One of my objectives for this course is to make the point that the unique confluence of place, history, and imagination comprising a legend trip amounts to an aesthetic encounter with the weird and the eerie that is available to us as a direct experience. Rather than confine itself to the frame of the written word, safely walled off in the realm of the unreal, the experience walking a haunted site as a flaneur pierces this boundary of unreality. The legend one chases may still be only a story, but it might not be; and anyway you can touch the ground where it is said to have taken place. That matters.

In this project you will investigate a legend or tradition local to the greater Pennsylvania region. This investigation will begin by consulting written legends, will proceed by performing library and map research, and will culminate in a legend trip that you will plan and execute in order to “ground truth” the legend you researched. You will then write a report of your experience and make a presentation to the class during our final examination block.

You will perform the first step solo, but after that you may—and are encouraged to—complete the project in groups of up to four people. (Make sure at least one person in the group has or can access a car.)

Goal

The goal of the legend trip is to try to make a pilgrimage to the site (or a site) associated with your legend. For example, if you sought the headless ghost of sinking creek, you’d want to try to locate the route the ghost supposedly walks (or walked). If you were looking for a specific haunted road, you would want to drive that road. The type of experience your ground truthing comprises will depend on your legend.

Above all, I want you to have the experience of adventure and of seeking. I myself only have a success rate of about one in three for ground truthing, so if you did everything right and can’t find what you’re looking for, you’ve still succeeded. The process of engaging with story and place is what matters.

Project Steps and Deliverables Overview

Due dates for deliverables will be announced. Completing all deliverables of this project is required to pass the course, regardless of your final point total.

1. (Solo) Choose a legend, tradition, or subject from one of the local legend books on Course Reserve, the links in the Library Resources Canvas module, or something we read in class. Alternatively, if you have or find an appropriate legend or tradition from a different book, please bring it to me for approval. (If you have a genuine oral legend, that can work too, but talk to me.)

Deliverable: You will post to a Canvas discussion about the legend you chose.

2. From here you will form groups based on interest. Basically, in the previous step you advertised your legend; in this step you will either try to attract group members to chase the legend you chose or you will decide to sign on with another group. If nobody signs on to your group and you’re dedicated to your legend, you can proceed solo.

Deliverable: You’ll have an opportunity to register your groups with me. I will then place you in Canvas groups.

3. You will conduct legend research to find several other sources that discuss the legend or tradition you chose. (Or sources that add context.) If you are doing this phase of the project solo, please find two additional sources. If you are doing it in a group, add one extra source for each member of the group including yourself. (Ex.: group of two = four total sources, group of three = five total sources, etc.) If you cannot find any sources, come talk to me and I will help you get started or help you set up an appointment with a research librarian. You must conduct this research using physical materials available through our library system. You may use the library databases to search for sources, but at least half the sources you choose must be physical sources. If your source is an article from a periodical, to count as a physical source you must get your hands on a physical copy of that issue. (Interlibrary Loan is okay!) Ask me for help if you have trouble.

Deliverable: You (or your group) will turn in an assignment on Canvas consisting of a short comparative report of what your various sources tell you about your legend or tradition. (1 – 2 pages if solo; if in a group add one additional page per group member)

4. You (as a group) will conduct map research in preparation for “ground truthing” your legend.

Deliverable: You will turn in a physical packet containing your group’s maps, any written directions you’ve made, and any other miscellaneous notes about locating your legend. If your packet would contain handwritten materials in a special notebook, it’s okay to photocopy them for this deliverable rather than giving me your entire notebook. I should be able to look at your packet and have a good idea of where you plan to go looking.

Note: I’ll need to have time to look at your packet and return it before you leave for your trip. If your group sets a date, don’t turn your packet in at the last minute. I can prioritize, but I cannot scramble.

5. You (as a group) will go on a legend trip to see if you can find where your legend supposedly took place.

Note: If you are doing your project solo, I want you to bring a friend with you. I don’t want you to do this step alone, even if you don’t do it with anyone from the class.

Deliverable: You (as a group) will make a presentation to the class about the legend you investigated and the adventure you went on while trying to ground truth it. I will have more details about this step later in the semester.

Deliverable: You (as individuals) will complete a written project to post on a class website. (Either a journal account of the investigation and your legend trip experience or a piece of original fiction inspired by your legend or some aspect of it.) I will have more details about this step later in the semester.

Your Map Research

General Rules

1. Use printed material as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to check physical materials out from the library. If the map you need exists only in digital form, at some point you’ll need to print the section you need. I can show you how to do this.
2. You may not use any general digital search tools. (Google, Bing, etc.)
3. You may (and are encouraged) to use research tools and databases linked to in Canvas, the library website, or any such tools and databases directly linked to by those tools.
4. You are even more encouraged to ask a librarian to help you find print materials to examine. Ask me if you aren’t sure which librarian to consult.

Part One: Analyze the Details of Your Legend for Location Details

Record all pertinent details that might help you figure out where to look. (You’re looking for identifiable landmarks. That may include names of roads, towns, creeks, etc.) Having multiple versions or sources about your legend can be helpful if details are vague or contradictory.

The details you record might be easy to understand and trace, such as the county, township, borough, or road; or they might be something like “approximately three miles north of the old Smith family farm, to the left of the creek near Stag Rock is where it happened.”

You’re solving a puzzle, so think like a detective. How would you find out what these details refer to? (Ask me if you get stuck; I will help you set up an appointment with a librarian.)

Part Two: Map Your Legend

1. Use the Pennsylvania roadmap I gave you to locate the general area you think contains your destination or the area you plan to search. Your goal here is to figure out how to get to your search area by car. Make sure to mark it for easy reference.
2. Determine if you need a smaller scale map to find what you’re looking for. If you do, examine the appropriate county map. There are resources listed in Canvas to help you find one.
3. If you still need more detail, locate the appropriate Township, Borough, or City map.
4. Consider consulting other maps (commercial hiking maps, topographical maps, atlases, historical maps, etc.), particularly if you anticipate a need to do some hiking. A roadmap probably won’t be enough if that’s the case.

The Legend Trip

General Rules

1. You may not use cellphones or digital devices except to make phone calls to numbers you have memorized, already have stored in your contacts, or can reference from written material you brought with you (or can find in the world by asking someone). This rule especially pertains to digital mapping software!
2. You are, however, allowed (encouraged!) to take pictures.
3. You may bring any amount of printed material you desire. Printouts of digital material is okay, as are photocopies of materials you consulted in person but don’t want/weren’t allowed to take with you.
4. You are encouraged to stop to ask for directions. Automotive stores, for some reason, tend to work well.
5. It is an expected part of the process that you will get lost, drive (or walk) in circles, and be forced to rely on educated guesses as you explore. Embrace it. You may not be able to find what you were looking for. That’s okay too. Remember to take advantage of rule #4.
6. You are encouraged to have at least one meal at a tiny, mom-and-pop type establishment. Ask the proprietor or the employees if they’ve ever heard about your legend if they aren’t too busy to talk. (I once had the proprietor sit down with me and get out his wife’s account of the ghost in their bar. You never know how someone might react!)
7. Tell someone where you’re going. If you get lost in the woods or have an automobile accident, you’ll be glad you did. Don’t become a legend!
8. Be prepared. You may get wet, you’ll want to have food and water, and you should probably bring a flashlight.
9. Invite a friend to come with you. This sort of thing is more fun when shared. Just make sure your friend agrees to the rules in advance.