Lancaster’s Beaver Street Wailing House

In 1926, Sunday News reporter Tom Doerer interviewed Mrs. Richard Kautz of 223 Coral Street, Lancaster, PA. He cited her as “one of the older residents of Lancaster” and the source material for several stories involving haunted houses within the city. One such tale was the Wailing House of Beaver Street.

Wailing House of Beaver Street Ghost Story

Today, 425 Beaver Street is a section of parking lot for a Lancaster City Church that masks a chilling tale that lingers in the shadows of the past.

425 Beaver Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 today.

Back in 1873, the grounds were home to a modest two-story residence, where George Heinlen met a tragic end. On the fateful evening of March 16, driven by unknown forces, Heinlen severed his own throat with a razor. His lifeless body slumped on the lower step of the second-floor stairway.

Days passed before anyone discovered his haunting demise. When they did, Heinlen’s corpse was still seated, eyes wide open and damp with tears. In the aftermath of his untimely death, a ghostly presence emerged, with Heinlen’s spirit revisiting the scene of his demise. On countless occasions, the apparition would manifest on the bottom step, consumed by sorrow over the inexplicable choice to end his own life.

As time unfolded, the dwelling became a cursed abode, with numerous families attempting to call the “wailing house” home only to flee in terror shortly after. It seemed the weight of Heinlen’s sorrow proved too much for the living to bear. Ultimately, the neighboring Presbyterian church intervened, acquiring the haunted property and erasing its dark history by replacing it with a parking lot.

Yet, whispers persist that on certain nights, especially in the stillness of the dark, Heinlen’s ghost returns to the phantom steps, continuing to mourn the haunting consequences of his final decision.

The Truth

After reading her account, I was curious if there was any truth to the story. A quick search of Lancaster Newspaper’s archives using the keywords “suicide” and “Beaver Street” turned up the likely inspiration for this ghastly tale. Like most ghost stories, there is very little fact to support the modern urban legend.

The tale, as recounted by Mrs. Richard Kautz in 1926, seems to draw inspiration from the above historical event, but the details have been embellished over time. The truth behind the Wailing House remains elusive, leaving us to ponder the thin line between local lore and historical reality. Whether a product of vivid imagination or a genuine encounter with the supernatural, the story of the Wailing House continues to captivate the curious minds of those drawn to Lancaster’s haunted past.

Read More

Read more stories like this in Uncharted Lancaster’s Ghosts, Monsters, and Tales of Adventure book. This 283-page book is packed with 64 unforgettable stories, all set right here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

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Resources

• Passing of the Haunted House of Lancaster
• Intelligencer Journal 17 Mar 1873, Mon ·Page 2
• Image 20 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania