Pittsburgh Again: Congelier House

Travel 5 Minutes

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, stands as a staple in the history of contemporary America with its reputation as the city of steel. It has another reputation intertwined with its glorious past, however. Spirits of the dead linger around every corner of this towering city, speaking tales of tragedy, suffering, and murder. 

There is one such location in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh whose name sends a shiver down locals’ spines to this day: the Congelier House. It no longer stands, covered by a highway, yet this once-grandiose home held a reputation so gruesome it’s believed the evil that once dwelled within left a mark on the city to this day. That’s why locals still believe the Congelier House was built by the devil himself. 

What is the story behind the Congelier House?

The infamous Congelier House has held a notorious reputation in the city of Pittsburgh for two centuries. So much so, in fact, it’s debated among locals whether the now demolished house ever even existed, but one thing is for sure if it did. The Congelier House was, without a doubt, the most haunted location in America. 

History of the Congelier House 

The most accepted timeline for the Congelier Mansion shows that it was built in the 1860s by Charles Congelier. A wealthy businessman, Congelier moved to Pittsburgh after the Civil War and had the elaborate home built for him, his wife, Lyda, and their maid, Essie. 

Life for the Congeliers was as good as it could get in the booming city of Pittsburgh. That all changed one day in 1871 when Charles’s wife, Lyda, heard noises from the maid’s quarters. It was Charles and Essie making sounds together that, let’s just say, made Lyda’s heart shatter. Grabbing a knife and a meat cleaver, Lyda returned to Essie’s bedroom and butchered them both.

A friend and neighbor of the Congeliers visited the house after seeing no one come or go for the next several days after the murders. The house was filled with the stench of decaying flesh. He then came upon the haunting sight of Lyda, covered in blood and sitting in a rocking chair, humming a lullaby as she cradled Essie’s severed head.

The Congelier House’s Later Years

The mansion sat abandoned for two decades before it underwent a series of ownerships. First, it was bought by a local railroad company in 1892. Then, in 1900, it was bought again by a reclusive doctor named Adolph Brunrichter. Finally, it was owned by the Equitable Gas Company until November 1927, when an explosion two blocks away completely demolished the Congelier Mansion. 

Today, the site of the grandiose Congelier House is covered by a highway and a nefarious enigma as well. Did this infamous mansion actually exist? If so, is there a shred of truth to the ghostly tales and the history surrounding it? For those who believe, the house didn’t just return to hell but was, as some call it, the “House the Devil Built.”

Hauntings Overview

The Congelier House was converted into apartments for railroad workers when it was purchased in 1892 by a local railroad company. However, what the company didn’t know was that evil was lying dormant in its walls all that time. 

Workers felt a general sense of unease and heard scratches coming from within the walls. Demonic voices echoed through the halls, and someone humming a lullaby could be heard. They also spoke of a deep hissing sound that seemed to emanate from everywhere in the house at once. 

The most unsettling experience involved several complaints workers submitted about their foreman. According to them, the foreman—who lived in his own private residence at the time—checked in on the men too often. This was a violation of privacy, as he lurked in the hallways at odd hours, watching them come and go. 

It seems like a logical complaint, except the foreman insisted he wasn’t visiting the house during those times; his wife and children vouched for his whereabouts. 

There was even one night when the apparition was seen at the house while the foreman was out having drinks with one of the railway’s vice presidents. The activity became so intense that these hardened blue-collar workers eventually refused to stay another night in the house.

The house sat vacant once again and was later purchased by the Equitable Gas Company. Its rooms were used to house immigrant workers, but they, too, found themselves hearing demonic voices throughout the home. 

Things became downright terrifying for them when the bodies of two workers were later found murdered in the basement. Only to make it stranger, there was nowhere in the basement for the killer to escape. The horrified remaining workers immediately moved out of the house never to return. 

The Mad Doctor

The only thing as disturbing as the story of the Congelier House’s first owners is the story of Dr. Adolph C. Brunrichter. He purchased the home in 1900 upon his immigration to America and never left or socialized with his neighbors. Blissful obscurity seemed to be the fate for the good doctor until August 12, 1901.

