Debunking the Ghosts of Amity Hall

The historic tavern known as Amity Hall, near the confluence of the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers, is arguably the most famous haunted place in Perry County. Built in 1810, the tavern operated continuously until it was set ablaze by an arsonist in 2009, except for a thirty year period when it was used as a private residence. Today, the burned out ruins can still be seen behind a barbed wire fence just off the Amity Hall exit of Route 322.

During its heyday, in the era of canal boats and stage coaches, Amity Hall was the most famous tavern in Pennsylvania, and remained so well into the 20th century, due to its ideal location at the intersection of the Susquehanna Trail (Route 15) and the William Penn Highway (Rt. 322).

According to tradition, famous guests included inventor Thomas Edison, poet Edwin Markham, and boxer Jack Dempsey. Charles Dickens was also said to have stayed there, but since that is a claim made by the owners of virtually every historic tavern, it cannot be proven.



The Early Years


The charred remains of Amity Hall sit on a parcel of land that was once known as Huling's Ordinary, which was owned by early settler Marcus Huling, and used as a rest stop by travelers along the old post road. An small tavern was constructed on the site in 1744 and was operated by the Huling family until the construction of the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh turnpike, which brought such a large volume of stagecoach traffic through the area that Huling decided to build the large, commodious 23-room Amity Hall, which was billed as "the friendly inn".

When railroads supplanted stagecoaches, travel time was reduced dramatically and, as a result, business declined for many inns and taverns. Amity Hall was no exception. In 1892 the building was purchased by Dr. George Nutz Reutter, whose family used Amity Hall as a private residence until 1922.

Three generations of the Reutter family lived-- and died-- on the estate, dating back to 1830 when Dr. Daniel Nelson Ludwig Reutter occupied the grounds formerly known as Huling's Ordinary during the construction of the Pennsylvania Canal. Amity Hall was eventually sold by the widow of Dr. Harry D. Reutter in the 1920s and, thanks to the advent of the automobile, once again became a popular hostelry.

The bodies of deceased members of the Reutter family were removed from the Amity Hall family plot in October of 1927 and buried at the Presbyterian Cemetery in Duncannon. History records the following names as members of the Reutter family who died and were buried at Amity Hall: Daniel Nelson Ludwig Reutter (1800-1846), Mary Jane Reutter (1838-1839), Wilson Hazlet Reutter (1841-1842), Imogene Reutter (1842-1842), Thomas Hood Reutter (1836-1863), Ida Grace Reutter (1865-1867), Margaret Imogene Reutter (1868-1869), Margaret Smith Reutter (1835-1879), and George Nutz Reutter (1836-1890).

Since five of these burials were infants and children, perhaps it is no surprise that Amity Hall developed a spooky reputation. Even the adults who lived at Amity Hall had short lifespans, even by 19th century standards.

Rebirth of the Tavern


W.B. "Billy" Brown, who, along with business partner H.Z. Arney, purchased Amity Hall from Reutter's widow, firmly believed in preserving the historic charm of the red brick building and filled its 23 rooms with early American antique furniture. As automobile travel grew in popularity, Brown grew Amity Hall into one of the finest tourist stops in Pennsylvania; by the 1930s, Amity Hall boasted a lunch counter as well as a full restaurant, beer gardens, a truck stop, miniature golf, barbershop, and even in a drive-in movie theatre.


Some major events that took place at Amity Hall:

May, 1922: While renovating the property for the re-opening of Amity Hall, workers found dozens of curious relics secreted beneath floorboards and inside the walls of the historic structure, including Indian arrowheads and a book printed in 1833.

January, 1935: A fire caused by a malfunctioning heater destroyed the Amity Hall lunch building. There were no injuries.

April, 1946: Burglars broke into a safe located inside the business office, stealing $1,150 in cash.

May, 2009: The Amity Hall complex is completely destroyed by a fire caused by amateur ghost-hunters. Only the brick walls from the original tavern escaped destruction.

December, 2014: Hart, BWB Inc. of Steelton demolishes the complex, and erects a chainlink fence around the ruins of the tavern.

Haunted or Not?


While it is always tragic to see a building of historical significance destroyed by reckless trespassers, the irony is that the majority of ghost stories associated with Amity Hall are complete nonsense with no basis in historical fact.

One such claim appearing on the website, Haunted Places, states:

Although the Amity Hall burned to the ground in the late 2000s, it was alleged to be extremely active with the haunts. A man was said to have killed his wife by stabbing her on the porch sofa, then killed his children and himself upstairs. Apparitions, black figures and flashes of light have been spotted, and some witnesses claim to have seen reenactments of the grisly murder.

There is, of course, no historical record of any such incident, although these rumors may have stemmed from a 1965 triple homicide that took place on North High Street in Duncannon, when a Sunday school teacher by the name of Byron Halter murdered his daughter, wife and mother-in-law, then committed suicide in Northumberland County after fleeing from the police.

Several other paranormal websites list Amity Hall as a haunted location, while regurgitating the same unfounded horror stories (obviously invented by bored teenagers).

Another popular claim about the supposed ghosts of Amity Hall states that the tavern was used as a military hospital during the Civil War. This claim can easily be disproved, as there were no Civil War battles fought in Perry County, and Gettysburg is over 50 miles away.

Perhaps the only spooky thing about Amity Hall is that it was once the site of the Reutter family graveyard, where numerous children were buried. But it may disappoint some ghost hunters to learn that none of these children were murdered.



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