Since 1926, the Entler-Weltzheimer House has been a part of the Shepherd College (now University) campus. Better known as the 'Yellow House,' this structure is believed to be one of the oldest in the old city of Shepherdstown, being built as early as the mid to late 1700's, according to some sources. However, it's likely the house is slightly younger. The site of the home was once the location of an old fort, dating back to the French and Indian War. A man named Adam Myers built a home on the property around 1802, then sold the lot in 1815 to Frederick and Mary Catherine Weltzheimer, who operated the Weltzheimer Tavern on North Princess Street. It is believed that this is when the couple built what is today known as the Yellow House. When Mary Catherine passed away in 1823, she willed the home to her daughter, Elizabeth, who had married Daniel Entler of the Entler Hotel family.
The home stayed in possession of the Entler Family for many years. Some members of the family would call the house their home, but it was rented out to boarders as well.
After becoming a part of the college campus, the home was used for many things, including a stint as the Phi Sigma Chi Sorority house in the 1940's/1950's, a home economics cottage, a nursery, and even the residence of the head of maintenance. Today, it is being preserved as a piece of living history...and perhaps not-so-living history as well.
In 1910 a local cobbler named George Yontz was living alone in the home in which he rented...alone, save for a black cat named Ham. When George was found deceased that December, it was allegedly believed by the townspeople that George had likely been murdered for his money. The fact that his obituary, published in the Shepherdstown Register, doesn't mention murder, and his death certificate lists his cause of death as heart failure, is obviously not a good indicator of George's demise, but in any event, he was gone, leaving his cat, Ham, behind.
Shortly thereafter, a member of the Entler family moved into the home after her house had been destroyed by fire. Details differ between the two main tellings of the story, the first found in a school newspaper article from 1954, and the second in book, Haunted Valley, by James Gay Jones, as well as modern re-tellings. In some instances, Ham is the cat at the focal point of the story, while in others, another black cat, belonging to the new family living in the home is the one being tormented. Tormented? By what?
Many believe that visitors to the old Yellow House can still hear George's shoe-making tools tapping and clanking away, but the most frightening display of his ghost's existence happens every year on the anniversary of George's death. It is said that the cat, being lured up to the attic by mysterious sounds, will ferociously fight, scratch, and hiss at something behind the closed door. In one version, the family cat lasted only one encounter, running down the stairs and out the door, never to return. However, in versions where Ham is the star, each year until his passing he fought this invisible foe on the anniversary of George's death. But who was the cat fighting? Presumably, he had a good relationship with his master when he was alive; was it simply him being in spirit form that frightened the poor feline? And why was George coming back, anyway? Perhaps he was there to find vengeance for a murder that may or may not have happened...or perhaps he was trying to give a sign that he DID have money stashed away, hidden in the attic above. Another thing to think about is...was it George's ghost coming back? Perhaps Ham was protecting Miss Entler against some sort of malevolent force that took George, returning on the same night each year.
Whatever the details of the story, the fact remains that the Yellow House has had a long reputation of being haunted by an entity that cats apparently are not fond of! This makes it just one of MANY haunted locations throughout Shepherdstown and the whole eastern panhandle area.
Below, I've included a video narration of the James Gay Jones version of the tale as well as a transcription from the school newspaper article. You can compare the two tales and decide for yourself what, if anything, is haunting the Yellow House!
Video of My Narration of James Gay Jones' story, as told in Haunted Valley:
Sources:
The Yellow House: Quietly One of Shepherdstown's Oldest Homes, by Shepherdstown Visitor's Center. 4 December 2018.
Kayla Piechowiak on behalf of Historic Shepherdstown Commission , George McKinney, and Teresa McLauglin. "Yellow House aka the Entler-Weltzheimer House." Clio: Your Guide to History. June 9, 2017. Accessed April 3, 2024. https://theclio.com/entry/22003Shepherdstown Register 8 December 1910 |
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