Crawford School of Terror: District’s newest haunted attraction opens in Connellsville
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Troy Flesik, owner of the Crawford School of Terror on North Seventh Street in Connellsville tells the scary tale of how the old school house became haunted.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
This is what happens to students who spend too much time in the principal’s office at the Crawford School of Terror on North Seventh Street in Connellsville.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
A three-headed demon drops out of the celling of a haunted classroom at the Crawford School of Terror on North Seventh Street in Connellsville.
One hundred years ago, Crawford School in Connellsville opened its doors to educate the public. Tonight it will open its doors to scare them.
Crawford School of Terror, located at 125 N. Seventh St., is the newest in a slew of haunted attractions in operation throughout the district this Halloween season.
The tagline for the school is “The only lesson here is fear.”
The Connellsville attraction opens at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, beginning today and continuing through October as well as Monday, Oct. 31. For the last three weekends, the street in front of the school will be closed for a festival that coincides with the attraction.
“I hope people get scared. I hope they like it and tell people about it and come back,” said Troy Flesik of Connellsville, who owns the building with his wife, Suzie.
A two-story, red-brick building with white trim, Crawford School educated students in kindergarten through sixth grade until it closed in 1976.
Flesik said the couple has wanted to open a haunted attraction here since they purchased the building about eight years ago.
“My wife’s family has been doing Halloween parties for years. My wife is into Halloween. I’m into Halloween,” said Flesik.
Efforts by the Flesiks began in earnest last year — even their three children became involved. They have put together a grim and ghastly display to scare those who dare walk through the halls of this former school.
The first floor, which contains businesses, will not be ,part of the Crawford School of Terror. Instead, visitors will use a side entrance to the basement where they will line up for self-guided tours that take place on the second floor where the haunting begins.
The day before the School of Terror opened, Flesik offered a look, walking up to the second floor on the side staircase where an open coffin lies on a landing as if disturbed from a grave. A spot for people to take photos?
“They can,” said Flesik, noting, “We used it for Halloween parties.”
Visitors proceed to the second floor where doors open for an approximately 20-minute walk through scenes of horror sure send chills up your spine.
Rooms are set up with a decades-old look, ravaged by time for a dark, musty appearance. Visitors wander through classrooms, restrooms, the principal’s office, library and even a cafeteria that serves up a gruesome menu.
Expect to see plenty of ghostly figures walking these halls when the attraction is open.
Every attraction needs a story and one can be found on the Crawford School of Terror’s website: In 1947, a sixth-grade student named Margaret developed a crush on a teacher named Mr. Thompson, who was in love with another teacher named Miss Mcgill. Margaret wrote a poem for Mr. Thompson, declaring her love. Miss Mcgill found it and read it to Mr. Thompson. The teachers laughed at the poem as Margaret watched undetected. She was furious. Soon after, Miss Mcgill went missing. Mr. Thompson found a threatening note. He searched for Margaret, but she had disappeared, and Mr. Thompson discovered Margaret’s parents had died a year earlier in a mysterious fire. He became terrified.
Mr. Thompson’s fate and the rest of the story can be found on the website as well as more information about the Crawford School of Terror. The address is www.crawfordschoolofterror.com.
For many, visiting a haunted attraction makes their Halloween season.
“Some people want to be scared,” said Flesik. “They know it’s not real enough to hurt them, but it’s scary enough to make them think.”
OTHER AREA HAUNTS
Other haunted attractions in the district this Halloween season include:
n Allen’s Haunted Hayride and Tavern of Terror, 2430 Pittsburgh Road, Smock, is open Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in October as well as Oct. 30 and 31. Tickets sales begin at 6 p.m. Haunted hayrides start at dark. Tavern of Terror opens at 7 p.m. More information is available at www.allenshayrides.com.
n Fright Farm, 2043 Springhill Furnace Road, Smithfield, opens at 6:30 p.m. September 30 and runs Wednesdays through Sundays in October as well as Oct. 24-31. For more information, visit www.frightfarm.com.
n Haunted Hills Estate, 236 Rolling Hills Estate Road, Uniontown, is now open for the season. The attraction is open Fridays and Saturdays in September, Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday in October as well as Oct. 20 and 27 as well as Nov. 5. For more information, call 724-984-5915 or visit www.hauntedhillsestate.com.
n Haunted Hillside, 7209 PA-819, Mount Pleasant opens at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, beginning Sept. 23 and continuing through Oct. 29. More information is available at www.hauntedhillside.com.
n Nemacolin Castle, 136 Front St., Brownsville, offers ghost tours from 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, beginning Sept. 30 and running through October. Tours will also be offered Sunday, Oct. 30. Reservations are needed for groups of 12 or more. For more information, call 724-785-6882.