Lost Love & A Haunted Wedding Dress
Freaky Friday
Welcome back to another Freaky Friday. After being forbidden from marrying her true love, Anna Baker still mourns in our realm today.
The Baker family resided in Altoona, Pennsylvania, comprised of Elias, a prosperous ironmaster and partner in a furnace company, his wife Hetty, and their four children: David, Sylvester, Anna, and Margretta. Tragically, Margretta passed away from an illness at the young age of two.
In 1845, the family began constructing their dream home, Baker Mansion. However, the building process was filled with mishaps and delays, preventing completion until 1849. The financial strain of the project nearly led the Bakers to bankruptcy, with costs totaling around $15,000—a sum equivalent to just under $309,000 today. While this might not seem outrageous in some areas, it’s important to note that housing prices can vary significantly depending on the location.
In that same year, Anna fell in love with a man and wished to marry him. However, Elias disapproved, deeming him “just a low-class ironworker.” He insisted that Anna marry someone of “equal social standing” and even went so far as to banish her suitor from Altoona. If I were Anna, I might have chosen to leave with him, but I understand that societal constraints were much different back then.
Desperate to change her father's mind, Anna pleaded with Elias to relent. She even went to the extent of purchasing a wedding dress, but her father remained resolute in his refusal.
When the dust appeared to settle, Elias attempted to introduce Anna to more “socially acceptable” suitors, but she rejected each one.
Elias passed away in 1864, followed by Hetty in 1900. Despite her parents' deaths, Anna chose to remain single for the rest of her life, ultimately passing away in 1914.
In 1922, the Blair County Historical Society leased Baker Mansion and transformed it into a museum. Twenty years later, in 1944, they were able to purchase the mansion, thanks to the unwavering support of the community. The mansion still operates as a museum today. The museum has undergone extensive restorations, showcasing beautiful furniture and paintings, making it a fascinating destination. And yes, it is said to be haunted.
Multiple members of the Baker family are believed to haunt the mansion. Elias is often spotted in the dining room, while David, one of Anna’s brothers, tragically lost his life in a steamboat accident in 1852. Visitors have reported hearing screams from the room where David's body was kept until the ground thawed for burial. Hetty is also said to haunt the mansion, often appearing in a “heavy black dress” as she ascends the stairs. Reports of moving furniture and the sound of footsteps are common, along with the eerie music of a music box playing in Anna’s dress room, even when no one is present. Interestingly, many paranormal activities are said to occur during a full moon, with Anna being particularly active on Halloween—a time when the veil between the living and the dead is thought to be thinnest.
Now, let’s talk about Anna’s wedding dress. Numerous encounters have been reported involving the dress, including sightings of it shaking violently and swaying as if a phantom were admiring its reflection. Some guests have claimed to see the apparition of a young woman dancing throughout the mansion. Others have reported glimpsing a woman’s image staring back at them through the glass case housing Anna’s dress.
Investigators have attempted to debunk the swaying by searching for drafts or other natural causes but have consistently come up empty. More alarmingly, the dress has been seen shaking with such force that staff feared the glass case would shatter, potentially damaging the dress. This phenomenon is believed to be Anna’s ghost attempting to escape the glass enclosure, yearning to wear the wedding dress she never had the chance to don.
According to the museum, the dress is no longer on permanent display due to deterioration from exposure to sunlight and air pollutants.
Thus concludes the tale of Anna Baker’s haunted dress and the eerie legacy of Baker Mansion. A mansion can certainly be considered an object of intrigue in its own right, and this story exemplifies the haunting history that surrounds it.