History & local legend
John Peruka developed an unusual theory about Olyphant in Lackawanna County: its street map and religious buildings encoded a connection with ancient Egypt and the stars. When reporter Carol Crane interviewed him, he showed her seven churches marked on a map and said their positions matched the constellation Orion. A photograph from the 1950s showed a nearby hill he interpreted as a pyramid, while the borough’s outline reminded him of the Sphinx.
Those comparisons led Peruka to suggest that Olyphant contained a portal to another dimension. Mary Sutherland, who published material about his theory in 2005, visited with companions and photographed the Willow Avenue area, including the synagogue among the churches.
