There isn’t an American alive who doesn’t know the story of Valley Forge and the deprivations and hardships the Continental army suffered there. Although no physical battle was fought here, the battle against low morale, the elements, and hunger was a fierce one and many believe that those who lost that fight still remain. Visitors to the park claim to have seen men in army dress and some have reported what appears to be a man hanging from a tree.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- Valley Forge, PA
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 40.0999376970109, -75.44577598728029
- County:
- Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
- Nearest Towns:
- Chesterbrook, PA (1.8 mi.)
Audubon, PA (2.1 mi.)
King of Prussia, PA (2.7 mi.)
Devon, PA (3.6 mi.)
Berwyn, PA (3.8 mi.)
West Norriton, PA (4.1 mi.)
Trooper, PA (4.2 mi.)
Phoenixville, PA (4.2 mi.)
Paoli, PA (4.3 mi.)
Eagleville, PA (4.6 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.
it’s really hard to get permission to spend the night at the park but I’m friends with several rangers who’ve said there have been some very weird things that happened here. Officially only 1 man is buried at the site but
to finish nmy thought, unofficially there are several peopel burried in unknown spots, revolutionary soldiers who didn’t want to leave their comrades for the hospitals and so died and were burried quietly, their unmarked bodies later fonud and reburried when farmers returned. so even without centuries of peoplel iving there, there is certainly cause for hauntings with bodies in unhallowed ground.
Hi paul I see your post was 2014 so I hope your still on the forum. My husband just told me a story he experienced back in the 70s. He n his family visited valley forge, no reenactment or special events… he n his sisters walked into a cabin and he said he saw a man dressed as a soldier, sitting on the bed. He didn’t get up , just told the story of what it was like there. They were surprised to see him because the other cabins didn’t have anyone in them. They left, walked about 10 feet n told his parents, they returned and he was gone. Just wondering if you heard of any other experiences like this. My husband said he was probably 7 or 8 at the time. I said it could be a ghost or a vivid dream after they visited.. thanks !
I’ve heard a lot of stories of people seeing people in period costume, even some where they glared at ‘modern’ people but none where they interacted to tat extent.
I always loved visiting valley forge I always thought It was a fansnating place to visit but one day in the middle of a fall day we decided to go to the park to visit and see the sites. The tour was fine we gotten there fine and we toured the battle field but the tour turned scary at the end. What I mean is this the bunkers is what I am so terrified of the smell of death and the smell of the old cabin and bunkers has you creepy. I took my kids and I at that time I had a 10 year old and a 6 year old with me we decided to go into the bunkers be to see what it was like to be a solider in the bunker the smell took your breath away I was like oh okay it is the antique smell of the cabin. Well the community decided to crave their names into the frame of the door way so my kids wanted to do it to so I said okay. Well they craved their names as well as they could with the mortal rock that was sitting on the ground it was a sharp rock the visitors gave it to my kids as they walked out so the girls craved their names. The feeling of someone breathing on you was the un nerving feeling the girls looked at me and said I do not feel right mom lets go I said no lets carve our names so the youngest ran to the car and the oldest kid and I craved our name well we felt someone whispering in our ear no. I freaked out and ran out of the cabin bunker I literally fell over my own feet running I was not laughing I felt weak . well I ran into the park ranger earlier that day and told him what I felt we walked back to the bunker and we seen nothing he said are you sure that was what you felt I said yes he told me okay it was probably nothing and he walked away . well I was like okay lets move on to the next site of the park we came up to a row of cabins and bunkers and we looked the feeling of each of the bunkers was creeper then the next I felt like someone was following me I told the girls to stay with me I felt the temperature of the weather around me drop instead of it being a warm day it was a cool day . I looked at the girls and said okay lets go to the car we went to the car and we heard a cough we turned around to see no one. then I was looking into the woods to see a deer we thought awe how cute and we took a pic . well the picture turned out to be a shadow figure I was like omg this turned into a interesting trip for sure . the camera battery was flickering off and on so the pic I took was of a shadow figure that was standing near the deer and it was dressed in full dress. I was scared my chest felt like it dropped I was so clammy and scared . my body temp was on the rise my hair latterly stand up on end. I sensed something was scary about this place. you know when you feel uncomfortable and I felt it at that time and at that place at valley forge the scariest place in valley forge was the bunkers the smell of death filled the room . the smell of rot and the smell of mold in the air gave you the creepiest feeling on end . it basically turns your stomach and the fear of it all the death of the forge is the scariest thing ever . George Washington’s cabin was not that creepy but the soldiers cabin was creepy and the dampness of the cabins is making them stay they have unfinished business for sure and the last time I visited I felt it for sure …. I rather not visit again my experience there was the scariest ever my skin was crawling after I left that place . I had this feeling there was a lot of sickness and illness and I felt sad when I left the feeling of illness came over me my skin was pale by the time I left the forge . Valley forge is the prettiest place ever but it holds the scariest things ever with in the cabin walls. All the cabins and bunkers had this happen.
