#Kat's Kreepy Tales

[kats-kreepy-tales]

Kat's Kreepy Tales

Pennsylvania Witch Trials

In 1684 two women, Margaret Malson and Mrs Gethro Hendrickson, were put on trial for witchcraft in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. This was 8 years before the infamous Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. The women were accused of bewitching livestock of English settlers that had moved to their land known as "New Sweden".

The Pennsylvania trial went completely different from the Salem trials. Governor William Penn proceeded over the trial and made every effort to ensure that the women received a fair trial. He loaded the jury with Swedish and Finnish immigrants. The women were found guilty of witch like behavior but not of bewitching the livestock. They were both fined but with good behavior they were able to earn the money back.

Pennsylvania didn't have any official laws against witchcraft until 1718 when they adopted English law. These laws ended in the 1750's. There is no record of any other witch trials in the Commonwealth. The Witch of Ridley Creek legend goes on to this day.

[adamt101904]

Kat's Kreepy Tales

The Squonk

Being from Pennsylvania I've decided to write about cryptids, ghost stories and urban legends from my home state. This week I will be starting with one of my favorites, the squonk.

Reputed to live in the hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania, the squonk is a sad, pig like beast that constantly weeps. Legend says that the poor squonk has ill fitting skin and is covered in warts. Because of its appearance, the squonk is always trying to hide, ashamed of its looks and is constantly weeping. When trapped by hunters, the squonk will actually cry itself into a puddle, dissolving completely.

It is rumoured that a man named J.P. Wentling supposedly caught a squonk by coaxing it into a bag. While carrying it home, the bag suddenly lightened. After arriving at home he discovered that the sad little animal was gone and all that remained were its liquid remains.

[adamt101904]

Kat's Kreepy Tale's

Raystown Ray

Now that the squonk is out of my system we can move on to something closer to were I live. Here in Huntingdon County in central Pennsylvania lives Raystown Ray. Ray reportedly lives in the 8,300 acre man-made Raystown Lake which is about 20 minutes from my house.

Ray is believed to be between 50-60 feet in length with a reptilian head attached to a long neck. There has been several pictures of Ray taken along with a handful of sightings.

The creature is believed to be a herbivore as no unexplained animal remains have appeared at the lake. This indicates that the lakes swimmers and boaters are perfectly safe. Ray is believed to behave much like a manatee.

He was first reported in 1962 on the old Raystown Dam which was built in 1905. The dam was destroyed in 1971 to make way for the creation of Raystown Lake, with depths reaching up to 185 feet.

Organizers of the annual Raystown Ski Club Water Show almost had to cancel the event after Ray was seen around the ramps to be used by the skiers. Fortunately the beast had left the area before the show began.

Raystown Ray has been spotted several times since the first picture in 2007. Ray is a popular part of local folklore here in Huntingdon County. Whether he is real or not, the general conscience is that something large dwells in Raystown Lake.