History & local legend
Colonel John Lesher and two partners established Oley Forge in 1744. Lesher’s stone house stood on the hillside above the ironworks, allowing him to overlook the buildings where the work took place.
After the house was restored in the late 1960s, stories circulated that the ironmaster had returned. Accounts collected by Pennsylvania Researchers described Lesher with another man, said to have been his servant, and a large dog following them.
A fourth presence was associated with a child’s voice. People reported hearing a little girl singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” inside the house.
Sources
- Pennsylvania Researchers, Berks County Paranormal Database, Oley Forge, archived in 2008, documents the servant, dog, child and restoration-era tradition
- National Register nomination, Oley Township Historic District, section on Spangsville and the Lesher House, view 52
- Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery, Lesher biography, 1744 forge partnership
- Property listing for the Johannes Lesher House, identifies the ironmaster’s mansion at 208 Spangsville Road