A few paragraphs will make your entry easier to read but there are a few points I’m not clear on.
1) what do you mean by ‘bunkers’ ? There are no bunkers at Valley forge. There was no battle here, not a single shot fired in anger , there are some old earth works that are all that remain of the fortifications built in the winter of 1777-8 but they are not open to the public.and are not roofed over to ‘look in” They are open to the sky and built on high ground so if you entered one you would be on the top of an open area.
2) The cabins here (I work across the street from the park) are all reconstructions made in the 1970’s. They are made of wood and cement in place of waddle and daub. The soil underfood it the dark clay typical of the region.
3)While there are some plaques errected to note which units were there ‘men of New York” Men of New Hampshire” etc there are not individual names and peopel are neither encouraged nor permitted to vandalize the cabins by etching your name into them.
4) could you post the shadow pic for us to share?
“Bumping” this thread because I just discovered it recently …
I think what you’re calling a “bunker” is actually a redoubt, pronounced REEdowt. Redoubts are small fortifications that served as first-line defenses against attack. They weren’t heavily armored, but were self-contained bastions for groups of soldiers who provided cover for a larger fort or other installation.
And yes, I do have to agree with Paul – a few paragraphs and some spelling checks would make the post a LOT easier to read 🙂
So I have just been informed of a supposed well in the middle of the woods that no one has been able to come close to before something prevents them from touching the well. What information do you have on the subject matter.
never heard of this or encountered any such story. Beyond stands of trees on various hills, there are three areas of dense woods in the park, Mount Joy and Mount Misery are well covered by hiking trails. The other area is a bit more dangerous and might have something.. it it the strip along the banks of the Schuylkill river from where it Passes under rt 422 to just before Washington’s headquarters. this area is densely wooded but with trees only about 40-50 years old. There are few if any trails here and I’ve found some odd standing stones there that imply much larger constructions at an earlier time. probably when the area was more industrialized at the end of the 19th century.
To f/u on above. I spent a day hiking the area at valley forge. before starting i asked at the ranger station about any old wells in the woods. I did not say ‘haunted’ or creepy just old land marks. they knew of none. the area had been farm land before it was industrialized before it became a park, and some of the farms have spring houses (the water table is very high here) but nothing about old/abandoned wells. i was not able to encounter any either.
Well I had no idea Valley Forge park might be haunted. I’ve taken walks numerous times alone and with others. Never have I felt or seen anything out of the ordinary. Until a couple weeks ago…
I went out for a hike alone. I was using the regular path around the park. I noticed a grassy path with old cottages that cut through the park. It looked well treaded so I decided to explore. I hadn’t seen anything while I was taking photos (a hobby I started recently). It did feel eerie. I only passed a couple hikers. I did lose my way and heard something following me by the sound of leaves rustling. When I looked at my photos I was surprised to see strange fog images in pne of the cottage rooms and a shadow figure standing on the path that I took. Only my camera picked it up. I will be more aware now during my visits. It was a surprise but not in a scary way.
Rosemarie, can I ask where you were hiking? you might have noticed it’s my ‘haunt.’ heck I work across the street, and would love to f/u with it.
Paul, I turned off the main track. I think it was not far past the George Washington chapel, on the other side. There is a driveway that does down a steep hill to one of the old colonial houses. There is a white barn/storage house to the right. Then there is a grassy path that cuts across the field. Hope that helps. I don’t know the name of the houses.
Ok, I know it, It dosn’t get a lot of traffic because the steep hill discourages people going down there, I’ll have to pay more attention to it.
I grew up in a big old house in VF, a bed & breakfast called “Mountain View Tourists” it has been a park ranger barracks since the 70’s. When I was about 15 I saw the ghost of a young boy in the 2nd floor hallway, he was leaning in the doorway to the 3rd floor. This ghost looked solid, like a normal boy. He was making eye contact with me as I turned toward him. He vanished as I asked him “What are you doing here”? I thought he was one of the neighbor kids that my mother babysat. This was in the summer of 1970, the boy/ghost was wearing corduroy and flannel. He had brown eyes and dark brown hair, no particular expression, like he was waiting to use the bathroom which at that moment was occupied by my mother. I was traumatized and in a state of shock when my mother found me downstairs doing the dishes (I was at the bathroom door to ask her if I could do them in the morning). I only saw him that one time.
This photo is of the back of the house, taken in late summer 2015. The house is on a hill and faces Valley Forge Road with the park to it’s left near the bridge and Gulph Road. It is impossible to take a picture of the front of the house without trespassing or causing a traffic jam on busy Rt 23.
