Academia Girl’s School is the ruins of an 1800s building destroyed by fire. Many legends surround the place, including that a gardener set the fire to cover his tracks after raping and killing many students. Another says the girls at the school all died of a mysterious illness. The ghosts of the students are said to remain on the property, sometimes crying or singing “London Bridge.” The apparition of their alleged murderer reportedly sits on a nearby church’s steps in all black. Other rumors surrounding the eerie area include a phantom black hound, a force that mysteriously drains car batteries, and a curse on the land.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- Academia Road
Academia, PA
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 40.49667165831308, -77.4876946807126
- County:
- Juniata County, Pennsylvania
- Nearest Towns:
- Port Royal, PA (5.9 mi.)
Mifflin, PA (6.7 mi.)
Mifflintown, PA (6.9 mi.)
Mexico, PA (7.6 mi.)
Juniata Terrace, PA (7.8 mi.)
Granville, PA (8.2 mi.)
Lewistown, PA (8.3 mi.)
Maitland, PA (9.3 mi.)
Highland Park, PA (9.6 mi.)
Longfellow, PA (9.8 mi.)
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
I was here with a bunch of my friends years ago. When we went there I saw one of the girls and she talked to me and told me how she died. She said she ended up getting sick and so did her roommate. Then there was a big fire and they could not get out of their beds because they were so sick. There is a guy that sits on the church steps in black. He is crying because he feels so bad. The reason is he tried to save the girls but the fire was too bad for him to get them all out. He got a few of them out but not a lot. There is a black dog there but when he was alive he protected the girls when they were outside playing. The dog still thinks he has to protect the girls. Plus there is an evil force there. Our cars started right away. The girls waved by to us.
Jennifer is there any way I could contact you ?
I’m local to the academia area, and I’ve been to this so called “haunted” girls school several times. I’ve never seen, heard, or felt anything abnormal. Overall a great historical location and I’ve never seen a dark figure in the church steps either haha.
I was here many times in the mid to late 90’s.I believed that I saw and heard several strange things there. I’m much older and skeptical of my teenage self these days. It definitely lost its spookiness as the building deteriorated over the years.
In the early 90’s we drove there at night with several friends and parked in the back of the cemetery. We didnt get out of our vehicle, but we observed a strange light in the run down building. Close to that time our radio went all static and weird. The girls we were with started panicking and decided to leave and about this time our vehicle quit running and we had trouble getting it to start… Finally starting, we got out of there in a hurry….
I ask: does the academy still exist or are only the ruins? a documentary is being filmed.
The building is no longer there I believe it is just the foundation/property been along while since I’ve been up that way.
They rebuilt a new home on the property, you’d never know it existed! Rumor has it they moved out already and it might be selling!
What’s left of this place I’d like to go see what’s there and if there is anything
This is a totally bogus story regarding this place. Having lived in the area all my life and spending many days in said church and ruins, I frankly am disgusted at your attempt to make this place to be something that is not accurate.
The place was sold and torn down roughly 20 years ago. A new house was built on the site at that time.