Love your videos. I know this area well. This is probably the most common version of this story......From The Reading Eagle... Louisa Bissinger walked calmly down the Union Canal towpath, filling a basket with rocks as her three dutiful children followed along. Near a lock in the canal, Louisa gathered up the children and threw them and herself into the water. The rocks weighed her down, and she and the children drowned. It was a hot Sunday afternoon in 1875, and the family of Phillip Bissinger was wiped from the face of the earth in a murder-suicide that stunned Reading. Apparently upset over her husband's infidelity, Louisa decided to end her life and those of her children Mollie, Lillie and Philip. It was premeditated and calculated. Louisa and the kids had taken a trolley from Reading to the last stop near Gring's Mill and walked along the towpath for 2 miles. The children likely thought they were going for a picnic, and some reports suggest they helped their mother fill the basket that aided in their deaths. Recently, reader William Hartung wrote to the Reading Eagle to learn more about the Bissinger murders, knowing that the popular Gring's Mill recreation area, owned by Berks County, has a grisly tale associated with it. Indeed, several people have reported seeing ghosts near the site of the murder-suicide, said Charles J. Adams III, an Exeter Township author who has written extensively about ghosts of Berks County. Witnesses describe seeing three children, wearing homemade clothes, simply disappear as they walk along the towpath, Adams said. Thousands of hikers and cyclists on the trail at Gring's Mill pass the murder site, many unaware of the gruesome tale. It's an unassuming spot, just a gap in the brush, that looks like much of the former canal bed. But the incident was front page news at the time, with the Reading Eagle running a detailed description of Louisa's death, the inquiry into the murders and the motive behind them. It also was revealed that Louisa was expecting the couple's fourth child when she drowned. Phillip Bissinger, who eventually became president of the Reading Brewing Co., was among the city's upper echelon, and the funeral of his wife and three children drew tens of thousands of mourners, Adams said. "He was the most powerful man in Reading," Adams said. "Phil Bissinger was untouchable." But Bissinger had to address accusations that his infidelity caused the murder-suicide. He wrote a letter to the Reading Eagle, printed on the front page, that blamed his wife for listening to the baseless rumors of his extramarital flings. That didn't sit well with Louisa's family. Days later, her brother, Fred Eben, also wrote to the Eagle, chastising Bissinger for his public appeal and branding him as "the murderer of my sister and your four children." "I am willing that the people amongst who we live shall judge between us," Eben wrote. The debate did nothing to erase the fact that a mother ended three young lives and her own on a pleasant summer afternoon in Berks County.
Hello Woodsman, I have done many ghost investigations and quite a few covered bridges. And my results were pretty amazing. In my research I found these bridges were seens of hangings. Either suicide or executions. Sachs bridge in Gettysburg being an example. Of course researching the history of a so called haunted place is most fun for me, ghost or not. The construction of covered bridges I find fasinating. I had recorded footsteps following me in several covered bridges and I was the only one in the bridge. One such example was in one on the twenty some bridges in Lanc. CO. It wasn't long after a motor cyclist had been killed there and the bridges history included a number of suicides by hanging. So who knows. My research in this topic of the paranormal was done for my own knowledge and not to try a prove it to someone or science. I do feel that the paranormal may well have to do with dimensions, at least in part. But still, the Lovely Mother Earth and history take the front seat for me. Thanks Much! DaveyJO in Lancaster Co
Edit: The Van Sant story is a bit different but still similar, an unwed pregnant woman was shamed by her family, upon giving birth she snuck her and the baby out, went to the bridge, threw the baby off the bridge and hung herself in the rafters of the bridge. Same exact story about the Van Sant Bridge in New Hope, interesting how more then a few of these covered bridges have the same back story.
beauty of a bridge. I have been following you for about six month. And found this one. I thought about this towards the end, How do they paint the siding, re-roof, wow, you would have to approach this project in a different sort of way.
Never knew about that incident..I like to hear about the haunted areas..and I love the civil war history..thank you for starting this series..I'm looking for more..big thumbs up.
The Wandering Woodsman I'm not sure if you saw the big comment by Mike H... his logo is a big capital M in a hot pinkish red circle and he tells the story in the Reading Eagle Newspaper about what really happened with the murder suicide .. and that a baby was not thrown in... she was pregnant with the husband's fourth child.. if you haven't seen it , you might want to appreciate the real story .
