History & local legend
Shirley Welch first visited the former mining town of Fall Brook in Tioga County on horseback as a teenager. In 2021, she returned to its cemetery with reporter Natalie Kennedy and companion Willow Lockett to describe a connection she felt with one of the graves.
Welch believed a weathered stone contained a face resembling her own, with flowing hair, large eyes and a small mouth. She began leaving small gifts, including flowers, stones and gourds, for the person buried there.
On a later visit, she found the stone tipped over and thought its face looked threatening. Welch and her companions interpreted the change as another spirit's jealousy. They said that presence followed them home before they managed to return it to Fall Brook.
Sources
- Natalie Kennedy, Wellsboro/Mansfield Gazette, 2021 visit to the cemetery with Shirley Welch and Willow Lockett
- Free Press-Courier, Welch discusses her subsequent book The Last Spirit of Fall Brook
- MyHikes, Fall Brook Cemetery field visit, trail survey and photographs
- GeoNames, Fallbrook Cemetery, Ward Township, via Mapcarta
