The Most Haunted Places in Pittsburgh

Posted: 05.30.2025 | Updated: 05.30.2025

Pittsburgh is known as the Steel City, but it’s also a haunted city. Whether you’re staying at a historic hotel, seeing a play at an old theatre, or visiting a college campus, you’re likely to hear a ghost story or three about the location. The ghosts and hauntings of Pittsburgh range from playful to downright terrifying.

Planning a trip to Pittsburgh and want to make it spooky? We’ve got you covered. Be sure to book a ghost tour with Pittsburgh Ghosts today!

What Are The Most Haunted Places In Pittsburgh?

It’s not easy to narrow down the most haunted places in Pittsburgh, but some stand out from the rest. At the Pittsburgh Playhouse, former actors are still waiting in the wings to take their final bow. On a trip to Catham University’s campus, one might encounter a playful child spirit or a malevolent entity lurking in one of the dormitories. 

Additionally, there are urban legends and ghost stories that are stranger than fiction. These stories, as a whole, paint a much darker picture of Pittsburgh than meets the eye.

Congelier House

The Congelier House has been nicknamed “The House the Devil Built.” It was built by Charles Congelier in the 1860s for him and his wife, Lyda. When Lyda caught Charles having an affair with their maid, she murdered them both. 

Afterwards, the mansion was purchased by the railroad and converted into apartments for its employees. However, these railworkers knew something was off about the house.

Residents at Congelier House reported demonic voices and scratching coming from inside the walls. They also saw their foreman in the hallways late at night. This was surreal since the foreman was always at home with his family. The railworkers soon realized that something was pretending to be him.

Congelier House was subsequently purchased by Dr. Adolph C. Brunrichter, who performed horrific “experiments” on female patients. Some say the house made him evil, while others assert he added to the malevolent energy already present.

After that, the Equitable Gas Company housed employees there who also reported demonic activity. Two employees were later found dead in the basement.

The Congelier House exploded in 1927, so although you cannot visit the house, its legend has endured for a century since its demise. 

Pittsburgh Playhouse

The Park Point University Pittsburgh Playhouse opened in 1908 and served several functions, including a theatre, a house of worship, a restaurant, and a brothel. The theatre’s colorful history has resulted in multiple hauntings. 

A Woman in White is said to be the ghost of a bride who died on her wedding day. She was to be married at the theatre, but found out just before the ceremony that her soon-to-be husband was cheating on her. The woman shot and killed both her fiancé and his mistress, then jumped to her death from an upper-floor window. 

An apparition with rotting flesh has been nicknamed “Gorgeous George” by staff. George enjoys terrorizing staff by tapping them on the shoulder and tapping on the glass windows of the costume shop. 

A ghost clown known as Big Read Meanie is a former performer whose spirit can be seen floating around.

Actor John Johns died in his dressing room at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and is still there. He can be heard walking around in his dressing room, and will appear to the living wearing a tuxedo.

Green Man’s Tunnel

Green Man’s Tunnel is a true urban legend. In the 1960s, local teens in Pittsburgh began telling stories of a glowing green ghost called “Charlie No-Face” who appeared near a tunnel just outside the city limits. They claimed it was the ghost of an electrical worker who had died in a freak accident. Although that wasn’t true, there was a much sadder story behind the legend.

Raymond Robinson was disfigured as a young boy after he fell into some power lines and nearly died. He began walking at night near the tunnel so as not to be seen, and a legend grew around him. As it turned out, Robinson was a kind man who befriended those who came to the tunnel looking for a ghost.

Over the years, hauntings at Green Man’s Tunnel include a phantom train horn, disembodied moaning, and cold spots at the entrance to the tunnel. Green Man’s Tunnel currently houses Pittsburgh’s road salt, but amateur ghost hunters still visit the location to make contact with Robinson’s spirit.

Omni William Penn Hotel

Upon its grand opening in 1916, the Omni William Penn Hotel was the biggest hotel in Pittsburgh. Today, it may not be the largest, but it is considered the most haunted. In 1922, a traveling salesman took his own life at the hotel as a result of business problems. He had been smuggling whiskey during Prohibition, and he was on the verge of being arrested. His spirit has been seen at the hotel ever since.

In 1947, author Ruth Harkness died at the Omni William Penn. She was the author of the memoir The Lady and the Panda. Although Harkness’ ghost hasn’t been reported, staff have bizarrely encountered the apparition of a panda at the hotel, which is presumably the one she owned in life.

In 1976, one dishwasher killed another in the 18th-floor locker room of the hotel. Samuel Bankhead and Nelson Cooper had worked together at the hotel for years and were good friends. However, one night, they started arguing over a woman, and Cooper proceeded to shoot Bankhead. Since then, guests on the 18th floor have reported hearing two drunk men arguing in the hallway. Front desk staff never finds anyone there.

Other ghostly happenings include disembodied voices, lights turning on in the middle of the night, and intense cold drafts that have no source.

Chatham University

Chatham University is filled with tales of ghosts and hauntings. At Fickes Hall, first-year students report seeing the ghost of a little boy who has been nicknamed Billy. He is typically seen bouncing a ball down the hallway. Additionally, the spirit of the mansion’s original owner, Dwin Stanton Fickes, is spotted wandering the building, clearly confused by what happened to his home.

Over at Rea House, residents report the deeply upsetting disembodied cries of a baby. At nearby Laughlin House, a malevolent female spirit attacks sleeping students on the third floor.

Catham University’s most famous ghost is the Blue Lady of Woodland Hall. Her spirit has been seen for decades, and she is sometimes accompanied by the ghost of a little boy. It’s unclear if it’s Billy, but the Blue Lady has also been seen at Fickes Hall, so it’s possible that the ghosts can move around campus.

Haunted Pittsburgh

Tragic deaths, violent murders, and broken hearts make up the dark history of Pittsburgh’s hauntings. You can learn more about the city’s haunting and haunted history by booking a ghost tour with Pittsburgh Ghosts now! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Pennsylvania hauntings.

Sources:

• https://hauntedhouses.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh-theatre/
• https://pittsburghghosts.com/the-omni-william-penn-hotel/
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/green-man-s-tunnel
• https://www.pulse.chatham.edu/blog-stories/2021/10/22/spooky-spots-on-chathams-campus
• https://pittsburghghosts.com/the-mysterious-congelier-house/
• https://www.pulse.chatham.edu/blog-stories/2021/10/22/spooky-spots-on-chathams-campus
• https://pittsburghghosts.com/the-mysterious-congelier-house/
• https://pittsburghghosts.com/the-legend-of-green-mans-tunnel/