The Paranormal History of the Y's Haunted Mansion

As part of the lead-in to this year’s Haunted Mansion at the Upper Main Line YMCA, a mysterious blogger by the name of “Dr. Mike Stryker” has been posting his historical and paranormal investigation of the fictional Otley Mansion, the setting of Y’s haunted attraction. His blog site, “Noises in the Attic”, includes “historical” references, photos, and accounts to help tell the story of the UMLY Haunted Mansion.

This year’s attraction focuses on the Haunted Mansion’s resident from 1895, Dr. Von Weren. The good doctor makes Dr. Frankenstein look like a friendly family physician. Here is a posting from the blog site, taken from “local archives”.

The blog includes an excerpt describing the article:

The article describes Von Weren as "a scientist of moderate renown, best recognized for his studies into the creation of new mechanical appendages and rejuvenation of dead tissues." Pretty creepy stuff, if you ask me. It also seems that even back then, people were afraid of the mansion. It had only been abandoned for ten years and still there were "rumors of it being cursed." 

The article is accompanied by a photo of Von Weren and his wife. It wasn't uncommon for wealthy families to have their photos printed in the paper during certain announcements. A European doctor moving in to an abandoned house certainly would have been news.

The UMLY Haunted Mansion is open one night only: Saturday, Oct. 27, 6:00-10:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased at UMLY Haunted Mansion.