Ghost looking out of the window of Congelier House

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The Mysterious Congelier House

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, stands as a staple in the history of contemporary America with its reputation as the city of steel. It has another reputation intertwined with its glorious past, however. Spirits of the dead linger around every corner of this towering city, speaking tales of tragedy, suffering, and murder. 

There is one such location in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh whose name sends a shiver down locals’ spines to this day: the Congelier House. It no longer stands, covered by a highway, yet this once-grandiose home held a reputation so gruesome it’s believed the evil that once dwelled within left a mark on the city to this day. That’s why locals still believe the Congelier House was built by the devil himself. 

An unforgettable ghost tour through some of Pittsburgh’s most haunted locations is a click away! Visit our site today and book a spot with Pittsburgh Ghosts for an up close and personal experience with Pittsburgh’s otherworldly side. Be sure to read our blog for more blood-curdling stories surrounding some of Pittsburgh’s most haunted locations.

What is the story behind the Congelier House?

The infamous Congelier House has held a notorious reputation in the city of Pittsburgh for two centuries. So much so, in fact, it’s debated among locals whether the now demolished house ever even existed, but one thing is for sure if it did. The Congelier House was, without a doubt, the most haunted location in America. 

History of the Congelier House 

Man by fireplace
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

The most accepted timeline for the Congelier Mansion shows that it was built in the 1860s by Charles Congelier. A wealthy businessman, Congelier moved to Pittsburgh after the Civil War and had the elaborate home built for him, his wife, Lyda, and their maid, Essie. 

Life for the Congeliers was as good as it could get in the booming city of Pittsburgh. That all changed one day in 1871 when Charles’s wife, Lyda, heard noises from the maid’s quarters. It was Charles and Essie making sounds together that, let’s just say, made Lyda’s heart shatter. Grabbing a knife and a meat cleaver, Lyda returned to Essie’s bedroom and butchered them both.

A friend and neighbor of the Congeliers visited the house after seeing no one come or go for the next several days after the murders. The house was filled with the stench of decaying flesh. He then came upon the haunting sight of Lyda, covered in blood and sitting in a rocking chair, humming a lullaby as she cradled Essie’s severed head.

The Congelier House’s Later Years

The mansion sat abandoned for two decades before it underwent a series of ownerships. First, it was bought by a local railroad company in 1892. Then, in 1900, it was bought again by a reclusive doctor named Adolph Brunrichter. Finally, it was owned by the Equitable Gas Company until November 1927, when an explosion two blocks away completely demolished the Congelier Mansion. 

Today, the site of the grandiose Congelier House is covered by a highway and a nefarious enigma as well. Did this infamous mansion actually exist? If so, is there a shred of truth to the ghostly tales and the history surrounding it? For those who believe, the house didn’t just return to hell but was, as some call it, the “House the Devil Built.”

Hauntings Overview

The Congelier House was converted into apartments for railroad workers when it was purchased in 1892 by a local railroad company. However, what the company didn’t know was that evil was lying dormant in its walls all that time. 

Workers felt a general sense of unease and heard scratches coming from within the walls. Demonic voices echoed through the halls, and someone humming a lullaby could be heard. They also spoke of a deep hissing sound that seemed to emanate from everywhere in the house at once. 

The most unsettling experience involved several complaints workers submitted about their foreman. According to them, the foreman—who lived in his own private residence at the time—checked in on the men too often. This was a violation of privacy, as he lurked in the hallways at odd hours, watching them come and go. 

It seems like a logical complaint, except the foreman insisted he wasn’t visiting the house during those times; his wife and children vouched for his whereabouts. 

There was even one night when the apparition was seen at the house while the foreman was out having drinks with one of the railway’s vice presidents. The activity became so intense that these hardened blue-collar workers eventually refused to stay another night in the house.

The house sat vacant once again and was later purchased by the Equitable Gas Company. Its rooms were used to house immigrant workers, but they, too, found themselves hearing demonic voices throughout the home. 

Things became downright terrifying for them when the bodies of two workers were later found murdered in the basement. Only to make it stranger, there was nowhere in the basement for the killer to escape. The horrified remaining workers immediately moved out of the house never to return. 

The Mad Doctor

Scary surgical tools
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

The only thing as disturbing as the story of the Congelier House’s first owners is the story of Dr. Adolph C. Brunrichter. He purchased the home in 1900 upon his immigration to America and never left or socialized with his neighbors. Blissful obscurity seemed to be the fate for the good doctor until August 12, 1901.

The neighbors were startled by a woman’s blood-curdling scream followed by an explosion of light from within the home. The police arrived and discovered a woman’s decapitated body, eerily similar to the house’s first crime it had ever witnessed. 

Upon further investigation, they also found a hidden laboratory with the heads of five more women. There were also notes left behind suggesting the doctor had been performing experiments to keep the heads alive even after decapitation. 

The doctor was nowhere to be found until 1927 when a man was arrested in New York claiming to be Adolph Brunrichter. He was drunk and told police about the experiments he performed in Pittsburgh, as well as the location of several other bodies. 

Police searched the locations, but there were no bodies, forcing them to deem the man harmless and release him. This odd figure referenced in the newspapers as the “Pittsburgh Spook Man” was never seen or heard from again. 

Haunted Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, boasts a rich history forged in the steel that built America. Stories of its past echo through Its cobblestone streets and towering skyscrapers and are carried away on the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. 

However, a darker undercurrent travels through the city, filled with death and agony, giving rise to its haunting tales. They’re whispered in the shadows of Pittsburgh where the dead linger, refusing to let the past of this great city remain buried. 

The infamous Congelier House is a haunting example. A once-grand residence, it soon became a house of terror that met a destructive end. Though it may be long gone, the chilling legend of the Congelier family continues to plague Pittsburgh’s collective memory.

Tales of a jealous wife, a brutal double murder, and a mad doctor have embedded the Congelier House’s place as America’s most haunted house. It also adds credence to its spine-gripping reputation as the “House the Devil Built.”

Pittsburgh is riddled with ghosts lurking in the shadows at every turn. Come and see them firsthand with Pittsburgh Ghosts! Book an unforgettable ghost tour on our website today while there’s still room. In the meantime, you can also read our blog for more chill-ridden stories and stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Sources:

  • https://positivelypittsburgh.com/congelier-house/#:~:text=It%20was%20known%20as%20the,1860’s%20at%201129%20Ridge%20Avenue.
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxPMxAlnfc0
  • https://magisterdixit.substack.com/p/unveiling-the-dark-legacy-the-haunting?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
  • https://pittsburghghosts.com/

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