of-work miner,  inexplicably slaughtered three of his four children in the basement of his home on the 600 block of East Main Street.  Pennsylvania Oddities presents the true tale of this ghastly crime.

The quiet borough of Lykens in upper Dauphin County was thrust into the national spotlight in July of 1932 when Barney Godleski, an out-of-work miner,  inexplicably slaughtered three of his four children in the basement of his home on the 600 block of East Main Street.  Pennsylvania Oddities presents the true tale of this ghastly crime.