The neighbors were startled by a woman’s blood-curdling scream followed by an explosion of light from within the home. The police arrived and discovered a woman’s decapitated body, eerily similar to the house’s first crime it had ever witnessed. 

Upon further investigation, they also found a hidden laboratory with the heads of five more women. There were also notes left behind suggesting the doctor had been performing experiments to keep the heads alive even after decapitation. 

The doctor was nowhere to be found until 1927 when a man was arrested in New York claiming to be Adolph Brunrichter. He was drunk and told police about the experiments he performed in Pittsburgh, as well as the location of several other bodies. 

Police searched the locations, but there were no bodies, forcing them to deem the man harmless and release him. This odd figure referenced in the newspapers as the “Pittsburgh Spook Man” was never seen or heard from again. 

Haunted Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, boasts a rich history forged in the steel that built America. Stories of its past echo through Its cobblestone streets and towering skyscrapers and are carried away on the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. 

However, a darker undercurrent travels through the city, filled with death and agony, giving rise to its haunting tales. They’re whispered in the shadows of Pittsburgh where the dead linger, refusing to let the past of this great city remain buried. 

The infamous Congelier House is a haunting example. A once-grand residence, it soon became a house of terror that met a destructive end. Though it may be long gone, the chilling legend of the Congelier family continues to plague Pittsburgh’s collective memory.

Tales of a jealous wife, a brutal double murder, and a mad doctor have embedded the Congelier House’s place as America’s most haunted house. It also adds credence to its spine-gripping reputation as the “House the Devil Built.”

Pittsburgh is riddled with ghosts lurking in the shadows at every turn. Come and see them firsthand with Pittsburgh Ghosts! Book an unforgettable ghost tour on our website today while there’s still room.

SOURCE: PITTSBURGHGHOSTS.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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86 thoughts on “Pittsburgh Again: Congelier House”

  1. Morning All!

    rained fairly hard throughout the night–woke me up a few times. When it gets light, it will be interesting to see the effect on the pond. The thermometer was not foggy this morning, it’s 39*.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Good Morning Filly!

        rain is predicted heavy off and on all day so if i disappear for a while, you’ll know why. Now that it’s light outside, I can see the pond has already risen at least another 3 inches!

        I’ve had some weird experiences in my life. not exactly saying ghosts, but something.

        Did you see the post i made at Marica’s? Phoenix posted at wolf’s yesterday!

        Liked by 1 person

        2. Now that it’s getting light, I can see that it’s mostly cloudy; there was a slight chance of snow but we didn’t see any here. Little to no chance of any moisture for the next 10 days at least. Of course, that can (and probably will) change so who knows?!?! As for the weird experiences, I’ve never had anything like that happen to me.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. you never felt a “presence”?
            gosh when we went on the kids’ field trips–Gettysburg, Philadelphia and DC–certain buildings had presences–you could feel it walking in. like a slight closing around of the air. some places were fine, but others were downright creepy.

            Liked by 1 person

  4. Charlotte99

    October 30, 2025 4:31 am

    EXCLUSIVE: One of the top medical schools in the nation is being accused of attempting to hide its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts by moving its DEI office to another location on a restricted floor and continuing its DEI efforts despite the Trump administration’s crackdown. 

    “Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis didn’t dismantle its illegal ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ regime,” America First Legal posted on X. “Instead, they hid their DEI office on a restricted floor. America First Legal found it.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-medical-school-moved-dei-office-secret-location-tries-evade-accountability-legal-group

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Just The News: “Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) CEO Devin Nunes on Wednesday night blasted former Special Counsel Jack Smith for subpoenaing the company’s bank records as part of his probe into President Donald Trump.

    Nunes said TMTG was one of the 400 Trump-aligned individuals and organizations that Smith “spied on” in his probes, and that Smith’s team issued a “shockingly broad, secret subpoena for our banking records.”

