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I received several inquiries in regards to a personal experience I had and mentioned in a post I made at Chernobyl Harbinger of Catastrophe. This account was posted a while back but needed to have some clarifications added to the original post. At that time, I thought I was seeking a spirit or entity and brought some equipment to help in my pursuit. As well, I was sensitive and attuned to spiritual energy...an ability that I am no longer able to access. I attempted to not be dramatic in the post but, frankly, it was one of my most alarming experiences to date...Lon
In early autumn 1988 I was at a local exhibition near Baltimore and bumped into Andy, an old friend who was there as part of a group from the Boy Scouts of York-Adams Area Council (Pa.). Both of us had been Boy Scouts together and I was happy to see that he continued as a troop leader. We decided to grab a bite to eat and catch up a bit...it had been 12 years since we had seen each other. After awhile, the subject of my paranormal investigations came into the conversation. He had always been fascinated with ghost sightings at Gettysburg and the surrounding area and had camped near the battlefield on several occasions.
Andy stated that a few of the local troops had recently been camping at the old Camp Conewago and some of the boys had reported hearing “crying” sounds and were spooked bad enough that a few left their campsites early. They had setup their campsites deeper than usual in the woods near the Conewago Creek fork (where the Little Conewago and main Conewago Creek meet). He stated that he and another scout leader were going to check out the area the following weekend and he wanted to know if I’d at least go up for the day and investigate with them. I accepted the invitation.
Camp Conewago is located north of New Oxford, Pa. in Adams County along the main Conewago Creek upstream from Dick’s Dam. It was established in 1919 for exclusive use by the local Boy Scouts of America. The area is rich in early colonial history since it was located on a major hunting route used by the Susquehannock Indians. Several attempts to establish settlements in this area failed because of Indian raids. As well, the Susquehannocks constantly warred with neighboring tribes. The Susquehannocks were eventually forced back into northeast Maryland and Delaware and the colonists were able to expand westward into the Allegheny Mountains. The area became an important trading stop for settlers to stock up on supplies and to get updates before heading into the wilderness.
I met with Andy and John the following Friday at the campground. I was shocked at how little the place had changed. A flood of boyhood memories came over me while I walked around the cabins and the administration building. Andy wanted to know how long I planned to stay and that they were going to setup camp in the same area of the reports. I was game….so I told him I’d stay for the weekend, grabbed my gear and followed them into the woods. I suppose we hiked about 500 yards or so before we came to the bank of the creek, then we followed the creek for another 300 yards until we came to the fork. We setup 3 tents and had a nice fire going in short order. It was around 7:00 pm by this time, so we decided stay close to camp for the remainder of the evening.
The first night was fairly uneventful, though I sensed that something was watching us. I didn’t say anything but kept my eyes open and head clear. These woods are somewhat thick with ground cover and are inhabited by a fair amount of wildlife, especially white-tailed deer and raccoons. I remember when I was a Boy Scout, the older kids would send out the new members of the scout troop on an initiation “snipe” hunt. They’d give the prospective “hunter” a burlap bag and a flashlight and set them out into the woods at night telling them they could return only after they caught a “snipe”. They were usually running back to the campsite within an hour scared to the point of tears. It was a bit cruel, but we all had to go through the indignity...it was a tradition.
The next morning was sunny and cool...a perfect day to explore the woods. We sat down to breakfast when John asked if we heard footsteps and movement during the night. Andy said he slept straight through the night. I said I heard some movement but assumed it was one of my companions. Nothing seemed to be disturbed in the campsite, so we dismissed it…though I still had this lingering sense that we were being watched. We spent the day walking for several miles through the woods and examining points of interest. I wasn’t picking up any spirit connections and started to think that this was going to be a quiet weekend. About 6:00 pm we got back to camp and sat down to talk about any little thing that came into our heads.
Later that evening, we were sitting around the fire engaged in a conversation about football when suddenly a scream rang out west and upstream from our location. I thought it sounded like an owl at first, but a few minutes later it happened again and it distinctively sounded like a child. I couldn’t tell how far away it was but it lasted for several seconds and seemed to fade in and out. We got up and walked a few yards into the woods expecting to hear the sound again. It was quiet for about an hour and we were discussing what could have naturally caused that sound. I have heard bobcats, owls and rabbits scream and none sounded close to this. We agreed that it was definitely the cries of a child.
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