History & local legend
Old Saint Joseph’s Cemetery occupies Sidler Hill in Danville, on a steep slope behind the water tower near Geisinger Medical Center. Its ghost stories describe strange lights among the graves and the sound of adults conversing when no speakers can be found. Listeners have identified the reported languages as Welsh and Irish.
The burial ground belongs to the history of Danville’s Catholic community. Before Saint Joseph Parish was formally established in 1845, traveling priests celebrated Mass for Irish immigrants working on the Pennsylvania Canal. The parish later built churches and schools as that community grew.