These covered bridges all have similar legends attached to them.. baby thrown in water, mother hanged herself, etc. It's urban legend the result of someone hearing crying sounds at night. Red foxes sound a lot like a baby crying as do other nocturnal animals and covered bridges are often located in densely wooded areas which explains the animal cries. If you ever heard a red fox you'd swear it was a crying baby. Check this out: ua-cam.com/video/zk1mAd77Hr4/v-deo.html
Try to go there at night during the day it is unlikely anything actually spooky would happen i live near here and i went a few times and nothing to crazy but we did hear very heavy footsteps like boots walking the bridge with us and i heard of people seeing the kids ghosts also
Hi just found your channel I'm a new subscriber I grew up in Hellertown Pennsylvania and I always experience some weird crazy stuff out there my whole life. Do you have any videos directed towards Hellertown? Or know of any? Thank you
If you want to do a haunting video, you need to be there at 3:00am in the morning, because, that's the haunting time of the night, between 3:00am and 4:00am in the middle of the night.
I think you might be thinking of the haunted lock. I recently did the union canal towpath tour through that area and according to the brochure I picked up at Gring's Mill and county website. it said "On your way to the next stop, be on guard for the ghost of Mrs. Philip Bissinger. Reacting to her husband's advances toward other women, Mrs. Bissinger took her life and those of her three children by jumping into lock No. 49 E. (stop 6), about 5 p.m. on August 17, 1875. Following the tragedy, the bodies were taken to the Gring's home to await the coroner's inquest." www.co.berks.pa.us/Dept/Parks/Pages/Stop5Gring'sMillandHomestead.aspx
I really enjoy your adventures... it's like watching the discovery channel...
Love your videos. I know this area well. This is probably the most common version of this story......From The Reading Eagle...
Louisa Bissinger walked calmly down the Union Canal towpath, filling a basket with rocks as her three dutiful children followed along.
Near a lock in the canal, Louisa gathered up the children and threw them and herself into the water. The rocks weighed her down, and she and the children drowned.
It was a hot Sunday afternoon in 1875, and the family of Phillip Bissinger was wiped from the face of the earth in a murder-suicide that stunned Reading.
Apparently upset over her husband's infidelity, Louisa decided to end her life and those of her children Mollie, Lillie and Philip. It was premeditated and calculated.
Louisa and the kids had taken a trolley from Reading to the last stop near Gring's Mill and walked along the towpath for 2 miles.
The children likely thought they were going for a picnic, and some reports suggest they helped their mother fill the basket that aided in their deaths.
Recently, reader William Hartung wrote to the Reading Eagle to learn more about the Bissinger murders, knowing that the popular Gring's Mill recreation area, owned by Berks County, has a grisly tale associated with it.
Indeed, several people have reported seeing ghosts near the site of the murder-suicide, said Charles J. Adams III, an Exeter Township author who has written extensively about ghosts of Berks County.
Witnesses describe seeing three children, wearing homemade clothes, simply disappear as they walk along the towpath, Adams said.
Thousands of hikers and cyclists on the trail at Gring's Mill pass the murder site, many unaware of the gruesome tale. It's an unassuming spot, just a gap in the brush, that looks like much of the former canal bed.
But the incident was front page news at the time, with the Reading Eagle running a detailed description of Louisa's death, the inquiry into the murders and the motive behind them. It also was revealed that Louisa was expecting the couple's fourth child when she drowned.
Phillip Bissinger, who eventually became president of the Reading Brewing Co., was among the city's upper echelon, and the funeral of his wife and three children drew tens of thousands of mourners, Adams said.
"He was the most powerful man in Reading," Adams said. "Phil Bissinger was untouchable."
But Bissinger had to address accusations that his infidelity caused the murder-suicide. He wrote a letter to the Reading Eagle, printed on the front page, that blamed his wife for listening to the baseless rumors of his extramarital flings.
That didn't sit well with Louisa's family. Days later, her brother, Fred Eben, also wrote to the Eagle, chastising Bissinger for his public appeal and branding him as "the murderer of my sister and your four children."
"I am willing that the people amongst who we live shall judge between us," Eben wrote.
The debate did nothing to erase the fact that a mother ended three young lives and her own on a pleasant summer afternoon in Berks County.
Mike H
Thank you ever so much for posting that here
Her and her family are buried at Charles evans cemetary in reading
I thought it was only 2 kids and you say the but at the end 4? Was she pregnant or something?
