Topeka Kansas: The Blue Albino Woman or The Witch of Topeka, Kansas

 Today I venture outside of the lines of the state of Pennsylvania in which I live.

One night this passed Halloween season, I was watching Destination America and caught a few programs covering supposedly real life ghostly encounters. One legend in particular caught my attention, one that I had never heard of before until I was watching that program. And that was of a legend from Topeka, Kansas about a specter known as the Blue Albino Woman (or "Witch") haunting Rochester Cemetery, located on the northwest outskirts.

The legend tells of a disfigured woman born with bluish white skin, white hair, and whose eyes were also red, according to some reports. As a child, she was teased mercilessly by her classmates. Upon growing into adulthood, the teasing continued, mainly by the neighborhood children that feared her. During the day, she glared at them while they (the children) were on their way to school. Nightfall was when she would venture out and wander the town (due to her skin condition, going out in the sun reportedly caused her great pain, therefore resorting her to going out mainly at night). The friendless woman is said to have died in 1963 from mysterious circumstances. That was when residents began reports of seeing a glowing white female figure walking through the area after dark. The most frequent sightings seem to be along Shunganunga Creek, which flows near Rochester Cemetery where the woman was buried.

Several individuals are said to have had encounters with her, including some employees at a nearby Goodyear Tire Factory and residents that see the apparition quite often (sometimes as much as once a week). Some of those individuals were featured on the Destination America program I happened to catch. One of these individuals was a woman by the name of Jessica Streeter, who had ventured into the cemetery on her birthday for some romance and fun with her boyfriend. According to her interview on the program, she and her boyfriend were getting it on when the 'witch' came up from the ground and started chasing them. And not in an 'I'm just trying to scare you off' kind of way. According to the account, the witch seemed to be out for blood. In fact, Streeter was afraid of the possibility of the woman following them home. So much so, that she performed a sort of ritual at the door as a way of trying to fend the 'witch' off.

Another account featured on the program belonged to that of a man by the name of James George. 

Now interestingly, Mr. George himself commented on an article of the Blue Albino Woman as reported on the website Muldersworld.com. In his comment, he states that while what Destination America said on their show was based in fact, the producers did take some liberties. He then provided his own telling of his story.

One of the embellishments on Destination America's part that I immediately noticed upon reading George's recounting was when the program's report stated that the woman was captured and buried alive in the cemetery by a group of thugs (which is also re-reported by Muldersworld). However, George's telling (along with the tellings of others) states that she died under mysterious circumstances. So while the thug story could be possible, there doesn't seem to be any confirmation of that, at least as far as I could see.

Anyway, the version of George's account given by Destination America is as follows:

He was in a department store with his mother, shopping for back to school clothing. While shopping, he managed to wander into a rather dark corner of the store where a group of mannequins were being stored. As he was checking them out, one moved and turned to face him, turning out to be the blue albino woman. It was then he screamed, sending his grandmother running over to him. It was then his grandmother also saw the woman and told her that she was not welcomed there. Then she glided passed them and out the door.

Now here is an excerpt of George's story in his own words (you can read it in its entirety in his comment on the Muldersworld article or at artist-alley.net:

It was August of 1964 and I was trying on clothes in the dressing room of the children's department on the second floor of Pelletier's Department store which my Grandmother was Manager of. It was time for me to get my new school clothes. School was going to start soon and I would be entering the second grade.
Suddenly the door to the dressing room flew open and there stood a tall veiled woman dressed entirely in black. Her red eyes were visible through the dark veil as she reached out a gloved hand towards me. As the arm came closer I saw with horror the pale almost bluish flesh of the arm between her sleeve and glove. I let out a scream and she froze in her movement. Appearing behind the tall frightening figure was the small stature of my Grandmother. Summing up the situation quickly my Grandmother forcibly ordered, "Leave! You are not welcomed here!" The veiled woman slowly turned as I crouched back against the wall. I heard my Grandmother repeat, "You are not welcomed here." She then ordered, "Now leave!" The tall figure with the red eyes and bluish skin silently glided past my Grandmother and towards the stair well. I ran to my Grandmothers arms and watched, along with the employees that had come running when I screamed, the frightening figure descend the stairs and quickly disappear.
I was to learn later that this was the Albino Woman who had died the next year. I was not to learn until four years later why she had sought me out... 

Again, you can check out the entirety of his story (and it is quite interesting) in the comments section at Muldersworld.com or at artist-alley.net (you can also see an image of his painting featuring the blue albino woman).
Other reports include drivers seeing her lurking in the Rochester Cemetery at night, prowling the interior woodlands near the cemetery and the creek. Some children have even reported waking up late at night to seeing her gazing into their windows.
So if you happen to be driving by the Rochester Cemetery in Topeka late at night, you just might catch a glimpse of the legendary Blue Albino Woman, also referred to some as the Witch of Topeka, Kansas.







Tiffany Apan is a critically acclaimed independent recording artist, a stage/film actress, author, and award-winning producer/writer. You can find more about her at her Official Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and her production company website. She can also be found on IMDb and her music releases on CDBaby along with iTunes, Amazon, and other digital retailers. She also does freelance writing, and editing. Her own stories are available at Smashwords, Barnesand Noble NOOK, Amazon, and other retailers. Her novel series, The Birthrite Series, is also available in both ebook and paperback form. In addition, she is a contributor to Ravenous Monster Webzine.

