HALLOWEEN TRAINS & OTHER SPOOKY STORIES IN LANCASTER, PA

Strasburg Rail Road is best known for its steam-powered train rides through Lancaster’s scenic farmland, but did you know the train route passes right by the county’s oldest graveyard? 

Most passengers rarely think twice about passing Carpenter’s Cemetery during the day. But at night, as the daylight slips away aboard the Halloween train, there’s something rather unsettling about passing through. 

Maybe it’s just the darkness, but maybe it’s something more. Something eerier. Something inexplicable that can only be felt. After all, it is the oldest cemetery in Lancaster County… who knows what restless souls come out to play at night?

Find out on Strasburg Rail Road’s exclusive Halloween Train experience. Book your tickets to the Haunted Rails and Tales to embark on a frightful journey through the centuries-old graveyard. On board, you’ll hear the stories of local legends — like Marie Ferree — as their spooky history comes to life. 

All regular train events are a 45-minute round-trip, but this haunted experience is a full hour long. A preboarding show will begin promptly at 6:15 PM. Ticket holders are encouraged to arrive several minutes prior to find their seats before the pre-boarding show commences. 

Choose between coach seats, with tickets starting at $50, or first-class dining arrangements, with tickets starting at $70.

Who Was Marie Ferree?

Marie was one of the town’s first settlers, whose body was laid to rest behind the gates of the Carpenter Cemetery. She and her family were French Huguenots, who were forced to flee France in the 1700s to avoid religious persecution. 

Thanks to the help of William Penn, Marie’s family and a small group of followers were granted “an audience” (formal meeting) with Queen Anne, who approved their boat to America.

Her family was granted 2 ½ miles of local land, which she called “Paradise.” Sadly, just 4 years into paradise-living, Marie Ferree passed away. She was the first person to be buried in the cemetery that sits beyond Carpenter’s Crossing, making her grave site one of the oldest in Lancaster County. 

(if we can insert a pic of the Gonder mansion here, I think that would be cool! I can reach out to someone via social to find one)

Other Spooky Stories & Historical Landmarks in Strasburg, PA

The story of Marie Ferree might not be inherently scary, but have you heard the folklore about Annie Gonder? She’s rumored to haunt the halls of the Gonder Mansion on West Main Street.

The Gonder Mansion was built in the early 1900s by local railroad tycoon, Benjamin “BB” Gonder. In 1903, he bought a plot of land on West Main Street where one of Strasburg’s oldest buildings (at the time) sat. Despite its history, BB considered it to be an eyesore and quickly scheduled its demolition. 

When the site was empty, BB and his crew of carpenters got to work on the construction of the luxurious, Victorian-style mansion that still sits there today. 

As the mansion was being built, BB, his wife, their 2 kids, and his sister Annie all lived in a house just across the street. It was a tiny, but temporary, home. And for 2 years, they had a front-row seat to monitor the progress of their new house from the comfort of their current one.

When the mansion was finally finished in the Spring of 1905, Annie was ecstatic to move in with the rest of her family! That excitement quickly deflated when she learned she was not welcome in their new home. 

According to the rumor mill at the time, Annie was “simple-minded” and awkward— a fact that BB’s wife, Mary, found embarrassing. Whatever the reason, Annie was barred from entering the mansion. 

Instead, she continued living across the street in their old home, peering out the window and watching her family for hours. Eventually, she claimed to see faces in the stucco, which she believed was her sister-in-law’s way of mocking her.

Fast forward a decade to 1916, BB suffered a heart attack and passed away, which only worsened Annie’s sadness. He was buried in the Strasburg Cemetery on a plot reserved for him and the rest of their family.

Just 2 years later, Annie’s despair grew heavy, and she eventually took her own life. Mary arranged for Annie to be buried far away from her brother, on the far left of their family’s plot. She even had the tombstone positioned to face away from the rest of the family. 

After her death, several men — and oddly, only men — have reported hearing the cackling, shrill laugh of a woman echo through the halls of the mansion. Some even claim to have caught a glimpse of a “ghostly woman” moving about the house. 

Local legend says that Annie returned to the mansion in her afterlife as the ultimate revenge for being shunned when she was alive. 

And not only the mansion, some say she even haunts the grounds of the Strasburg Cemetery — just 3 minutes away from the railroad station!

 If you’re looking for the ultimate Halloween railway adventure, look no further than Strasburg Rail Road. Save yourself seats on the spooky train now.