Haunted places guide ยท Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
Haunted Places in Bethlehem, Allentown and Easton: 9 to Visit
A hotel room where a stranger asks why you are in his room, a colonial inn that hosted the Washingtons, and a theater whose ghost has an awards show named after him. These are the haunted places of Bethlehem, Allentown and Easton.
The Lehigh Valley’s ghost stories run from the Moravian founders of Bethlehem to the last public hanging in Pennsylvania, held on an island in the Delaware at Easton in 1833. We have checked every place below against current sources. Two are inns where you can stay the night, two hold their own paranormal events, and two can only be seen from a distance. Haunted Rooms does not run events in the Lehigh Valley itself; our nearest ghost hunts are listed below.
Bethlehem’s Sun Inn offers seasonal ghost and spirit tours, the Sayre Mansion and the George Taylor House in Catasauqua hold their own paranormal evenings, and Easton has seasonal walking tours that tell the story of Charles Getter. For a day trip, Hawk Mountain, home of the Schaumboch’s Tavern legend, is about 30 miles northwest of Allentown.
Open to the publicGhost toursParanormal investigations allowed
Address 564 Main St, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Where to look The third-floor attic, the second-floor windows and the dining rooms
Reported ghosts Hughetta Bender, a nurse named Elizabeth, a little girl in the attic
Visiting Self-guided museum, open during tavern hours
Tours Self-guided museum; private guided group tours; attic tours for private groups by request; seasonal ghost and spirit tours
Hours and season Tavern Wednesday to Saturday, 12 to 9 PM; the museum is open during restaurant hours
Ghost hunting The inn has hosted ghost hunting events; check the official site for current dates. No overnight stays
The Moravians built the Sun Inn on Main Street in 1758, and it took in travelers for two centuries before closing as a hotel in 1961. Its guest list reads like a roll call of the Revolution: George and Martha Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette. Hughetta Bender founded the Sun Inn Preservation Association in 1971 to save it. The restored stone building now holds a small museum, a colonial-style tavern and the Christmas City Spirits distillery.
Paranormal groups have investigated here since at least 2009. The best-known story is that Hughetta Bender, who died in 1995, still keeps an eye on her inn: a board member said one group’s photo of a gray-haired woman in an apron at a second-floor window looked just like her. Investigators also tell of Elizabeth, a nurse said to have died at the inn in 1897, and a little girl heard giggling in the attic. Ghost Hunters featured the inn in 2011. None of it is proven, but the inn happily embraces it.
What investigators report
One investigation team reported their flashlights cutting out during an EVP session in the second-floor fireplace room, and a shape breaking a laser grid set up in the attic.
Haunted Rooms tip: The museum is open during tavern hours (Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 9 PM), so pair a self-guided look around with dinner, and ask about the attic tours offered to private groups.
Open to the publicParanormal investigations allowedOvernight investigations
Address 250 Wyandotte St, Bethlehem, PA 18015
Where to look The mirror in Room 23, Room 32 and the old wine cellar
Reported ghosts A woman's reflection in the Room 23 mirror, playful child spirits, Robert Sayre
Visiting A working inn: stay the night or book one of its events
Ghost hunting Yes: the inn holds its own Paranormal Experience events (the first was on October 31, 2021)
Robert H. Sayre, chief engineer of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and a founder of the Bethlehem Iron Company that became Bethlehem Steel, built this Gothic Revival mansion on Fountain Hill in 1858 and lived here until his death in 1907. He married four times and raised a large family here; the inn says six of the Sayre children died in the house. It later became a fraternity house and then apartments, was nearly demolished, and reopened in 1993 as an inn with 23 rooms.
Staff and guests describe playful rather than frightening spirits: tugs on clothing, televisions switching off, and small objects vanishing and turning up across the room. The best-known story is a woman’s reflection in the mirror of Room 23, often said to be one of Sayre’s wives, while guests in Room 32 report shadowy figures, cold spots and sheets being pulled. Ghost Hunters filmed an episode here, “The Sayre Specters,” in 2022, and the inn now runs its own paranormal evenings.
