History & local legend
Charming Forge, the former ironmaking community near Womelsdorf in Berks County, is home to a tragic romance involving ironmaster George Ege’s young ward, known in the story as Von Neida. She fell in love with a clerk employed at the forge. Ege would consent to their marriage only when the young man could afford to support her, so the clerk left to make his fortune.
The legend says he succeeded and returned with money in his saddlebags. As he approached the mansion, Von Neida waved a handkerchief to welcome him. He rose in his stirrups to wave back, startling his horse. It threw him, and he died before the couple could be reunited.
His ghost is said to remain on the road where the accident occurred, while Von Neida continues to occupy her upstairs bedroom in the mansion, grieving for the man she had expected to marry.
Sources
- Charles J. Adams III, Reading Eagle, Berks the Bizarre, Charming Forge has long been associated with paranormal activity, February 25, 2015
- Laura Klotz, MarkerQuest, field visit and the region’s tradition of the clerk and Von Neida’s room
- Historic American Buildings Survey, Charming Forge, ironmaster’s house, location, building history and identification of George Ege
- Esri World Geocoding Service, point address for 274 Charming Forge Road
