Uncharted Lancaster
Uncharted Lancaster reveals the county’s most fascinating stories—local history with odd twists, forgotten places, and the occasional brush with the supernatural. Each episode explores the hidden histories and long-buried secrets of Lancaster County, where legend, landscape, and local lore collide.
Uncharted Lancaster
Witchcraft and Murder in Hex Hollow
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This episode examines one of Pennsylvania’s most unsettling true-crime cases—the 1928 Hex Hollow murder in York County, Pennsylvania. At its center was Nelson Rehmeyer, a Pennsylvania Dutch folk healer whose practices became the focus of deadly superstition. Plagued by illness and misfortune, John Blymire became convinced he had been hexed and, following the advice of a local witch, set out to break the curse by stealing Rehmeyer’s spellbook and a lock of his hair.
What began as a desperate attempt to undo perceived witchcraft spiraled into violence. Blymire and two accomplices broke into Rehmeyer’s remote farmhouse in Hex Hollow, where a confrontation ended in brutal murder and a failed attempt to destroy the evidence by burning the house to the ground. The sensational trial that followed drew international attention, revealing how deeply folk magic, fear, and mental distress still shaped rural life in early 20th-century America. Today, the Hex Hollow case remains a haunting chapter of regional history—where belief, desperation, and violence collided with fatal consequences. Click here to learn more.
Ghosts, Monsters, & Tales of Adventure
Uncharted Lancaster’s Ghosts, Monsters, and Tales of Adventure takes readers on a 283-page spine-tingling journey through Lancaster County’s haunted history, eerie legends, and hidden treasures. From ghostly apparitions to outlaw loot, these 64 true local stories blend real history with gripping folklore.