Episode 61: Slice of the Paranormal travelled to York, Pennsylvania to visit the William C. Goodridge Freedom Center and Underground Railroad Museum, a site that once carried courage through its walls like a quiet current. The museum was closed that day, so we walked the grounds, watching the windows the way an old soul watches a storm, half expecting a restless hand to nudge one open. This house once displayed one of the first Christmas trees in York, a bright symbol of the season glowing inside a place that also carried people toward freedom. William Goodridge hid his work from the world to protect those fleeing bondage, and some say the spirits of those travelers still linger in the hand dug hiding space beneath the kitchen floor. Like something out of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the chains of bondage are said to echo faintly through the structure, a reminder of the weight this home once held. Step into the season with us as we look upon that Christmas tree and reflect on the souls that once lived, hid, hoped, or perhaps still hover in this remarkable space. If you follow haunted history, Underground Railroad stories, or Pennsylvania legends, this visit will sit with you long after the lights go out. Sources: Spooky York Pennsylvania by Scott D. Butcher and Dinah Roseberry 2008 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Goodridge?wprov=sfti1 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20183384/william-c.-goodridge http://www.friendsofthecemetery.org/history/alley_articles/goodridge_william_feb2004.shtml A Voice From Harper's Ferry by Osborne Perry Anderson https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/andersonvoiceharpersferry.html The Freedman's Story by William Parker Parts I and II", Atlantic Monthly, Vol. XVII, February/March 1866, p. 153. https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/parker1/parker.html#freedman163 Site: William C. Goodridge Freedom Center and Underground Railroad Museum https://www.goodridgefreedomcenter.org
