![]() ![]() The legend has even traveled to nearby Happy Hollow Road in Elizabeth Borough. (For example, “there was an old orphanage down near the Boston Bridge somewhere.”) This is evident in that some folks regard Renzie Road as the home of 13 Bends, which winds its way up and down the hill next to the Boston Bridge. This is because people may have referred to it when discussing the legend. The site’s proximity to the Boston Bridge also may have helped to anchor the legend in place. It would be all too easy to connect the cemetery to the missing orphanage, and on cold, crisp October evenings, creepy stories can easily arise. But the location of the long-gone orphanage at the edge of town, adjacent to an old cemetery, undoubtedly helped to create the legend. The secluded location created by the river bend and the single access back road set the stage. There are many aspects about the Coulter / Alpsville location that lend themselves to being the home of a haunted legend. Their account weaves together the history and legends in logical and presentable fashion! How did the legend grow? For a full, well-written account of the story of 13 bends, pick up a copy of Haunted Roads of Western Pennsylvania by Thomas White & Tony Lavorgne. Some versions of the legend insist that the young victims are buried in the cemetery, and that the church and grounds are also haunted…Ī quick internet search for “13 Bends” will return all kinds of information, most of which is disjointed and conflicting, but this indicates the fluid nature of the urban legend. Note that it did not burn down in tragic fashion, but was removed after becoming obsolete. The church and cemetery are still there, along with foundational remnants of the orphanage. The orphanage has long since been torn down and the church closed. The rumor of the orphanage is partly true – an orphanage for boys was situated in Alpsville at the far end of the town, adjacent to St. ![]() Known as Coulterville Road, this is often the subject of the urban legend, even though it is not so curvy! Legend has it that an orphanage burned down years ago at some spot along the road, and the ghostly activity of the young victims can be sensed at certain times. Because of the secluded nature of the area created by the river bends, there is only one road in and out of the town. This area was originally known as Alpsville, a small coal mining patch along the river and railroad. ![]() The most well-known version of the story is situated in Coulterville, PA, southeast of Pittsburgh, surrounded by the Youghiogheny River just south of its confluence at McKeesport. Some versions of the story suggest 12 vs. For some mysterious and ghostly reason the number of curves do not add up. For those not familiar with the general premise, the 13 bends legend typically involves a spooky, curvy road in a remote area, in which the number of curves in one direction do not equal the number in the opposite direction. The story of 13 Bends is well known in the Pittsburgh area, and is the perfect example of how a loose collection of facts, exaggerations and locations can weave together to form an urban legend. ![]()
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