THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The historic Rawlinsville Brickhouse in Holtwood is said to be haunted by a spirit known as Elizabeth. Employees and owners have reported unexplained crashes, moving objects, electrical disturbances, phantom floral perfume, and strange activity surrounding an old fur coat kept in the attic.
Built in 1851, the Rawlinsville Brickhouse in Holtwood, Pennsylvania, has accumulated a collection of ghost stories centered on a woman known locally as Elizabeth. Her identity has never been firmly established, but tradition places her presence in the attic, where an old fur coat has reportedly remained for decades. According to the legend, attempts to remove the coat have resulted in unusual activity, including one story in which it appeared to levitate in the back seat of a car until it was returned. Current owner Katie Schatz-Stuart has described smelling an intense floral perfume while working alone during renovations, an aroma others associated with Elizabeth. A prep cook reportedly heard a violent crash and discovered trays scattered across the floor; surveillance footage covering the incident allegedly dissolved into static at the same moment. Another employee reportedly cursed at the supposed spirit shortly before a lightbulb above her exploded. Earlier occupants also told of unexplained scratching at an attic window where no tree branches could reach. Although Elizabeth's history remains uncertain, the repeated accounts from different periods have made the old Brickhouse one of southern Lancaster County's better-known haunted businesses.