History & local legend
Tamarack Swamp near Corry and the New York border has a local legend about a school-bus driver called George. The story says two buses met on a narrow road through the wetland, collided and plunged into the water. After children died in the crash, George returned and hanged himself from one of the road’s three bridges.
The tale became a challenge for generations of local teenagers. Calling George’s name three times was supposed to bring thrashing sounds from beneath a bridge. Other versions added children’s voices, small handprints on cars and vehicles that stalled or refused to let their owners back inside.
A group of students recorded their own visit in October 2008. They walked to the third bridge and back without encountering George. The surprise came on their return, when other young people hiding in the woods tried to frighten them.
Sources
- Southwestern Juniors, firsthand account of the 2008 walk, the George dare and the group of kids, October 16, 2008
- Ron Ieraci, Tamarack Swamp, regional versions and the old road through the swamp
- Brian White, November 30, 2014, first-person recollection from Clymer of the locked-car version
- Stuart O. Reese, Pennsylvania Geological Survey, Tamarack Swamp, Warren County, coordinates, photograph credit and geography
- National Park Service, Tamarack Swamp, National Natural Landmarks program
