By EDWARD LEVENSON
Bucks County Courier Times
Ever since Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson died in 1801, her ghost has haunted Graeme Park, the Horsham mansion where her family once lived.
At least that's the legend associated with the preserved state historic site, also known as the Keith House, for more than 200 years, according to Beth MacCausland, a member of Friends of Graeme Park.
Elizabeth Fergusson had inherited the house from her father, Dr. Thomas Graeme, who was married to Ann Diggs, stepdaughter of Provincial Gov. William Keith. Graeme purchased the estate in 1739. Graeme Park was confiscated after Elizabeth and her husband, Scottish-born Henry Fergusson, were accused of being pro-British traitors during the Revolutionary War, but she later reclaimed it.
A close friend of Mrs. Fergusson wrote in her diary of seeing Elizabeth's ghost within months of her death and those reports continue 200 years later.
While Halloween puts ghosts in the spotlight, there are those who believe ? or at least want others to believe ? that certain places in Bucks and Montgomery counties are always haunted. Many of them are inns that date back to the Revolutionary War era.
Patti Starr, a ?ghost hunter? from Kentucky who spoke of her experiences Thursday night at Temple's Ambler campus, said this is partly because businesses such as bed-and-breakfasts are more likely to publicize psychic phenomena. But restaurants and inns also generate more ?energy? from the thousands and thousands of patrons who pass through.
?When you have a family of three people (in a house), there's not as much energy,? she said.
Starr said phenomena such as bright lights and noises are far more common than actual ghost sightings. ?To get a full apparition is almost impossible.?
Last weekend at Graeme Park, for example, something happened to suggest a ghost albeit not explicitly show a ghost. A visitor took a digital photo at the pond that appeared to show the image of a woman in a dress floating above the ground, according to MacCausland.
?Who's to say what it was?? she said. While she has never seen apparitions, she has smelled lavender and cigar smoke on occasion although no one was in the house.
There are plenty of local places where people claim a haunting, including: the Logan Inn, the Parry Mansion and the Joseph Pickett House in New Hope; the Inn at Phillips Mill and the Black Bass Hotel in Solebury, Devil's Half Acre in Plumstead and Fonthill Museum in Doylestown Township.
The Bucksville House bed-and-breakfast in the Upper Bucks community of Kintnersville also has a reputation of being haunted, although Joe Szollosi, who owns the inn with his wife, Barbara, said they have never seen any ghosts in their 22 years as proprietors and residents. He said previous owners of the more than 200-year-old country inn told them of ghostly visitors.
?We call them guests that don't sign the register,? he said. ?I don't really know if I believe this. I don't think about it on a day-to-day basis.?
However, paying guests have reported strange encounters over the years. One woman said she awoke to see two women in colonial garb hovering over the bed and the quilt rack. When she asked what they were doing, they replied, ?We're here to tidy up.? Szollosi said the woman insisted she was not dreaming.
?Ghostbusters? have examined the inn and detected ?hot spots? and ?cold spots,? according to Szollosi. He said there is not one personality associated with the property, but tens of thousands of guests stayed there during its century as the Bucksville Hotel from 1830 to 1930.
?It's interesting to hear the stories people tell us. It's not frightening to me to be here,? he said.
The Loller Building in Hatboro, once a school and now used as borough hall, may have been visited by ghosts. Viki Connolly, former borough administrative assistant, reported seeing a tall man walk across the tax collector's office early one morning in 2000 and disappear without a trace. A paranormal research firm from New Jersey probed the building in 2002.
Police Chief Jim Gardner, who is acting borough manager, said the building, erected in 1811 as the Loller Academy, has been around so long that it is not surprising it is associated with ghosts.
?There's a legend about this building. There's always been a legend down there,? he said at the police station five blocks away. ?I can't say I've ever seen anything.?
Gardner is skeptical about ghostly sightings. ?You've got to show me proof. If I ever see one down here, I'll let you know.?
Looking for a ghost? Try these spots:
In Horsham, Graeme Park, 859 County Line Road, holds its annual Ghostly Gatherings from 7 to 10 tonight. Tickets are $8; $5 for children 3 to 12.
In Riegelsville, Haunted Walking Tours (ages 10 and over) will take place at 7 and 9 tonight starting at borough hall, 615 Easton Road. Cost without reservations is $15. The Rev. Jeffrey Wargo, pastor of St. John United Church of Christ, will tell ghost stories Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Riegelsville Inn, 10 Delaware Road. There is an $8 cover charge. He is the author of ?Ghosts in the "Ville: True Stories of the Unexplained in Riegelsville, Pa.?
In New Hope, Ghost Tours begin 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights at Main and Ferry Streets. The Halloween night tour will start at 8 p.m. The charge is $10 and no reservations are required.
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