What investigators report
Paranormal nights here have included a midnight investigation in the home’s original wine cellar, and staff and guests also point to Room 23 and Robert Sayre’s first-floor suite.
Haunted Rooms tip: Book Room 23 if you want the mirror story, and watch the inn’s events page for its Paranormal Experience nights, which have included investigations in the old wine cellar.
Where to look The attic, the summer kitchen window and the parlors
Reported ghosts A woman in 18th-century dress at the summer kitchen window
Visiting Open for tours on set days and for events
Tours Third Saturday of the month, April to October, 12 to 4 PM; private and group tours by request
Tickets $10 donation; military and children under 12 free
Ghost hunting Yes: the house’s Paranormal Committee runs ticketed public investigations through the year
George Taylor, an ironmaster who signed the Declaration of Independence, built this Georgian stone house above the Lehigh River in 1768, though he moved away within a few years and sold the estate in 1776. Around 1890 a silk company built a mill right in front of it, and the house decayed until the Lehigh County Historical Society rescued it in 1945. It is a National Historic Landmark, owned by the Borough of Catasauqua since 2009 and cared for by the volunteer George Taylor House Association.
Volunteers and visitors describe knocks, footsteps, a grandfather clock sounding, chandeliers swinging and electric candles switching on by themselves, and several people say they have seen a woman in 18th-century clothes in the window of the summer kitchen. The association’s leaders call the attic a hotspot, but nobody claims to know who the spirits are. Ghost Hunters featured the house in 2023 in an episode called “Unholy Matrimony,” and the house now runs its own public paranormal events.
What investigators report
Public investigation groups report setting laser grids and cat ball toys in the basement and asking questions aimed at the house’s three reported spirits, with guests reporting being touched in the attic stairwell and on the second-floor landing.
Haunted Rooms tip: Come to a third-Saturday open house (April to October, noon to 4 PM) for the history, then book one of the Paranormal Committee’s ticketed evening investigations.
Where to look Room 932, the lobby and the Mezzanine
Reported ghosts May Yohe, Francis 'Daddy' Thomas, the Brongs
Visiting A working hotel; lobby and restaurants open to the public
Ghost hunting No organised ghost hunts; stay the night instead
Hotel Bethlehem stands on Main Street on the site of the first house built in Bethlehem, and it is one of the best-known haunted hotels in Pennsylvania. Guests and staff tell of singer May Yohe, said to have been born on this site, of a tour guide called Francis ‘Daddy’ Thomas, and of the Brong family who ran an earlier hotel here.
Room 932 has the strongest reputation, with stories of lights switching on and off, faces in the mirror and a man asking guests why they are in his room. You can book a room and stay, which is the only way to try for yourself. Our hotel guide has the full story and booking details.
What investigators report
Room 932 is the hotel’s most requested room, and the hotel says a paranormal investigator recorded voices there in 2007 saying “It’s Mary” and “Look out the window!”
Where to look The back of the auditorium, the stage and the boxes
Reported ghosts Fred, said to be manager J. Fred Osterstock
Visiting Open for performances
Hours and season Box office Tuesday to Friday 10 AM to 4 PM, and two hours before shows
Tickets Per show, through the official site
Ghost hunting No public ghost hunts; see a show instead
The theater keeps the granite front of an older bank: the theater dates it to the Northampton National Bank of 1873, while the Society of Architectural Historians credits an 1896 bank by Hazelhurst and Huckel. A small vaudeville house went in behind it in 1910, and in 1925 Philadelphia architect William H. Lee designed the larger, Spanish-inspired State, which opened in 1926. Saved from demolition by the Friends of the State Theatre in 1981, it is now a 1,500-seat nonprofit arts center on the National Register.
