As one of the most historic cities in the nation, the City of Brotherly Love is a haven for unexplained phenomena. The specter of an innocent waiter murdered in 1781 is sometimes seen smashing dishes and breaking glasses at the City Tavern, once a meetinghouse for George Washington, Paul Revere and other Patriots. Anguished screams and haunting footsteps are still heard among the cellblocks of Eastern State Penitentiary. Among the picturesque streets of Chestnut Hill sits Baleroy Mansion, whose plethora of supernatural hosts has earned the home the nickname “the most haunted house in America.” Author Josh Hitchens details the spooky stories of Philadelphia’s past and present.
Josh Hitchens, born and raised in Sussex County, Delaware, has been a storyteller for the Ghost Tour of Philadelphia since 2007. Josh is also a theater director, actor, playwright and teaching artist who has been called “Philadelphia’s foremost purveyor of the macabre” by local press. His first book, Haunted History of Delaware, was released in 2021 by The History Press. Josh is deeply honored to tell the stories of his second home in Haunted History of Philadelphia. He is also the creator of the podcasts Going Dark Theatre, which examines the humanity behind the horror in true tales of ghost stories, unsolved mysteries and weird history, and Hitchens on Horror, in which he acts as a host for some of your favorite scary movies. www.joshhitchens.com.