Fright Nights will be held at Royer Mansion in Williamsburg on Friday, October 22 and Saturday, October 23, weather permitting. The times are from 7-10 p.m. with the last tour beginning at 9:30 p.m.
According to the Westsylvania Attractions website, two brothers, Daniel and John Royer, built Cove Forge on the Juniata River in 1811. Four years later, they established Springfield Furnace. In about 1820, the Royers purchased more land, including the stone house which is now known as Royer Mansion.
The house was built about 1815 and Daniel Royer’s son, Samuel, moved into the house in 1821 with his wife Sarah Provines, when he became superintendent of the ironworks.
In 1829, Samuel built Franklin Forge at Gannister, about five miles north of Springfield Furnace. Also in 1829 he went into a partnership with Thomas McNamara in the Portage Iron Works, a rolling mill in Duncansville that supplied iron for the construction of the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
Samuel Royer and his growing family continued to live in the stone house, enlarging the home in 1830. Samuel continued to live at Springfield Furnace Mansion until his death in 1856.
The house remained in the Royer family after Furnace operations ceased in 1884. Its last occupant was Carrie Hartman, wife of Samuel Royer’s grandson, Royer Hartman.
After her death in 1965, the mansion and adjoining springhouse were sold to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, who planned to build a fish hatchery at the site.
However, the project was never completed and the house stood empty until 1984, when the Blair County Historical Society purchased it for a dollar.
Since then, Community Development Block Grant Funding and private donations, have helped rehabilitate and restore the Royer Mansion.
On October 22 and 23, individuals will be able to visit Royer Mansion for Fright Nights. Stories will be told inside Ironmaster Samuel Royer’s house. Then, participants will proceed outside to a hayride following the “haunted trail.” Parental discretion is advised since this event may not be suitable for small children.
Royer Mansion is located five miles south of Williamsburg on Route 866 between Williamsburg and Martinsburg.
A donation of $5 per adult and $3 per child, under 12, will be taken. All proceeds from this event benefit the Blair County Historical Society, a non-profit organization, for the upkeep of Royer Mansion.