Its ghost has a name. Staff call him Fred, after J. Fred Osterstock, who managed the company that owned the theater from 1936 and lived in an office off the foyer after a 1955 flood; he died on October 20, 1957. Since the 1970s maintenance workers and board members have described about ten sightings of a man at the back of the empty auditorium, and historian Ken Klabunde, who saw someone walk off the empty stage, later recognized him in a photo of Osterstock. The theater named its FREDDY Awards for student theater after him.
What investigators report
Staff talk to the resident ghost, Fred, by name, and say he is friendly unless a show mistreats the theatre and crew, when touring acts’ equipment reportedly stops working. Look out for stray pennies and cigar smoke, which staff link to him.
Haunted Rooms tip: Buy a ticket to any show and glance up at the boxes before the lights go down: one reported sighting was a figure sitting in an empty box.
Where to look The stacks, the desks and the grounds over the old vault
Reported ghosts Unnamed spirits linked to the old German Reformed burial ground
Visiting A working public library, open during library hours
Ghost hunting No
Easton’s Carnegie library building went up in 1903 on part of the German Reformed burial ground, one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. Removals began in 1901: families claimed some remains for reburial at Easton Cemetery and Easton Heights, and unclaimed remains went into the cemetery’s old vault. When the library added a wing in 1966, workers moved more exposed remains into that vault, and local accounts say the spot was later paved over beside the building.
The ghost stories started almost at once. In July 1903 a newspaper item reported strange lights and ghosts in the new library. Decades later librarians told The Morning Call of filing cabinets and desk drawers opening and slamming on their own, and books are said to fly off the shelves. Nobody has named a particular ghost, and this is a busy public library, so come to browse quietly rather than to investigate.
Haunted Rooms tip: Visit during normal opening hours and ask about the old burial ground in the library’s local history collection; this is a working library, so no ghost hunting.
Visiting a haunted place by day is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through a historic building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and vigils, and gives you time to explore on your own. These are the nearest ones we run.
Where to look The island's shore at night, seen from the riverbank
Reported ghosts Charles Getter, hanged on the island in 1833
Visiting Private island; seen from the riverbank only
Ghost hunting No: private property
This small wooded island in the Delaware River, about 5.7 acres, is where Pennsylvania held its last public execution. Charles Getter, a farmhand, was convicted of murdering his wife, Margaret Lawall, and in 1833 his hanging was moved from Easton’s Centre Square to the island to handle a crowd estimated at 15,000 to 20,000. The first attempt failed and he was hanged a second time. A reporter’s disgust at the crowd helped bring a state law banning public executions in April 1834.
Local lore says Getter never left. Boaters tell of a man shouting from the trees and of a figure carrying a small lantern along the shore at night. There is no named witness behind these stories, so treat them as Easton legend. The island is privately owned and has been put up for sale several times since 2018. Do not try to land on it; you can see it from the riverbank near downtown Easton.
Haunted Rooms tip: See the island from the riverbank in daylight. It is private land, so stay off it.
Address Hawk Mountain Rd, Albany Township, Berks County, PA
Where to look The stone tavern, seen from Hawk Mountain Road
Reported ghosts Matthias Schambacher and the travelers he is said to have killed
Visiting Private residence for sanctuary staff; seen from Hawk Mountain Road
Ghost hunting No: private residence
Jacob Gerhart built this small sandstone tavern on a ridge of the Blue Mountain around 1793, near the site of a deadly 1756 raid during the French and Indian War. In the mid-1800s Matthias Schambacher ran it for travelers, and it carries his name, usually spelled Schaumboch. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary bought it in 1938 to house staff, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Its legend is one of the darkest in Pennsylvania: that Schambacher murdered at least 11 travelers and peddlers, sold their goods and confessed on his deathbed. Records show he was never charged with any crime, and a historian who has researched the story admits much of it is a tall tale. Tales of screams from the barn and a whispering evil in the mountain still circulate. The tavern is a private staff residence, so see it only from the road.
Haunted Rooms tip: Pair a daytime hike at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary with a look at the tavern from Hawk Mountain Road, about a quarter mile east of the sanctuary entrance. Do not approach the house.
