H auntingly PENNSYLVANIA™ is honored to present the following ghost story taken from MaryAnn Miller's book, Legends, Myths and Ghost Tales from Emmaus, PA.

MaryAnn conducted extensive research with the original intent of organizing ghost tours in Emmaus but soon found that she had enough material to write a book - so she did!

Thank you, MaryAnn, for sharing this story with Hauntingly PENNSYLVANIA™.

A Nurturing Ghost

In the northern section of Emmaus there is a constant, unassuming ghost who has been given the name Lillian. Lillian and her husband were the last occupants of the house until the current occupants took procession. That is why the ghost has been given the name Lillian. This apparition also has the same physical characteristics as Lillian. That couple is the last of several generations of a family that lived in the house.

It was common knowledge that Lillian and her husband were not very compatible. The husband was considered to be very "colorful". He had very unusual and sometimes bizarre habits. An example of his eccentricity is the fact that he kept a casket in the basement of the house. The wife was very quiet and unassuming. She did not approve of the peculiar escapades her husband would become involved in. She liked domestic things like gardening. Maybe an attachment to this house explains why her spirit continues to inhabit the home. She always exhibited kind and loving ways. Everyone, who knew Lillian, agrees that she was very warm and nurturing. One day, Lillian visited the neighbors and told them she was saying goodbye. Not too long after that, Lillian died in her home. Lillian's death confused the neighbors. It seems she must have had a premonition of her impending departure.

The current occupants have lived in this chic house for 18 years. From the very beginning, the ghost Lillian has been a guest in their home. Very shortly after moving into the house, the first encounter happened. The couple and friends were in the basement when they heard the door open and footsteps walk across the room. When no one made an appearance, they decided to do a search upstairs. No one was seen or no source of the sound was found. These footsteps continue from time to time.

At a later date, the current lady of the house decided to engage the help of her husband and tour the house and talk to the spirit. They walked through the house and into every room and told the ghost she was "welcome to stay as long as she wanted to, but she should not harm anyone". Ever since that day, the ghost has kept that covenant and has been in the house in spirit only, with one exception. At that time she did make an appearance.

Two years ago while the man of the house was recovering from surgery, the spirit did make an appearance. In the middle of the night, something awoke the lady of the house. She was startled and stunned to see the apparition. The apparition had the profile of Lillian. Lillian was hovering over her sleeping husband. Immediately the lady of the house warned the apparition "you are too close-move away". The apparition vanished. This incident gives credence to her reputation that she is a caring ghost. Was she concerned over the man's physical condition? No actual sightings have occurred since that incident but her presence continues to be felt.

The ghost is never far away. The lady of the house feels her presence whenever she vacuums. She can feel the ghost shadowing her as she moves about doing her task. There are times when the spirit is so close it feels as if she is being hugged. When relatives and friends enter the house, they feel the presence of someone they don't see. Depending on a person's sensitivity to such spirits, they will not spend long periods in the house.

As time marches on and the presence of this spirit stays within this house, this couple continues to live in harmony with this very caring force. 💀