It was the fall of 1851 when Aengus
McBonn first laid eyes on his future wife Emily Sullivan. Both lived in
Dunluce, Ireland. Aengus was thirty years old and he owed an inn
frequented by travelers and locals alike called the Dry Bones Tavern.
Emily, twenty years old, lived with her parents and worked at the tavern
as a bar maiden. For each, it was love at first sight. After a brief
courtship, they were married on October 31st in a small church just
outside of town.
Life at that time was hard. Aengus
and Emily arose every morning before dawn. They would go
to the tavern and Emily would begin preparing the foods
while Aengus would hoist the heavy casks of ale on to
racks ready to be served to patrons. Business was good and eventually they managed
to save a rather large amount of money. After two years, Aengus decided
to use that money to
move his family to America.
Emily soon found out
she was with child so they waited until their first son, William,
was born before beginning their journey. They arrived in
Philadelphia in the spring of 1854. Emily did not want to live in
the big city so they continued to travel west until they reached
Bedford County. They settled in Londonderry Township in the town of
Cook's Mills, which was comprised mainly of Irish immigrants. There
Aengus purchased ten acres of land from Josiah DeVore. The property
consisted of a grist mill that DeVore had built. Aengus and Emily
thrived in their new business. In 1856, Emily gave birth to the
couples second son, Cyril. Three years would go by.
Life in Cook's Mills
was peaceful for the couple. Then, on what should have been their
eighth wedding anniversary, life was horribly changed forever.
That evening, Aengus finished work in the mill and crossed the
property to his home. There, Emily was busy cooking the evening meal
as the children played on the floor. Just as the family was sitting
down to eat dinner, there was a loud bang at the door.
Aengus immediately
rose from the table but before he could reach the door, an intruder
burst in demanding money. Aengus gave the thief all the money he had
but it wasn't enough. The man wanted more. He wanted Emily. Aengus
attempted to defend his wife and sons and fought valiantly. But as
fate would have it, he soon was overpowered. Emily tried to help but
realizing she was no match for the strength of the criminal, Emily
grabbed her sons and fled to seek refuge in the cornfield. Aengus
died when the intruder grabbed Emily's cooking knife and stabbed him
in the heart. Emily, not knowing that her husband had been murdered,
hid her sons among the cornstalks and waited for her husband to
rescue them. The rescue would never come.
The next day, Emily's body was discovered horribly mutilated lying
on a large flat rock near the corner of the yard. Both children were
found wondering through the cornfield, crying, in search of their
parents. The intruder was never found and his identity was never
known.
William and Cyril were adopted by a local family and the property
held in trust until the boys were of age to take possession. Cyril
was never able to forget what happened that fateful night. He
developed a fascination with the criminal mind and opened an insane
asylum that only took patients that were considered to be criminally
insane. The Forgotten.
In an age were public
lynchings were the norm, he devised torture techniques and delighted
in hurting those who might have been responsible for the death of
his parents. Cyril, in time, married a local woman and returned to
the family property. The couple gave birth to a son named Artemis
Artemis shared his father's love for torture and a new "family
business" was born. Members of the family still reside on the
property today, doing what they love best. Every October they open
their property not only to you, but to the spirits of their
ancestors for a big, scream-filled Halloween celebration. Meet Avril
daughter of Artemus, and the current doctor at the asylum. Watch as
she shows you the business first hand. Just be careful NOT
to become a patient and keep your visitor status.
Venture into the cornfield... Maybe you'll meet Aengus and Emily
as they wander through the area searching for the one who took their
lives at the height of their happiness. If you're lucky, you'll meet
the spirits of Cyril's original patients. They roam freely,
doomed to a life of Hell on Earth.
