Haunted Baker Mansion Ghosts

Aug 2, 2010
Jill Stefko

Wedding Gown not Haunted, Like Baker Mansion’s - phaewilk

Historic Baker Mansion has many haunters and is the site of other paranormal activity that includes a wedding gown that shakes of its own accord.

The Greek-revival twenty-eight room Baker Mansion was built in the 1849, in Altoona, Pennsylvania by ironmaster Elias Baker. He, wife, Hetty, and sons, David and Sylvester, moved to this area in 1836.

Elias and his cousin, Mr. Diller, bought the Alleghany Furnace. The Bakers moved into a home near the furnace where, shortly after their arrival, daughter, Anna, was born. Much of the decorative work in the mansion is made of iron, cast in the Alleghany Furnace. Inside, the house features black walnut woodwork, Italian marble fireplaces and hand-carved oak furniture imported from Belgium. The Bakers occupied the mansion until 1914 when Anna died. The Blair Country Historic Society, now headquartered in the mansion, has recorded witnesses’ statements of paranormal activity.

Baker Mansion's Haunted Wedding Gown

According to local lore, the gown was to have been worn by Anna, but Elias refused to allow her to marry the man she loved. It's said that her love worked at the iron furnace; Elias forbid the marriage because he was from what he considered to be a lower class. She never forgave him and remained single for the rest of her life.

The gown had been worn by Elizabeth Bell Dysart when she was married before Anna’s sad love affair. It’s on display in a glass case. Witnesses reported seeing the gown shaking violently and rocking. The parasol and shoes in the case have moved their positions. Some believe the entity is Anna’s specters; others, she’s Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth used to mock Anna because she never married.

Baker Mansion Ghosts

Staff and visitors have reportedly seen both Elias and Anna. She has been sighted in the parlor and the second floor bedrooms. Many witnesses have reported seeing a dark figure on the staircase leading to the second floor. Two tour guides, a man and a woman were dressed in Victorian costumes. The man was on the second floor when he saw a woman in a black dress on the first floor. He called to her, but she disappeared. He called again. The guide leaned over the third floor railing to see what he wanted. He believes he saw Anna’s ghost.

Sylvester is supposed to be another haunter who roams the halls of Baker Mansion. His stomping and cane have been heard. Elias’ ghost has been sighted the mansion's dining room. People have heard screams coming from the basement ice room where the body of David, who was killed in a steamboat accident in 1852, was stored until frozen ground thawed enough for burial. Mysterious bangings emanate from the cellar.

A two year old boy was on a Halloween tour and wouldn't go to the basement because he didn't want to walk by the intimidating soldier at the bottom of the steps who kept staring up at him. No one else saw the soldier; however children and adults have seen and heard ghosts that others in a group haven’t.

Baker Mansion’s Other Paranormal Phenomena

People have seen spectral forms reflected in mirrors and have captured them and orbs on film. One night, the mansion’s security system sounded at the police station. They called the curator who left them in the building. A police dog went through the rooms, but when he came to the single parlor, he froze and growled at something unseen in the room. Furniture moves by itself. A music box has turned itself on. There are cold spots and people have heard phantom footsteps and scratchings. Experients have been touched and pushed. There’s an eerie inexplicable stench from time to time. A small table on the second floor has been too hot to touch.

According to one account, a woman went on a tour of the mansion, but when she was reached the second floor, she became agitated. She told the guides someone was watching her on the second floor and didn’t want her there. Another woman went to the mansion late at night, had car problems, saw that the lights were on and knocked on the door. Someone inside of the building knocked back at her, but no one opened the door. The place was locked and no one was inside – except for the ghosts.

Baker Mansion Today

The building, now a museum, has been restored. It’s open to the public and offers tours. The best times to see the wedding gown shake are on the nights of the full moon and during Hallowe’en-tide. It’s widely believed that members of the Baker family haunt the mansion, although witnesses have reportedly seen ghosts that have no connection to the Bakers.