Hellertown’s Laubach Jail, built in 1872, has been preserved and is maintained by Hellertown Historical Society volunteers. (Credit: Helen Behe)
The mischievous breezes of early September mornings like to whistle through cracked windows and whisper to you that it’s time to put on thicker socks. With the trees hinting at a change in hue, and the sound of dry leaves skittering across pavement, my thoughts drift to the colder days of fall. Soon jack-o-lanterns will be placed on front stoops and trick-or-treaters will tread the sidewalks of Birch Road, Elm Street and Constitution Avenue in search of candy.
Tucked away and easily overlooked, Hellertown is home to a very interesting site for the spooky season. Located on Laubach Street is Hellertown’s original jail house, a single room building measuring only twelve by fourteen feet. Constructed in 1872, the jailhouse was commissioned and built by Thomas Laubach, the first chief burgess of Hellertown and the man for whom Laubach Street is named. During its decades of service, the jailhouse appears to have served several purposes. Yes, it was used to incarcerate ne’er-do-wells and criminals awaiting trial. But it is presumed that the jail also provided temporary housing for borough employees in need of a place to live. The jail house was closed in 1900, having been replaced by cells inside the Hellertown Borough building. In 2007, the structure was renovated and given by a descendant of Thomas Laubach to the care of the Hellertown Historical Society.
While there is no particular ghost or phantom that is associated with the old jailhouse, rumors have swirled for years. After all, Borough Hall, whose prison cells that rendered the Laubach
jailhouse obsolete, is said to be haunted. Built in 1818 as the home of Dr. Henry Detwiller, the building served as a hotel from 1907 to 1939, prior to its 1942 dedication as Borough Hall. Who knows for sure whether the disgruntled ghost of a former jailhouse occupant isn’t spooking Borough Hall to protest the desertion of the jailhouse? And when one considers that many suspicious characters rested uneasily within the jailhouse’s four walls for a quarter of a century, is it far-fetched to believe that one of them may have returned to haunt the old prison?
I decide to visit the jailhouse in the hopes of finding some evidence that would either prove or disprove the rumors I’d heard. On the day I stop at the jailhouse, the sky is dull and the wind has an extra edge to its gusts. I stand on Laubach Street to appraise the jailhouse, listening for anything unusual. As I circle the building, something white flashes in the window of one of the houses–a ghostly face? Or maybe just the reflection of a cloud? Its presence is too brief for me to determine, but it is enough to quicken my heartbeat. As I head around to the front and read the jailhouse’s plaque, a ghoulish scream fills the air. I jump and brace myself for the worst. Rustling comes from a nearby bush. I back away. A gray beard emerges, followed by a deathly white neck and two hooves! I imagine something with sinister intentions watching me from the bush until it gives a friendly bleat; a neighboring goat stares at me through the leaves. Feeling unsettled but a little foolish, I turn back to the jailhouse. As I do so, a piece of metal winks up at me from the gravel surrounding the building. Stooping to examine it, I find a rusted chain link. Did the chain once hang from the handcuffs of an unknowingly innocent man? Or did it keep the jail door fastened shut during the long, uneasy hours of the night? I want to pick it up for a better look, but something in my gut tells me not to.
Now with a case of the jitters, I determine not to take any more chances and leave the old jail to its own company. As I pull away from Laubach Street, the gray sky rumbles ominously.
Is the old Laubach jail haunted? I’ll leave that for you to decide. But as Halloween draws ever closer, you might consider stopping by for your own investigation.
Helen Behe is an MFA candidate at DeSales University, where she is studying through the program’s poetry track for a degree in creative writing and publishing. Aside from her studies, Helen enjoys gardening, boxing and rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. She is a resident of Bethlehem. Read more of Helen’s Then & Now series here.
