NPS Tavern at the Summit of the Allegheny Portage Railroad
110 Federal Park Road, Gallitzin, PA 16641
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
No admission fee for the Lemon House; standard NPS site access.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved paths to and within the historic tavern
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1834 · Allegheny Portage Railroad History · National Historic Site · Pennsylvania Canal System · Antebellum Tavern Architecture
Samuel Lemon built his stone tavern at the summit of the Allegheny Mountains sometime around 1834, on the traditional five-bay central-hall plan with two additional bays added at the west end in the early 20th century. The location was strategic: the Allegheny Portage Railroad's Plane 1 incline began just below the summit, and passengers traveling by canal boat from Philadelphia who had been hoisted up ten inclined planes over the mountains needed a place to rest before the descent toward Pittsburgh.
The Allegheny Portage Railroad was a marvel of early American engineering — the first railroad to cross the Allegheny Mountains. Opened in 1834 as part of Pennsylvania's Main Line of Public Works, it used a system of ten inclined planes, each hauling rail cars up or down steep grades using stationary steam engines and hemp rope. Passengers transferred from canal boats to rail cars for the mountain crossing. Samuel Lemon's tavern served them at the highest point of the journey.
Samuel Lemon died in 1867. His sons inherited the property, and it eventually left the family in 1907 after passing through several owners. The National Park Service acquired it in 1966 as part of the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. A major restoration completed in 1997 returned the first floor to its 1840s appearance, though historians noted significant documentation gaps that required archaeological evidence and comparison with period artwork.
People are documented to have died in the house, according to NPS accounts — an unsurprising fact for any 19th-century inn that served as a roadside stop for decades. The nature and circumstances of those deaths are not detailed in available historical records.
Sources
The paranormal reports associated with the Lemon House come from an atypical source: National Park Service staff. The accounts describe banging sounds — neither attributed to structural settling nor identified as weather-related — and windows and doors operating on their own during evening hours when the site is closed to visitors.
Foggy nights at the Allegheny summit are a consistent element of the accounts. The summit location at the crest of the Alleghenies produces frequent fog conditions, particularly in shoulder seasons, and staff note the phenomena are most commonly reported when visibility is reduced. Whether this is a real correlation or a product of atmospheric suggestion is not addressed in the available sources.
No specific historical figure or event is attached to the reports. The NPS documentation notes that people have died in the house — a certainty for any 19th-century inn — but does not identify individuals or circumstances. The reports remain in the category of unexplained environmental phenomena rather than named-entity haunting.
Step through a restored 1834 stone tavern at the summit of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. The first floor preserves the bar room, parlor, dining room, and exhibit space as they appeared in the 1840s. NPS staff report unexplained banging and self-operating doors and windows — most active on foggy nights, according to accounts.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Flourtown, PA
The Black Horse Inn was constructed in 1744, 32 years before American independence. General George Washington requisitioned the inn as a rest stop for his troops en route to Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. The building received significant architectural additions in 1833 and was designated a National Register historic site in 2005.
Gettysburg, PA
The National Civil War Wax Museum opened on Steinwehr Avenue in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in April 1962, the centennial of the Civil War. Over its 50-year run it served more than 9 million visitors before closing in 2014. After renovation, the building reopened as the Gettysburg Heritage Center in 2015, focusing on interactive exhibits about civilian experience during the Battle of Gettysburg.
Doylestown, PA
Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, Pennsylvania was designed and built by Henry Chapman Mercer between 1908 and 1912. Mercer, an archaeologist, anthropologist, and ceramicist, constructed the 44-room concrete structure to showcase his collection of decorative tiles and prints. The property is managed by the Bucks County Historical Society and is open year-round for guided tours.