The cryptic heritage of Nemacolin Castle is a deep resource of ghostly legend, and the long darkened halls prodded only by candlelight provide visitors with an ominous setting to experience stories of unrest. The historic plot of land overlooking Brownsville was at times home to Native Americans, European immigrants, and, later, wealthy industrialists and socialites. A group of supernatural phenomena investigators, known collectively as the Mon Valley Ghost Research Society, claims to have evidence that the structure is now haunted. "We have investigated the castle about 20 times," said member Linda Davis, of California, Pa., "and every time there is something. Some nights it is more frequent, but there is always something that happens." The organization is involved with the spring candlelight ghost tours organized by the Brownsville Historical Society, caretakers of the house. Investigators will tell stories about their experiences at the castle and answer questions from the tour groups. "Last year, a woman photographed a tour guide and a fire showed up in the fireplace," Davis said. "We found nothing to explain why there would be a fire in the exposure." The investigators have also heard phantom music and footsteps. "We could hear people talking behind us," she said, "and there was absolutely no one there." Mon Valley Ghost Research Society members have been featured on several television programs, including ABC's "World's Scariest Ghosts Caught on Tape," FOX's "Real Scary Stories" and The Travel Channel. The researchers cull stories for Nemacolin Castle from several eras. The land where the house is built was once home to Native American mounds and a fortified village. The estate eventually was named after Nemacolin, the Native American who helped white settlers set the course for what is now Route 40, or the National Road. According to the historical society, an 1811 book titled "The Navigator" mentions Native American burial remains on the site as well as unearthed cellars. The site was later home to Ft. Burd, and the current sitting-room fireplace is likely a remnant of that 1787 structure. Nemacolin Castle, as a house, was built in stages, beginning with a stone kitchen, erected by Jacob Bowman at the turn of the 17th century. Bowman purchased the land as slowly as he built the house, with the first parcel obtained in 1788. Bowman paid a local mason to construct a three-story stone house at the site. He lived there until his death in 1847. Ironically, the home where Bowman owned several slaves later became a likely stop for the underground railroad during the Civil War era. Much suffering happened in and around Nemacolin Castle from the time of Native Americans and settlers to the mysterious life of the rich industrialists and socialites who prospered there. Bowman's youngest son, Nelson Bowman, commissioned the remainder of the castle-like structure with a significant inheritance upon his father's death. A large stone wall was erected around the house in 1854, and the family instructed grounds keepers to cement broken shards of glass on top. The security measure was highly symbolic of the relationship between the Bowmans and the working-class community that surrounded the home. Generations of Bowmans lived there until 1959, when Nemacolin Castle became a museum. Ghost tours are scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as from 6 to 10 p.m. the weekend of April 8 to 10. Raffle tickets will be sold for a chance to spend the night at Nemacolin Castle with ghost researchers. Regular tours are also available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.nemacolincastle.org or call 724-785-6882.

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