Uncover the secrets of why the dead still wander the streets of Philly in a city stained with tragedy, death, and the souls of heroes and villains.
What Will I See?
Death and Destruction Birth a Nation
Once America’s Capitol, history is engrained into the foundations of every building in Philadelphia. The footsteps and fingerprints of founding fathers are everywhere in this city, but that’s not all that hauntingly chills the air. Ghosts of men and women who invested their lives into founding the land of the free are trapped in Philadelphia, tethered to their final resting place with seemingly no relief to their misery.
Beneath Philadelphia is a well of deep, dark history, and within the city walk the souls of the tortured, the insane, and the condemned. Philadelphia’s place in history has solidified its status as one of the most haunted cities in America, and Philly Ghosts invites you to unlock the horror that’s plagued the city from its inception.
Historical Figures Own The Philadelphia Night
Philadelphia is home to legends of American history, and their spirits remind the residents at every opportunity. Uncover Independence Hall, a building with a name dedicated to the proclaimed concept of freedom that also happens to be a prison for the souls of some of the country’s most prominent figures.
Benjamin Franklin is said to have never left the City of Brotherly Love as there have been several reports of bone-chilling encounters with his ghost. Locals and tourists alike claim to have witnessed his apparition mulling over the Declaration of Independence, emitting a musty smell that is now believed to signal his presence.
Of course, Mr. Franklin is not alone. The disgruntled ghost and foe of Benjamin Franklin, Benedict Arnold is seemingly condemned to the building where he’s forced to share with his enemy. Though his apparition stays far away from Ben Franklin, it’s believed he continues to seek revenge for his expulsion, terrorizing anyone who comes in contact with his dark and brooding specter.
The Deadly Price of a Revolution
Breaking free and establishing a new society came with a hefty price: Alexander Hamilton’s life. Hamilton’s backing of Thomas Jefferson and his rising star in politics created deep jealousy in his opponents, especially that of Aaron Burr. Their famous duel would be one that would go down in history as it would end Hamilton’s life during a time when he was creating one of America’s most important institutions.
Visit the First Bank of the United States, the nation’s first financial institution that Hamilton left behind along with a substantial amount of debt his widow would incur. His political career and devastating death would make him a legend, but it’s his spirit that continues to leave its foreboding mark on the bank.
Experience the creepy chills and unsettling sensations that former employees experienced as you hear terrifying tales of the mischievous and unnerving acts committed by Hamilton’s very active and angry ghost. Stories of clerks being constantly disturbed, files going missing or rifled through, and numerous accounts of feeling watched are just a few of Hamilton’s taunts that you’ll hear during your Philly Ghosts tour.
Why is Philidelphia so Haunted?
The Curse of the Liberty Bell
It’s hard to believe that such a poignant symbol of freedom is also one of the most cursed artifacts in America. Commissioned and made by the British who opposed the colony’s quest for freedom, the bell cracked almost immediately after arriving in Philadelphia. It’s believed that the Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London sent a terribly crafted bell, and cursed it to ensure it would never work properly.
Repairs on the bell would prove futile and the curse placed upon the bell would not only remain but would gain strength. Just months before the attacks on September 11th, 2001, a Park Ranger in training to care for the Liberty Bell felt compelled to attack the bell with a sledgehammer. It’s believed he went mad, becoming another casualty of the curse. His possessed state would result in jail time and thousands of dollars in fines.
The 26-year-old was not the only victim of the Liberty Bell. For centuries before this occurrence, the bell worked its dark magic on the residents of Philadelphia, causing them to experience bouts of insanity upon hearing it ring. This may be a national treasure and an iconic symbol, but we recommend not lingering around this historic bell for too long, or you, too, might go mad with a lust for destruction.
Why Philadelphia’s History Won’t Stay in The Past
Status and wealth may have afforded some a luxurious lifestyle in the 18th century, but nothing would keep them from facing the painful and grisly deaths that hundreds of thousands of people would succumb to. Venture to the Bishop White House, a home that would become a house of death during the Yellow Fever epidemic, and turn into a house of tortured souls after.
A chaplain to the Second Constitutional Convention and the U.S. Senate, Bishop White had his house built between the two churches that he served yet its ideal location would not protect the home from impending doom. Hear the horrifying tales of the unimaginable pain and suffering experienced within the four walls and the sorrowful spirits who remain. Nearly all of Bishop’s family, including five of his children, would perish in the home from disturbingly abhorrent conditions while his coachman would succumb to Yellow Fever in his own home, just behind Bishop White’s.
Shadows and silhouettes are frequently seen in the windows of the home and make their presence known to visitors by filling them with a sense of uneasiness and dread. The apparitions are reportedly so unnerving that Rangers are apprehensive to enter the house at night, petrified of what they might see. Join Philly Ghosts to uncover the darkness of one of the most haunted locations in Independence Parks.
What’s So Special About The Philly Ghosts Tour?
See a Darker Side of This Historic City
The history behind the establishment of our nation and its casualties is one that is known to many but it’s the stories behind the history that are known to few yet ones that have littered the streets with the tears and agony of those who suffered behind the scenes. Loneliness, despair, and sadness linger in every corner of Philadelphia. Here, the dead don’t rest and Washington Square Park is where so many of them roam.
Ghosts of war, disease, and turmoil still wander the area, forever locked in the trauma of their deaths. Discover the blood-curdling backstories of the original site for a graveyard designated for criminals, the poor, and the forgotten, and learn how unforgiving spirits and their unrelenting hauntings stalk the residents of the Cradle of Liberty. The souls of those ruthlessly disposed of, some in nothing more than a canvas cloth, have yet to find peace and are determined to ensure those who visit the park don’t find it either.
Experience a Once-in-a-Lifetime Look at The True Soul of Philadelphia
Mystery fills the air as you stroll through a darkened historic and haunted Philadelphia. Chills will creep down your spine as you hear the tragic stories of the dead, like that of Elizabeth Physick, wife of the “Father of American Surgery”, Phillip Physick. A man of science, Phillip had no interest in dealing with his wife who suffered from mental and behavioral issues.
In the midst of a divorce, Dr. Physick’s solution was to medicate her on opium, rendering her incompetent and leaving her to wander aimlessly in their backyard and sit next to her favorite tree for hours. The callousness of Dr. Physick’s, however, would strip her of all that she had left. Uncover the Hill-Physick House and the disturbing ordeal that led to the death of Elizabeth.
Today, Elizabeth still makes appearances in the home, looking angry and sinister, possibly in search of the man who had a hand in her demise so many years ago. Though terrifying enough, the former Mrs. Physick is not alone in the home. Hear the unsettling stories of an old witch that terrorized the area in life and long after her death. And if we stay long enough, you just may hear her shrieks too.
Be a Part of a Like-Minded Ghostly Community
In Philadelphia, American heroes like Ben Franklin still stalk the hallways of national historic buildings. Cursed symbols of freedom wait to target their next soul. Ghosts of epidemic victims roam stately mansions, still suffering from a fever that took their lives so long ago. The past never really died in Philadelphia.
Embark on an investigation into the depths of Philadelphia’s dark past and discover hair-raising stories of America’s founders doomed to restlessly roam Philadelphia’s streets forever. The city is rife with the persecuted souls of a burgeoning time that was just as dark and demented as it was promising.
The dead have yet to forget their unfortunate plights, and they’re determined to not let us forget either.