    “This is a stunning abuse of power against a private business and our hundreds of thousands of retail investors, especially since Trump Media did not even exist at the time of the events Jack Smith was supposedly investigating,” Nunes posted on Truth Social. “We now need to know what the [Securities and Exchange Commission] and J.P. Morgan knew about this blatant malfeasance, when did they know it, and whether anyone leaked our bank records.”

    Smith led two criminal investigations into Trump during the Biden administration, including into allegations that Trump mishandled classified documents and that his actions on January 6, 2021, were an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. 

    The president was never convicted of crimes in either case.” 

    Liked by 1 person

  12. a little sanity…

    Jake

    October 30, 2025 8:11 am

    Appeals Court to Lefty Judge and Her Insane Border Patrol Ruling: Lady, You’re Not Doing This Right Now

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/10/30/appeals-court-slaps-down-silly-lefty-judge-who-demanded-border-patrol-meet-with-her-daily-n2665672

    A federal appeals court ruled that a lunatic judge’s ruling for the Border Patrol can be ignored at this time. Judge Sarah Ellis decided that she had appointed herself the chief of operations for immigration enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security with her silly ruling about mandatory body cameras for ICE agents. On this ruling, she ordered Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino to meet with her daily. Luckily, the Seventh Circuit put the kibosh on that, at least for now (via CBS News): 

    A federal appeals court granted a request from the U.S. Department of Justice for an administrative stay pausing an order that requires Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino to meet in person with Judge Sara Ellis each day.

    n their filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, lawyers for the government argue the order “far exceeds the recognized bounds of discovery” and “significantly interferes” with Bovino’s function, which the government argues is “ensuring the Nation’s immigration laws are properly enforced.” 
    They also argue the meetings are “untethered to the plaintiffs’ underlying claims” and go beyond reasonable necessity to comply with the court orders already in place. 

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Just The News: “House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan declared on Wednesday night that he would subpoena former Special Counsel Jack Smith if he does not voluntarily sit for a deposition after two of his deputies took the Fifth in recent interviews.

    Jordan also floated making changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is up for reauthorization at the end of the year, that would make it harder for the feds to get access to private data.

    The comments come after recent documents showed that the Biden administration’s FBI opened an investigation into President Donald Trump and hundreds of his allies over their Jan. 6 activities with weak evidence. 

    Smith has stated that he would like to set the record straight on his two controversial investigations and Jordan has sent a letter inviting Smith to testify before his committee. “We want to talk to him,” Jordan said on the Just the News, No Noise television show. “We will use everything we have to get this guy, and we want to get all this information and talk to him in a deposition format, and then we’ll decide if we’re going to do some public hearing. 

    “But we want the same documents that are now starting to come forward,” he continued. “We want to take a chance to look at all this and ask him in a deposition format about this stuff.”

    Jordan also stated that he was looking at how to protect American liberties moving forward, after it was revealed that Smith subpoenaed phone records and geolocations of private citizens and members of Congress. One way Jordan said he could protect Americans is through reforms to FISA, a 1978 law which establishes federal procedures for the surveillance and collection of foreign intelligence on U.S. soil.

    “We’re supposed to protect your building,” Jordan said. “The rights you have under the bill of rights, the rights you have under the First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Second Amendment, all those key liberties we have in this greatest country ever. That’s supposed to be our focus. 

    “We know the FISA process was abused in numerous ways over the years,” Jordan continued. “If you’re going to go search the 702 database as an example, you got to go to a separate and equal branch of government and get a probable cause warrant. You can’t just go looking through there.”

    Jordan said the process was abused in Smith’s investigation by issuing subpoenas without strong evidence to support it, including subpoenas for people like White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino. “Why [do] you need his bank records? What is going on?” Jordan said. “What was the probable cause that said somehow Dan Scavino is engaged in criminal activity, and we need to see his bank records. That makes no sense.”

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Just The News: “The Senate on Wednesday night voted to end tariffs that President Donald Trump placed on Canada earlier this year, by ending the national emergency declaration that put the tariffs in place.

    The Senate passed the Democratic-led resolution in a 50-46 vote, which saw Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and former Senate Leader Mitch McConnell vote with Democrats.

