History & local legend
In November 1869, a white apparition near Savannah Methodist Church in Shenango Township became a local sensation. David Barge returned from the church frightened by what he had seen, only to be teased by his nephew Eli Gaston. Curious despite his disbelief, Eli went to the churchyard with two other boys the next evening.
They saw the figure too and fled. On another visit, four boys returned determined to investigate. They heard a scratching sound resembling claws against bark. When one asked what the apparition wanted, it seemed to attempt speech but produced only a groan.
The figure appeared on different sides of the cemetery fence without the boys seeing it cross. Eli later compared its motion to gliding on wheels. David P. Jackson preserved their recollections in a February 26, 1917 New Castle News column, describing how the boys’ experience drew other curious residents to the churchyard.
Sources
- David P. Jackson, The Ghost at Savannah Church, New Castle News, February 26, 1917, contemporary newspaper image and extended eyewitness-based transcription reproduced by Robin Swope
- Lawrence County Memoirs, Savannah Methodist Church & Cemetery, site history, early published postcard and named witnesses
- Dwight Copper, Savannah Methodist Church Cemetery survey, congregation history and David Barge grave in Section A
- PeopleLegacy, Savannah Cemetery burial inventory and map
- David P. Jackson account reproduced in March 2009 archive
