Most Haunted Places in America: Congelier House

Recognized as one the most haunted places in America, the Congelier house as told by others is filled with an immense evil. The home was owned by Charles Wright Congelier, his wife Lyda, and their servant Essie and was located on the north end of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The first event that may have started the house on its path of evil spirits was in 1871, when Lyda discovered an affair between her husband and Essie. She became so enraged of the ongoing affair, that Lyda stabbed Charles to death, and decapitated Essie.

Twenty years later, the Congelier house was purchased by a railroad company to house its workers. They had remodeled the home to accommodate them. However, they soon moved out of the mansion claiming that they heard the sounds of a young woman sobbing and screaming. From there the house became vacant until around 1900.

Dr Adolph C Brunrichter purchased the home around the early 1900′s . Known as a recluse, his neighbors rarely caught glimpse of him. A year later, neighbors heard the screams of a young woman and when they came to check the commotion, they witnessed a large red explosion like flash coming from Dr Brunrichter’s home. The explosion was so great, that every window in the house was shattered and the earth beneath began to tremble, which caused the sidewalls to crack.

Officials came to the home and discovered a female body which was strapped to the bed that was beginning to decompose. When the police reached the basement, they discovered five decapitated women who were buried in makeshift graves. To their amazement, the officers learned that the mad doctor was conducting experiments on these women, which he was successful in keeping a few of them alive after they were beheaded. However, Dr Brunrichter was nowhere to be found, as if he disappeared into thin air. Around 1927, a man who claimed to be Dr Brunrichter had been discovered near the Congelier house. He spoke of orgies, demonic influences, torture, and murders that took place in that house. He was kept in custody for a month, was released, and never to be seen or heard from again.

Nearby the Congelier house, stood the largest natural gas storage facility in the entire world, which caused an explosion that destroyed the house which was considered evil by local residents on November 15, 1927. The explosion was felt around the country which destroyed every house and business within a twenty mile radius. However, the Congelier house was the only structure that did not have any evidence to a direct cause. It was confirmed by a relative, that the house was left standing, but it was torn down to create the intersection that we know of now. Today, the Congelier house is now the intersection of state highway 65/1279 and nearby stands the Carnegie Science Center and Museum.

Over the years, residents witnessed several sightings that confirmed the Congelier house to not only be haunted while it was standing, but also since its destruction. In recent years, drivers have witnessed ghosts, which walk along the highway at night. Some have described a few emigrants who worked for the Equitable Gas Company, that were residing in the home were found dead in the basement minutes after they were last seen. One had what appeared to be a stake through the chest while the other was found hanging from a rafter. Others had heard the screaming and sobbing of a woman throughout the night.

It became so profound that Thomas Edison investigated the home in 1920. While designing a machine to detect those who never crossed over, he discovered that there were spirits who had remained through the house. Edison passed away before he could finish the project, but had confirmed that the Congelier house is definitely haunted.

Many people believed the house was stricken with evil. However, some think that the Congelier story was more fiction than fact. All in all, the truth about what evil lies in the Congelier Mansion is left to be untold.

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