St. Patrick's Cemetery on an Old Mingo Trail
Chestnut Street, off Noblestown Road, Oakdale, PA
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
No admission fee. Cemetery hours are daily from sunrise to sunset.
Access
Limited Access
Hillside cemetery with uneven grass terrain; back section partially enclosed by woods
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1915 · Catholic Heritage · Mingo Trail · Allegheny County Settlement
Noblestown Road in western Allegheny County follows the route of Robinson Run from Carnegie westward, passing through Noblestown — a small community lying between Oakdale and McDonald. The road traces an older path known as the Mingo Trail, documented in historical records as frequently used by raiding parties during the violent colonial-era conflicts of the mid-18th century.
Saint Patrick's Cemetery was acquired by the Catholic Parish Cemeteries Association on October 6, 1915, and encompasses 3.5734 acres located directly behind St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. The cemetery sits on a hill; graves in the upper sections date from the 1800s. The back boundary of the cemetery is enclosed by a tree line, with dense woodland beginning where the maintained grounds end.
The cemetery remains actively managed by the Catholic Parish Cemeteries Association. Office hours are maintained Monday through Friday; the grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Sources
An investigation conducted at dusk in the summer of 2003 produced one of the more specific accounts attached to this cemetery. The submitting investigator reported that an overwhelming urge to leave came on immediately upon entering the grounds — a sensation that intensified rather than dissipated as the group moved deeper into the cemetery.
Cold spots were documented throughout. As the investigators walked toward the back section, near the tree line, several group members reported difficulty breathing described as a heaviness in the chest and a shortness of breath. Whether this had a physical cause — dense vegetation, humidity gradients near the wood edge, or anxiety response — is not addressed in the account.
A local investigation group working the same site independently reported capturing EVP recordings. One was described as a child's voice saying 'peek-a-boo'; a second was described as a low growling sound. Neither recording has been made publicly available in any source located during research.
The attribution of the activity to any specific historical event — the colonial-era Mingo Trail violence, individual burials in the cemetery, or another cause — is not established in available sources. The 2003 account remains unverified first-person testimony without independent corroboration.
Walk St. Patrick's Cemetery on its hillside above Oakdale — graves dating to the 1800s on the upper sections, with the back boundary edged by dense woodland. The far back of the cemetery, where the woods begin, is where investigators reported the most pronounced cold spots and an EVP recording described as a child's voice.
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