Blue Mist Road and the Legends Behind It

If you are a resident of North Hills (Wexford, Gibsonia, Allison Park, and other surrounding areas) in Southwestern Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh), you are likely quite familiar with North Park. I myself enjoy going there to hike and jog as it is quite beautiful and - even in its busiest hours - offers much serenity. But one road in particular that intrigues many (myself included) and is fodder for much local legends in the area is an old dirt road called Irwin. Or, "Blue Mist Road" as it is often referred.

Now, I am the sort who loves to explore old buildings and churches (especially ones that have been abandoned) and will also never shy from entering a cemetery, regardless of the time of day (or night). But something about this particular road unnerves me and always has since I moved to the area.

At first glance, it seems fairly innocuous. Just a dirt road that eventually leads out to one that is more traveled (910).

 I have walked it a few times, determined to make it down to the end. But somewhere at about halfway down, I always get the feeling that I shouldn't go much further. At least not by myself. Perhaps it is just me being superstitious, but there is a certain point where I do feel I should turn back.
Now, this could be partially due to the fact that some of the supposed history and urban legends behind Irwin or "Blue Mist" Road are quite disturbing. One in particular stating how the road was once a haven for the KKK. It is also said that the tree on which they used to execute lynchings still stands. This has been disputed, however, by some investigators, particularly the folks at Weird U.S (a site that I do encourage you to check out). According to them, this is doubtful. They report that the branches of the tree aren't strong enough to hang a human on. They also go on to state that because Pennsylvania was an abolitionist state (and even abolished their anti-miscegenation laws in the year 1780, long before the Civil War came to fruition), the Klan would not have had that great of a stronghold. In this, I can see where Weird U.S. is coming from. But I will also say that just because Pennsylvania in general might not have been huge Klan supporters, that does not mean that there weren't groups whose ideas coincided with such a group. Even if such ideals weren't acceptable by most, that doesn't mean that even a small group formed a chapter and worked at more underground level. And if you look into the history of the Klan, there is talk of how they did have disturbingly higher connections (but that's a whole 'nother post). Either way, the story of The Hanging Tree remains as one of the more prominent legends of Irwin.

Now, less disturbing, but still eerie is the reason behind the nickname, "Blue Mist Road." Why Blue Mist, you ask? Well, apparently this due to tellings of a blue mist covering the road at nightfall. Some have even claimed to have seen blue orbs among the trees.
Toward the end of the road, there is a point where the road diverges into three paths. One of these paths is marked with a rusty mailbox and leads up to a foundation where The Witch House once stood. Another leads to place known as the Midget Farm (or Midgetville). The Witch House was said to have been home to a few satanic covens (animal mutilations and disappearances of local teens were widely circulated during the 1980s and 1990s according to a few sources).
As for Midget Farm, it is said that it was inhabited by a little person trying to escape scrutiny. Anytime a curious local might venture onto the path, the "midget" would chase him or her away. There have even been stories of rabid dogs coming out of nowhere and sitings of a half-deer-half-man.

Among the creepy tales is one of doomed romance. Near the three-way fork in the road is a small cemetery. The graveyard is said to be so old that the names and dates on the worn down headstones are mostly unreadable (I will add that the idea of such a graveyard was also part of the inspiration for my short story, The Cemetery by the Lake). The cemetery is said to have two particular graves belonging to two former star-crossed lovers. According to legend, anytime the moonlight hits these two stones, they supposedly lean in to one another as if to try and touch or kiss. Hence, they are referred to as the 'kissing stones.'

Of course, every urban legend has believers as well as those who will debunk it. Whether or not you choose to believe is entirely up to you. As for myself, I will say that I do feel as though I am entering a world different from my own in the few times I've set foot on Irwin. And not matter how crowded North Park gets during its peak hours, Irwin or "Blue Mist" is almost always deserted, save for maybe one or two occasional jogger or biker.

I will also add that if you do decide to venture onto Irwin Road, it is not illegal to do so (at least as of this posting) though only authorized vehicles are permitted. Meaning you will have to walk or bike (though do check into what the rules may be before going on any sort of adventure).
And speaking of not taking your vehicle onto Irwin, that may be a good thing. As another legend states that if you park your car beneath the hanging tree (and some stories say to honk three times), the car will fail to start up and strange things will begin to happen. And according to some, one unfortunate teen met his demise by doing so...

Bibliography:
Weird U.S.
Witches of Pennsylvania: Occult History & Lore
Pennsylvania Haunts and History


Photos in this article taken by Tiffany Apan.


Tiffany Apan is a critically acclaimed independent recording artist, a stage/film actress, author, and award-winning producer/writer. You can find more about her at her Official Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and her production company website. She can also be found on IMDb and her music releases on CDBaby along with iTunes, Amazon, and other digital retailers. She also does freelance writing, and editing. Her own stories are available at Smashwords, Barnesand Noble NOOK, Amazon, and other retailers. Her novel series, The Birthrite Series, is also available in both ebook and paperback form. In addition, she is a contributor to Ravenous Monster Webzine.

