Interview with a Bethlehem Ghost Writer

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series on Bethlehem Hauntings that will continue through October 31.

I've heard a lot of ghost stories this season, many from books such as:

• Bethlehem Ghosts: Historical Hauntings In and Around Pennsylvania’s Christmas City
• Haunted Lehigh Valley
• Ghost Stories of the Lehigh Valley

The books are based on local legends and lore collected by the authors. But how much do the authors believe?

I contacted Katherine Ramsland, professor of forensic psychology at DeSales, and asked her about the Downtown Bethlehem locations she and Dana DeVito researched in their book.

“We got info from historical records, business proprietors, employees in a reputedly haunted business, people who had reported ghost experiences, and visits to haunted places,” said Ramsland, “We also asked people in many places what they knew about local haunts. We knew about some ghost tales, but most did not ground them in the unique history of the area, so that's what we wanted to do.”

In their research, they did not use psychics or mediums but started out on Main Street following the leads from one ghost story to another and then using forensic techniques to uncover links from the history to the lore. 

 “I think one needs a solid basis in logic and evidence analysis for exploring and questioning. I see people jumping to unsupported conclusions in the ghost arena (mostly due to wishful thinking or poor technique), and I spend a lot of time stepping back to analyze the data and the assumptions behind the interpretations.”

While places like the , and get plenty of press for their ghosts, places like Hand Cut Crytsal, the Boyd Theatre and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are far less publicized.

at 452 Main Street, sells not only crystal baubles but also music boxes.  Owner Joanne Smida told Ramsland that the on occasion, the music boxes will play by themselves.  The occurrences only happen at night and not around customers.  Smida has attempted to explain away the disturbance by attributing it to the energy conducted by the crystal.

at 30 W. Broad Street, first opened as the Kurtz Theatre in September 1921 and was acquired by A.R. Boyd Enterprises in 1934 taking the name Boyd Theatre.  In 1966, the front of the theatre was destroyed by a fire that was started in nearby.  The interior auditorium was undamaged.

A woman dressed in a long flowing gown has been spotted taking in a movie.  Who could this be?

There was no speculation in the book but, maybe it was the ghost of May Yohe, bored with her haunting of Hotel Bethlehem and looking for a bit of the Vaudeville theatre that once graced the early shows of the Kurtz Theatre.  Yohe died in 1938, longing for the career she was deprived because of her reputation that grew from her elicit affairs and adulterous ways.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located above Route 378, Down 1st Ave and Market Street, marks the burial ground for Revolutionary War Continental soldiers (1777-8).  A human skill was found by a contractor digging a retaining wall in a First Avenue home in February of 1996, according to Ramsland and DeVito. 

Archaeologists found evidence of three sets of remains along First Avenue towards Broad Street dating back 200 years.  They speculate that the area could have more skeletons than the ones unearthed and interred at the war memorial.  Who knows how many more skeletons might be buried under homes, sidewalks and the macadam.  

“So far, I haven't made up my mind about ghosts. I don't accept the assumptions on which many of the TV shows build their ghost series,” Ramsland said.