My kids and I were visiting the George Washington headquarters and made our way up to the attic area with the gate that keeps visitors out. My daughter mentioned that she felt cold, didn’t like it and wanted to leave. I promised we would shortly and put my hands through the rungs, with my fully charged camera to take a photo. I took three shots and the camera suddenly died. Disappointed, we left building and I tried my camera again. Not only did it work fine, but showed as fully charged. When I went through the photos I’d taken, the second photo of the three I’d taken in the attic had a huge orb smack in the middle. Neither of the other two shared the same anomoly.
My husband and I visited Valley Forge on July 4th, 2016 while staying with friends who live nearby.
We weren’t with a tour group, just taking our time and enjoying the surroundings. We both took a lot of pictures on our trip, so it took us a while to go through them all. Last Friday, July 22, my husband finally took a look at his pictures. One of the pictures he took is quite interesting. It was taken in one of the cabins on the hill behind George Wahington’s headquarters. It was in a group of several cabins together with a well house in front of them. One cabin had artifacts in it protected by plexiglass. My husband was the only person in the cabin at the time as I had just walked outside.
The picture he took facing the back of the cabin turned out to be a mirror image created by the plexiglass. It looks like he took a picture of the doorway, when in fact, his back was to the door.
To the left of the doorway, you can see the reflection of his red and white striped shirt. Behind him is the surprise. A quite detailed image of a man who appears to be a soldier. If you zoom on his face, you can see he has facial hair and his eyes appear to be closed. I find his shoulder interesting as it appears to be a uniform he is wearing. I’m not sure what to think about his arm, and am puzzled by the size of the figure compared to my husband’s reflection. The man’s reflection is much more defined than my husband’s reflection. We would like to get someone else’s opinion of the picture.
Wasn’t sure what I was looking at when I first looked at the picture but after reading your description and seeing your husband’s shirt, it makes this photo way more interesting
Apparitions Paranormal is working on getting there. We look at capturing evidence of soldiers George Washington at the Valley Forge.
I had just gotten a job working at a nearby hospital. My route is to go through the park on 252 north and make a left onto valley forge road. It was around 6:30 a.m and winter there was snow on the ground and mist. I was stopped at the light right at rt 23 facing Washington headquarter across the street and down the road. I saw a man walking around the building dressed in what appeared all navy blue, top and pants and black boots, no hat, grey hair pulled back but not neatly kind of like he just got up. Balding
at the top. I thought it strange someone walking out that early in the cold, and thought it might be a gardener. I watched as he walked around the building then just right before my eyes he vanished. No doors just wall there, I did a double take looking hard at the house. I know what
I saw and realized it was George himself just walking around!! It had to be! I told people at work
and they laughed and said Oh sure !! But I know what I saw.
B
Pinelands Paranormal Investigators is working on getting the proper permission and plan on holding an investigation in the fall. We will update you if we get any undeniable proof.
I think images appear when we aren’t intending to capture anything. I posted here previously. It has been almost a year since I last got that image of the ghostly figures. I returned to the same spot and stood in the same spots to take pictures. I didn’t see anything in the photos. But I did see as I was taking a picture, in the side of my peripheral vision to my left, a shadow that looked like it was galloping or swooping across the path. It wasn’t captured, but I had time to see it. I hightailed it out of there of course. I didn’t want to wait around for a full reenactment. I am certain, VF is active. I’m pretty sensitive to energy. I don’t feel drained walking the grounds. On the contrary, I think the nature brings peacefulness to the area.
I lived near the park and went there often,I have seen many strange things there.I once saw a group of men dressed in basically rags ,they were removing clothing from what appeared to be dead men and wrapping the bodies in cloth of some sort ,it was strange. ,then they faded away ,they were near a larger cabin ,behind the Washington chapel and down the road a bit, I don’t know what building it was as there is no building really there.
I grew up in Glenhardie Farms(adjunct to the park now, once part of the encampment).
There was a persistent rumor of a haunting of an abandoned barn on the Wilson Farm now part of Chesterbrook. The entity was known to us kids as “Catman” and was reputed to be an evil spirit. There were many,many reports of sounds and lights in the upper floor of that barn. The barn’s location was quite isolated back then
Most of us kids were scared and it was always a standing challenge to spend the evening there alone. I don’t recall anyone taking that dare.
The barn is gone replaced by a mini-city many years ago. I wonder what became of that spirit?
Hi Shari! I am part of a paranormal podcast called Haunted Escapes with Chris and Diane. I’d love to use your photo on our podcast video, as we discussed it on our Valley Forge episode. I know it has been awhile since you posted this, but find your story and picture very intriguing. Let me know 🙂