    The vote comes after Trump ended trade talks with Canada last week after Ontario ran a controversial ad that featured a recording of a speech by Republican former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs on foreign goods.

    The Senate also repealed tariffs on Brazil on Tuesday in a 52-48 split, by ending the emergency declaration that allowed them to be enacted in the first place.

    Despite the Senate’s votes, the same moves are not expected to pass the House, which would also need to repeal the declarations in order to end the tariffs and Trump would need to sign them, according to ABC News.”

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Liked by 1 person

  19. “They’ve already come out and said that his impending election – and all the bullshit he’s talking about doing – is driving up the real estate markets in Connecticut and New Jersey, even as far away as Bucks County in Pennsyltucky.”

    Liked by 1 person

  21. DC_Draino

    @DC_Draino

    It’s all very simple.

    The climate change hysteria was pushed by China to restrict our economy with burdensome regulations while China could burn as much coal and dump as much pollution as possible to catch up to our economy.

    Bill Gates and other puppets pushed it to get preferable factory deals in China.

    Now that Bill Gates is being investigated for basically sending payoffs to the CCP, he’s backtracking on climate hysteria.

    He won’t be the last to do so.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. haven’t heard of this…but…

    Gnome1949

    October 30, 2025 10:51 am

    Apparently, there is a “Mass Theft of Food at Walmart” nationwide event being planned for November 3rd.

    Why would Walmart remain OPEN for that?

    Why would any law-abiding shoppers, willing to pay for groceries, show up at any Walmarts for that fiasco?

    Those who actually BUY groceries would be attacked as they push their carts out to their cars.

    This is NOT SOME GAME !

    Liked by 1 person

  24. O.M.G!!!! HE’S NOT EVEN FUCKING DRESSED!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  30. “Petrified Wood From The Forest That Used To Be”

    “Blurp!”

    “Hey, are you going outside???”

    “Looks like a repurposed post office jeep”

    Liked by 1 person

  31. “The ancient Petra Theater in Jordan. Make one wonder what the last performance was in that theater, so many years ago.”

    “Meanwhile, In Greenland….”

    “Nighttime Desert Magic”

    Studebaker

    “Surface Tension Shadow – Looks Like Big Pads”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. cool photos!!

      I love the theater–surprised it’s still so beautiful and some stupid group hasn’t found a way to destroy it!

      and from this angle, it looks like an 8 arm/legged man doing jumping jacks…LOL ^^^^^

      Liked by 1 person

  33. talked to Mom. Her cold is getting better, but since her UTI, she has a lot of trouble with time. For instance, she was telling me about her friend there–Ann. today she said, she’s known and been friends with Ann for 2 years. I never know if I should correct her or not.

    and then the garage called about my Jeep–finally done. He had a harder time than he thought he would finding parts.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Why worry about correcting her? It wouldn’t change anything except to make her doubt herself. Besides, what difference does it make anyway? Hell, I have the same problem when I try to remember what year something happened! LOL

      Liked by 1 person

  35. Senate votes to undo biden ban on arctic drilling

    FTA

    The Senate on Thursday voted to overturn a Biden administration plan that would have restricted drilling in the Arctic.

    The vote was 52-45. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) joined Republicans in voting in favor.

    The 2022 Biden administration plan in question made about 52 percent of land available for drilling in an area known as the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. A previous Trump administration plan would have allowed drilling in 82 percent of the petroleum reserve.

    “This will benefit North Slope communities with jobs & economic growth, and support their tax base to improve access to essential services like water and sewer systems and clinics,” sponsor Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in a post on the social platform X in September.

    If the House takes up the resolution, it’s likely to pass with the GOP majority and would also be expected to have President Trump’s support.

    The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside in 1923 by former President Harding as an emergency oil reserve for the Navy. It is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

    The vote was held under the Congressional Review Act, which allows the Senate to vote to overturn regulations with a simple majority, bypassing the filibuster.

    https://therightscoop.com/breaking-senate-just-voted-to-undo-biden-ban-and-drill-baby-drill-in-arctic/

    Liked by 1 person

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