Weird Highway

The Quaker State, the Keystone State, the Coal State-Pennsylvania is called all of these. But we like to call it the Weird State, because there's enough strange stuff going on here to fill an encyclopedia or, better yet, a book appropriately called Weird Pennsylvania. And who better to chronicle this state's roadside oddities, ancient mysteries, ghosts, and bizarre beats than Matt Lake, who, just like Benjamin Franklin, isn't from our state at all but sure has it in his bones. From the time he first arrived here last century, Matt has traveled thousands of miles, searching out Pennsylvania's best kept secrets and oddest legends. Scuttling about by every means available-except maybe the horse-drawn vehicles favored by some of our more famous citizens-and with notebook and camera in hand, Matt has gamely entered haunted houses, trekked lesser-traveled roads, discreetly photographed shoe-shaped houses, and made his way warily through abandoned mental institutions. Sheer force of will stopped him from buying a heart-shaped bathtub at the Mount Airy Lodge auction, but he did explore the wreck of the place so that we, admirers of the weird, could see the sad demise of another bit of Pennsylvania strangeness. So turn the pages and see the Statue of Liberty in the Dauphin Narrows, the dead and buried Corvette near Irwin, the tiny town of Midgetville, the Ape Boy of Chester, and Resurrection Mary in Schnecksville. Traipse through ghostly Eastern State Penitentiary, listen to the Screaming Lady in Fort Mifflin, and sympathize with Mrs. Snell, who was rained on by mud, lots of mud. Swim with the Monster of Lake Erie, bravely wander down Devil's Road, chat with the Green Man of Pittsburgh, and, if you dare, sit beneath Skull Tree. It's all here, it's all for you, it's all...very weird. A brand-new entry in the best-selling Weird U. S. series, Weird Pennsylvania is packed with all the info about the Quaker State that your history teacher never taught you. So travel down our state's highways and byways with Matt by your side. It's a great adventure. And we promise: It's a journey you'll never forget. Book jacket.

Each fun and intriguing volume offers more than 250 illustrated pages of places where tourists usually don't venture, including oddball curiosities, local legends, crazy characters, and peculiar roadside attractions.

Covering all 50 states, "Weird U.S." takes an unconventional look at the oddities, outcasts, and just plain strange things to see or do in America.

Take a tour of Route 66 unlike any other, discovering the secrets, memorable characters, and little known stories behind many of the route’s enduring icons. Find the answer to the question, “Who was Ella Jones?” and pay a visit to a secluded cemetery that few road warriors even know exists. Learn why Hooker, Missouri, disappeared, and who murdered Billie Grayson in Chandler, Oklahoma. Did you know that a strongbox full of gold still lies buried near the Colorado River, or that tragedy hounds a tiny place in Arizona named after a cartoon? Is it true that ghosts and monsters lurk along the highway’s reaches? Do you know what a Walldog is, or whether nuclear weapons were once used to blast a path for the route? Get the answers in Secret Route 66: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Two of the historic highway’s most recognized authorities, Jim Ross and Shellee Graham, chronicle these and dozens of other tales as they peel away the layers of history to expose the weird, wonderful, and obscure of America’s Mother Road.

Did you know ...that a hidden room exists behind Abraham Lincoln s head on Mt. Rushmore? ...that North Carolina was almost accidentally destroyed in a nuclear holocaust? ...that the Mason-Dixon Line had nothing to do with dividing north from south? ...that Major League Baseball once hosted a single game between three different teams? ...that there is a designated state highway in Michigan where cars are not allowed? ...that 21 people were once killed by a 15-foot wave of molasses that devasted a Boston neighborhood? ...that the National Security Agency has a gift shop with logoed merchandise? Whether you want to visit the New York grave where Uncle Sam is buried, stop by the future hometown of Star Trek's Captain Kirk in Iowa or see the room in California where the Internet was created, Secret America: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure is your ticket to some of the nation's least-known but most interesting spots. It is here where you can explore a historical marker dedicated to Barack and Michelle Obama's first kiss, find out how to acquire logoed merchandise at the National Security Agency's gift shop or examine why Case Western Reserve University has such an unusual name. Secret America is a look at the United States as you've never seen it before a tourist guide that gives you answers to the questions no tourist ever never knew they were supposed to ask. If you are tired of trying to enliven dull family roadtrips searching backroads for the World's Largest Ball of Twine, this is a handbook for truly interesting sites that can transform any cross-country adventure into a tour of the unique spots that make America the odd but fascinating nation that it is.

Explores ghosts and haunted places, local legends, cursed roads, crazy characters, and unusual roadside attractions found in the United States.