Hello Woodsman, I have done many ghost investigations and quite a few covered bridges. And my results were pretty amazing. In my research I found these bridges were seens of hangings. Either suicide or executions. Sachs bridge in Gettysburg being an example. Of course researching the history of a so called haunted place is most fun for me, ghost or not. The construction of covered bridges I find fasinating. I had recorded footsteps following me in several covered bridges and I was the only one in the bridge. One such example was in one on the twenty some bridges in Lanc. CO. It wasn't long after a motor cyclist had been killed there and the bridges history included a number of suicides by hanging. So who knows. My research in this topic of the paranormal was done for my own knowledge and not to try a prove it to someone or science. I do feel that the paranormal may well have to do with dimensions, at least in part. But still, the Lovely Mother Earth and history take the front seat for me. Thanks Much! DaveyJO in Lancaster Co
that bridge reminds me of the story of the headless horseman harrassing Icabod Crane, the school teacher.
Love that you're skeptical but give it a shot anyway, and we're going to get to see some cool scenery in the process. Awesome!
Your videos are beyond awesome. You definitely would be an interesting guy to hang with.
But you got to go at night, about three o'clock in the morning, and take one or two friends with you too, it makes the video spookyer too.
Cool bridge but I would not want to walk through that at night alone in the dark
You need to come Lehigh valley there's two covered bridges
Beautiful covered bridge with a long span not very common. Im also from Pa and love covered bridges. Very sad haunting tale if thats true.
Edit: The Van Sant story is a bit different but still similar, an unwed pregnant woman was shamed by her family, upon giving birth she snuck her and the baby out, went to the bridge, threw the baby off the bridge and hung herself in the rafters of the bridge.
Same exact story about the Van Sant Bridge in New Hope, interesting how more then a few of these covered bridges have the same back story.
Love the heritage center , wagon works is really awesome place
Been there many times. Going to have to go at 3am and see how different it is then.
beauty of a bridge. I have been following you for about six month. And found this one. I thought about this towards the end, How do they paint the siding, re-roof, wow, you would have to approach this project in a different sort of way.
Never knew about that incident..I like to hear about the haunted areas..and I love the civil war history..thank you for starting this series..I'm looking for more..big thumbs up.
Thanks
The Wandering Woodsman
I'm not sure if you saw the big comment by Mike H... his logo is a big capital M in a hot pinkish red circle and he tells the story in the Reading Eagle Newspaper about what really happened with the murder suicide .. and that a baby was not thrown in... she was pregnant with the husband's fourth child.. if you haven't seen it , you might want to appreciate the real story .
And you might also want to read the comment by Davyjoe Weaver , their logo is identical to mine except it is sort of a purplish color
These covered bridges all have similar legends attached to them.. baby thrown in water, mother hanged herself, etc. It's urban legend the result of someone hearing crying sounds at night. Red foxes sound a lot like a baby crying as do other nocturnal animals and covered bridges are often located in densely wooded areas which explains the animal cries. If you ever heard a red fox you'd swear it was a crying baby. Check this out: ua-cam.com/video/zk1mAd77Hr4/v-deo.html
I think this one is just a local urban legend.
Beautiful bridge. Too bad about the tragic story.
Try to go there at night during the day it is unlikely anything actually spooky would happen i live near here and i went a few times and nothing to crazy but we did hear very heavy footsteps like boots walking the bridge with us and i heard of people seeing the kids ghosts also
Beautiful post civil war era bridge...
I remember this covered bridge story from JP Video he did a while back.
I agree with you Cliff it's only legend. Alot of people doing paranormal investigations there, but it's all a joke. Good video though!
Hi just found your channel I'm a new subscriber I grew up in Hellertown Pennsylvania and I always experience some weird crazy stuff out there my whole life. Do you have any videos directed towards Hellertown? Or know of any? Thank you
That is one long Burr arch covered bridge.
Check out one of your old videos ! Cliff , happy turkey day , cliff!
The theme song for this video should be baby come back
Check out Berks county parks and recreation department on FB... event Aug. 17th. Called history hike: the story of haunted lock #49
We use Alltrails.com,and you can add information and photos to the site.
Love it
If you want to do a haunting video, you need to be there at 3:00am in the morning, because, that's the haunting time of the night, between 3:00am and 4:00am in the middle of the night.
Just there today
I think you might be thinking of the haunted lock. I recently did the union canal towpath tour through that area and according to the brochure I picked up at Gring's Mill and county website. it said "On your way to the next stop, be on guard for the ghost of Mrs. Philip Bissinger. Reacting to her husband's advances toward other women, Mrs. Bissinger took her life and those of her three children by jumping into lock No. 49 E. (stop 6), about 5 p.m. on August 17, 1875. Following the tragedy, the bodies were taken to the Gring's home to await the coroner's inquest."
www.co.berks.pa.us/Dept/Parks/Pages/Stop5Gring'sMillandHomestead.aspx
The bridge and the lock share the same story...either one could be true or neither one.