History & local legend
The Sagamore Hotel served the mining community of Sagamore in Armstrong County. In June 2002, investigator Jon McClintock visited the hotel with a camcorder and reported recording an unusual light near its stage.
According to his account, a bright orb emerged from behind the stage, made a sharp turn, and moved toward the camera. It then rose and veered away. Excited by the recording, McClintock rewound the tape to look again—but accidentally recorded over the footage he wanted to preserve. A single captured frame remained.
The hotel was lost to a fire in August 2005. McClintock’s written account and surviving image remained as the record of his investigation.
Sources
- Jon McClintock, Allegheny Mountain Ghosthunters, first-person 2002 camcorder account and recovered still
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania Special Collections, Eileen Mountjoy Cooper’s history of the Sagamore company town
- Sagamore Coalfield, before and after photographs and account of the August 2005 fire
- Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, Hotel Sagamore, resource 1998RE00528
- Philadelphia Architects and Buildings, Hotel Sagamore, Route 210 in Cowanshannock Township