The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trilogy Corrupted Me as a Youth...and I'm Glad it Did :D

This post was originally made on my official blog, but I figured that with the launch of the webzine, why not re-post as a tribute to what started my interest in folklore and other such things in the first place. If you did not read this at my other blog, then Enjoy! :)


Those of us born in the 1980s I think had it pretty good. We got all the good Nickelodeon shows (You Can't Do That On Television, Are You Afraid of the Dark, All That, Roundhouse, all the cool Euro-anime-esque cartoon shows like Spartakus), Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, books like Wait Til Helen Comes and Dollhouse Murders. All those were awesome and at the risk of sounding uber condescending, I feel for the kids who grew up without all that we 80s and 90s kids got. But what really stands out for me was a summer night before I started second grade.

On that night, my parents went out for the evening and of course (since I was seven and my sisters were five and three) our baby-sitter came over to watch us. It was a beautiful night and we were sitting outside at around dusk. I forget what I was doing that had me so distracted, but I hardly noticed my baby-sitter go to get something out from her bag. Next thing I know, I hear this high-pitched almost witch-like voice from behind me say "Hi, little girl..."

I turn around, and this is what I saw staring back at me:

Totally true story: my baby-sitter thought it would be funny to sneak up behind me with a certain book open to the very page with the above photo. Yes, it was the very first book in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trilogy.

After my seven-year-old self jumped about six feet in the air, I did become very intrigued with the book, especially as she began to read some of the stories aloud. From that point on, I wanted her to bring the book all the time, and when the second and third books came out, oh you better believe I was all over those.

That seemingly passe evening from my childhood actually would go on to have more of an impact on me than I think even I knew at the moment (and it was also a reading of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at school later that Halloween that also sealed my tastes). From that point on, I was a fan of dark fiction and horror, and the Scary Stories series would also be among those works that would go on to shape how I write my own stories.

Yes, I very much thank my baby-sitter, Alvin Schwartz, and Stephen Gammell.

With that said, I guess I also pose the question of what was it really that intrigued not only myself, but other kids who grew up with these books. Even as adults, many of us still love them and still are freaked out by Stephen Gammell's illustrations. Oh, those illustrations...like this one:

 NOTE: The sadist in me really wanted to post the illustration from the story The Thing, but that particular drawing still REALLY freaks me out. If you don't know what I'm talking about and are feeling brave, google Scary Stories to tell in the Dark, The Thing and you will see what I mean.

To be honest, I really can't pinpoint one specific reason as to why those stories stay with me, even to this day. Several things about these books continue to intrigue me and influence my own writing:

-One aspect IS the illustrations. I mean, come on. Even the stories that weren't really that scary were given gruesome visuals that made them so. And Gammell's drawings are so wonderfully macabre and detailed that one can almost feel the terror and unease experienced by those in the story.

- Another is the pure simplicity of the stories. In fact, the stories aren't even that long. Some are actually only a page long. But when the stories get going, they really get going and pack alot within a mere couple pages.

- Much of the stories are based in urban legend and folklore. I love folklore.

- The stories embrace the unknown and acknowledge that some things don't always end happily. I'm sure some might disagree with me on this, but I do feel this is an important lesson for kids to be taught. Not all my stories end happily, and even those that do have some sort of unresolve (at least for the most part). Then there's the unknown; you really don't know what's out there, or who the person sitting next to you on the bus or subway is. Or the person passing you by on the street (as per The Walk: "...and the man looked at my uncle, and my uncle looked at the man...")...

The more I think about it, the more I really can acknowledge how these stories have shaped my own writing and storytelling. In fact, my short stories series, Stories from Colony Drive is named for the street I grew up on. The street on which my baby-sitter sneaked up on me with one of Stephen Gammell's brilliant illustrations in front of her face.

The stories kept me up at night, I'm not going to lie about that. I would sometimes lay in bed wondering if the creepy lady from The Dream was going to come out of my closet:

Yes, THIS creepy lady!

But what they also did was stir my imagination, and really get me thinking outside the box and start to challenge myself as a writer and a creative from a young age. It was the reason I began writing stories and wondering about the world around me. It was the beginning of me becoming someone who questions things and isn't afraid to.
Now, I look back on that fateful evening on Colony Drive with great fondness and I am thankful to my baby-sitter for getting the idea to scare the ever living crap out of me.

And, thanks to Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell for awakening my and probably many others' imaginations. You guys rocked it. :)

Illustrations are by Stephen Gammell, from various stories from the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trilogy.




Tiffany Apan is a critically acclaimed independent recording artist, a stage/film actress, author, and award-winning producer/writer. You can find more about her at her Official Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and her production company website. She can also be found on IMDb and her music releases on CDBaby along with iTunes, Amazon, and other digital retailers. She also does freelance writing, and editing. Her own stories are available at Smashwords, Barnesand Noble NOOK, Amazon, and other retailers. Her novel series, The Birthrite Series, is also available in both ebook and paperback form. In addition, she is a contributor to Ravenous Monster Webzine.