The haunted wedding dress
A woman named Anna Baker, let her heart lead her to the man of her dreams. However, her father, didn’t want her to marry a man of such poverty. Anna begged and pleaded with her father Elias, that this man, was the one she was meant to be with. However, her father wanted her to stay away from the lowly ironworker.
Distraught, Anna wanted to be with him. It was undeniable, Anna’s feelings were too strong for this man. One day, she went out and bought a wedding dress, hoping that her father would simply change his mind and that all would change for them. She desperately wanted all of her dreams to come true. Putting his foot down, Elias forbid Anna to marry him, instead wanting her to marry another man equal to his own social standing.
Elias Baker
In the mid 1800’s, Elias Baker owned and operated a blast furnace and made a good living from it. Elias Baker made his fortune along with his cousin Ronald Diller, when they purchased this dying furnace in Blair. As it turns out, it became quite profitable for them. Later, Elias bought Ronald’s share of the business, making him a very wealthy man.
He was set on furthering his social status in society, meanwhile trying to impress others with his wealth. Elias contracted Robert Cary Long, Jr. and a man named Baltimore to build a massive Greek-revival style mansion, completed at a cost for $15,000, a lot of money back in 1849.
Refusing to give into her father’s wishes, Anna inevitably would never marry any of her father’s suitors. She would end up dying an old maid in 1914. She would never get that chance to wear the dress, she picked out along with her mother for such a special occasion.
With a heartbroken soul, Anna apparently couldn’t move on into the afterlife. Fixated on both the man of her dreams and the wedding dress, she seemed to be trapped within the world. Her dress at some point in time, was acquired by the Blair County Historical Society’s museum. The residence was converted into a museum years later, by the Baker family.
At the Baker estate, in her room, the dress is on display. Visitors who frequent here, mention seeing a ghostly spirit, believed to be Anna dancing inside the room under the moonlight. While on display, people have witnessed her dress swaying back and forth, while it was inside of a glass case exhibit by itself.
Often when people come to the Baker museum, they feel like something is there with them. Consistently, people have reported witnessing a woman looking back at them while staring into the glass case where Anna’s wedding dress is kept. Some feel like Anna, is still wearing her dress into the afterlife. From these moments, the museum has since become a popular place to visit for paranormal enthusiasts and those curious enough to see for themselves in Altoona, PA.
(Source: Paranormal Junkie)
