When it comes to history, nothing is more entertaining than
stories about the hidden past in your home state.

“Pennsylvania Ghost Towns: Uncovering the Hidden Past,” by Susan
Hutchinson Tassin, seeks to uncover some of the mysteries of
abandoned settlements throughout Pennsylvania. Of the 46 towns
covered, five are – or were – from McKean County, three from Elk
County, two in Potter County and one in Cameron County.

“The ghost towns ranged from boom-and-bust lumber camps to
spiritual enclaves to communities ravaged by natural disasters,”
said a press release from publisher Stackpole Books of
Mechanicsburg.

Many of the 11 towns mentioned above were boom-and-bust lumber
camps, but each has its own unique story. Some are long gone, with
only a few derelict buildings hinting at their once prosperous
existence, while others still stand today, a shadow of their glory
years.

Tassin even goes so far as to apologize to these still present
ghost towns in the preface. She says of these towns: “a few people
remain in the original towns, but the towns have ceased to exist in
a practical sense. To these remaining residents, I ask your pardon
for including your hometown in this book.”

The stories provide a glimpse into the lives of residents and
businesses from the past. Tassin gives the rise and fall of the
towns, directions on how to find them and what the interested
person might see when he or she gets there.

In McKean County, the book covers Teutonia, Betula, Norwich,
Gardeau and Clermont.

Teutonia was a communal society, which survived through farming
and cattle, but eventually collapsed due to economic turmoil.
Nothing is left of the town.

The town of Betula rose out of barrel making and lumbering. It
had all the luxuries of the early 1900s, including a taxicab
service. Like most towns dependent on the forests, the trees were
clear-cut and the town became almost as bare.

Norwich also thrived off the woods. Included in its luxuries
were two chauffeured Cadillac limousines to take ladies to and from
the shopping areas. Most of the houses left with the timber, but a
handful are still standing, complete with occupants.

Gardeau was a city built on a treasure. A buried British silver
treasure, now estimated to be worth ,5 million, may still lay
somewhere in the hills now littered with hunting camps.

Clermont may be the most familiar of the McKean County set,
seeing how it is still occupied, but it makes the book because
“it’s almost impossible to picture an opera house in this area now
consisting largely of hunting camps.” Clermont was fueled by coal,
then moved to clay and was snuffed out when the mill burned
down.

The book is available through Stackpole Books or on their Web
site.