The Demon House of Brownsville Road
3506 Brownsville Road in Brentwood, Pennsylvania does not look like a very remarkable house. But, as Astonishing Legends has learned from the Sallie House...a haunted house doesn’t need to look anything but ordinary. In December 1988, when Bob and Lesa Cranmer and their four children moved into the home, strange things began happening. So strange, in fact, that it is believed a demonic entity may be in the home.
Bob Cranmer, since he was a boy, had dreamed of owning the majestic Brentwood home. As an Allegheny County commissioner, he worked hard for his family and community, and, eventually, he was able to purchase the house he had so admired as a boy. Cranmer told Action News 4 Pittsburgh, “Not long after we moved in, we came to the conclusion that it was haunted, that there was a ghost.” Cranmer’s family dreams would soon turn into nightmares.
The plot the house lies on contains quite a bit of history. A beautiful 200+ year-old oak tree in the front yard was originally planted as a memorial to a woman and her three children that were believed to be murdered by American Indians. This tale, familiar to many hauntings, has been somewhat verified by letters between leaders of the Northwest Indian War and historians. While searching, Cranmer came across a letter from Isaac Craig, the commander of Fort Pitt, to Secretary of War Henry Knox, dated March 31st 1792 (which places it during the Northwest Indian War). The letter referenced the wife of Deliverance Brown, killed with her three children. Cranmer told Trib Live: “(The Indians) wanted to terrorize these people from trying to settle out here,” said Cranmer, a history buff. “Come 1791-92, this was a very dangerous place to be. I'm told this story and then I read this. How unique that in the same time period I find a record of three children and their mother being killed by the Indians.”
However, it isn’t all bad history, in Walter Wagner Jr, who previously owned the home, said there was a legend that George Washington camped on that very ground.
The Cranmer’s house was built in 1909, and had three previous owners before the Cranmers. He claimed the battle with whatever else was inhabiting the home began shortly after the family moved in during the winter of 1988. When buying the house, Cranmer noted that the current sellers were anxious to move and accepted his first, very low offer without negotiation. Lesa, shortly after buying it, complained to Bob that maybe the home was too big and that it was giving her the creeps. However, Bob, excited by the fact that he had attained his boyhood dream, shooed away these worries.
One of the first incidents experienced by the family was when a light that had a pull-chain would, inexplicably, wrap itself around the light fixture and never properly hung. However, the family, being young and busy, explained away and ignored the activity.
However, after some issues with the family including violence between Bob and his son, it was like the spirit really ‘woke up.’ Religious artifacts, like crosses and rosaries, were found bent and broken. Cranmer also reported a thick, blood-like substance that dripped from the walls on rare occasions. During this time, Cranmer filled notebooks with writings of the family’s ordeals and would eventually turn them into a book entitled The Demon of Brownsville Road.
Unsure of what to do next, Cranmer contacted the local Catholic Church. The mayor of Pittsburgh, Tom Murphy, was a close friend of Cranmer’s and even requested the Bishop of Pittsburgh at the time investigating the case. Finally, the Cranmer had a case and were assigned to Father Ron Lengwin and several other priests would attempt to cleanse this house. It would be a nearly two-year-long process. Paranormal researchers from Penn State also visited and the home was featured on Paranormal State.
In 2006, an exorcism was finally granted, as well as a Mass, to fully rid the home of evil. This appeared to be successful and, although the family did suffer massive amounts of stress and several losses during the years in the home, the paranormal activity slowed and then stopped.
Now, the family has moved out of the home, and Cranmer has transitioned it into a bed-and-breakfast. Since the home was successfully cleansed in 2006, there have been no reported hauntings and visitors should feel comfortable in the 115+ year old home. It will be run by Charlie, Bob’s son.
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