Address 2825 Fish Hatchery Rd, Allentown, PA 18103
Where to look The library and the old farmhouse rooms
Reported ghosts The Bieber couple, a young girl carrying flowers
Visiting Guided tours, Friday to Sunday
Hours and season Friday to Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM; closed major holidays
Ghost hunting No paranormal events are advertised
This museum of Native American history and culture opened in 1980 in a Pennsylvania German stone farmhouse and spring house that the Bieber family built around 1750, in Allentown’s Little Lehigh Parkway. It began as the Lenni Lenape Historical Society’s museum and took its current name in 2005. It is open Friday to Sunday with guided tours, and runs festivals, craft workshops and lectures through the year.
The ghost stories come from staff and visitors quoted by local media and the regional tourism office: swinging doors, knocking in the library, a young girl carrying flowers, and the farmhouse’s old owners, Charles and Sarah Bieber, still about the place. The museum does not run ghost tours, and its focus is Native history and culture, so come for the collections and treat the stories as local lore.
Haunted Rooms tip: Visit Friday to Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM, when every tour is guided, then walk the parkway trail along the creek.
These places appear in older lists of haunted spots. We keep them here so you know the facts before you go, but you cannot (or should not) visit them.
The King George Inn, Cedar Crest and Hamilton boulevards, South Whitehall Township
This stone inn dates from the 1750s and ran as a restaurant for 42 years before it closed in August 2012. Former staff and guests told of Charlie, said to have hanged himself on the upstairs staircase, of a small child and a woman carrying a child, and of crying near the basement. The building has stood empty since, and a redevelopment plan approved in 2020 was still working through township conditions in late 2022. It is private property.
How we built this guide: this is a new page. We left out restaurants and bars that appear on haunted lists with no detail behind them, and we moved the closed King George Inn to the off-limits list. Where a legend is contradicted by the record, as with the murders at Schaumboch’s Tavern, we say so.
Visited one of these places? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from visitors and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your visit. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most haunted place in the Lehigh Valley?
Room 932 at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem has the strongest reputation, with stories of a man standing by the bed and faces in the mirror. For places you can visit by day, the 1758 Sun Inn and Easton’s State Theatre, home of the ghost known as Fred, have the best-told stories.
Can you stay overnight in a haunted hotel in Bethlehem?
Yes. You can book Hotel Bethlehem, where Room 932 is the one to ask for, or the Sayre Mansion, where guests watch the mirror in Room 23 and the inn holds its own Paranormal Experience nights. See our Hotel Bethlehem guide.
Who is the ghost at the State Theatre in Easton?
Staff call him Fred, after J. Fred Osterstock, who ran the company that owned the theater from 1936 and died in 1957. Workers and board members have reported a man at the back of the empty theater since the 1970s, and the theater named its FREDDY Awards after him.
Can you visit Getter's Island?
No. The island where Charles Getter was hanged in 1833 is private property. You can see it from the riverbank near downtown Easton.
Where can I go ghost hunting in the Lehigh Valley?
The George Taylor House in Catasauqua runs ticketed public investigations, and the Sayre Mansion in Bethlehem holds paranormal evenings. Haunted Rooms’ nearest ghost hunt is at Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia.
Is the King George Inn still open?
No. The colonial inn in South Whitehall Township closed in August 2012 and has been empty since, awaiting redevelopment. It is private property.
Sources and how we research
Every place in this guide is checked against its official website, historic register listings and news coverage, and we confirm whether it is open, closed, private or gone before we list it. Ghost stories are reported as staff, visitors and local historians tell them; we say so where records contradict a story. Each place shows how many independent sources we checked it against; our own Haunted Rooms pages are not counted.
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every place in our guides using official sites, historic registers, local archives and news coverage, and we report ghost stories as the stories they are. We review each guide regularly so you are not sent to a place that has closed, changed hands or banned visitors. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
