The Lady in White of the Lehigh Canal
For generations, stories of a mysterious woman in white have followed the canal through Walnutport. In 1963, the legend became big enough to bring a crowd to Canal Street.
Local Legend / Folklore
The National Canal Museum article "The Ghosts Keep Playing" is the primary source for this account. The museum reports that the Woman in White is associated with Walnutport Lock #23. According to the legend, she walks along the canal, appears near the locktender's house, and sometimes appears to float on the canal water.
In 1963, a Morning Call account described approximately 150 people coming to Canal Street while a fire was occurring, after reports of a mysterious white figure. The National Canal Museum reports that those accounts included several extraordinary descriptions of the figure. Walnutport police chief Alex Husack suggested mundane explanations, including someone using a sheet to frighten children, or youngsters in a canoe using a sheet as a prank.
A 1952 Morning Call account involved retired canalmen discussing canal superstitions and ghost stories. Frank W. Kelchner recalled seeing an old woman in a shawl along the towpath in 1934. Allen Strohl recalled seeing the woman around Lehigh Gap in 1933. Their fathers, who were also canalmen, were apparently already familiar with stories about the woman.
Frank Kelchner recalled his family moving into the Lock #23 locktender's house in Walnutport. The house had a reputation for being haunted. Charms intended to ward off evil spirits were reportedly found inside. Kelchner also said that nighttime mysteries generally had ordinary explanations by morning.
A secondary regional account, "Ghosts of Lehigh County", discusses the Lady in White along the canal around the Slatington and Walnutport area. It notes that explanations of her supposed identity vary. This page does not treat any of those explanations as established. The legend, as the National Canal Museum reports it, is a story canal people told. It is not a verified paranormal record, and it does not establish who the woman was.
Sources
- National Canal Museum, "The Ghosts Keep Playing".
- "Ghosts of Lehigh County".
Heard another version?
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Primary source: the National Canal Museum article "The Ghosts Keep Playing," which discusses Morning Call accounts from 1952 and 1963. A secondary regional account is "Ghosts of Lehigh County."