Mahanoy City, Schulykill County
The Peddler's Grave is a landmark recalling a brutal murder committed there on August 11, 1797, the first recorded killing in the county. It's the final resting place for Jost Folhaber, a local traveling peddler killed by a robber, Benjamin Bailey, who was later captured and hung. The peddler was buried under the tree where he met his untimely end. The grass withered and never grew again,and the snow which fell to a great depth all around the spot would melt at once as it fell about the tree. Passer-bys saw strange sights, and one young man, reported that he had seen the peddler, whom he had known well in life, running around the tree pursued by a man with an axe, reliving the crime. So dreaded was the spot that no one ventured to pass the grave if they could avoid it, and there were rumors of moans and cries in that vicinity, heard near and wide. Now it's a popular tourista spot; go figure. The story was taken verbatim from Old Schuylkill Tales, written by Ella Zerbey Elliott in 1906
The Peddler's Grave is a landmark recalling a brutal murder committed there on August 11, 1797, the first recorded killing in the county. It's the final resting place for Jost Folhaber, a local traveling peddler killed by a robber, Benjamin Bailey, who was later captured and hung. The peddler was buried under the tree where he met his untimely end. The grass withered and never grew again,and the snow which fell to a great depth all around the spot would melt at once as it fell about the tree. Passer-bys saw strange sights, and one young man, reported that he had seen the peddler, whom he had known well in life, running around the tree pursued by a man with an axe, reliving the crime. So dreaded was the spot that no one ventured to pass the grave if they could avoid it, and there were rumors of moans and cries in that vicinity, heard near and wide. Now it's a popular tourista spot; go figure. The story was taken verbatim from Old Schuylkill Tales, written by Ella Zerbey Elliott in 1906