History & local legend
The Jacob Witzel House is an early-nineteenth-century home on Evergreen Road in Ross Township. During the Sokolowski family’s time there, Peter Sokolowski reported hearing footsteps on an empty staircase. Another visitor, Larry Jones, described seeing an older woman with red hair at a window. Because several members of his girlfriend’s family were red-haired, he initially assumed she was a relative; the family could not account for her.
These experiences became part of a television investigation filmed at the house in December 2006. Psychic C.J. Sellers toured the property with a Penn State paranormal researcher while a crew recorded the visit. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Rob Owen later described the filming and interviewed those involved.
A selection of old photographs was used during the visit. Jones and Sellers viewed the pictures separately and chose the same woman, whose photograph had been found in the house.
Sources
- Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on-site report and interviews with the Sokolowski family and the crew
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, original December 9, 2007 edition preserved by the Internet Archive
- Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, Jacob Witzel House plaque inventory, 3392 Evergreen Road, circa 1820
- Esri, historic Evergreen Road address
- OpenStreetMap, public Evergreen Road and Short Street junction just south of the house
