NightRide - born and raised in Wilkes-Barre, now living in Maryland.
Were you around during the flood in '72? For sheer creepiness, nothing beats what happened to the old Forty-Fort Cemetery.
For the uninitiated, during a flood of the Susquerhanna River in June of '72, the pressure of the water against the dike undercut it, causing the dike to collapse and give way - right where the Cemetery was located. The river dug up about a third of the cemetery, and vaults, caskets and the remains, some over 2 hundred years old, were disinterred. Many were washed downstream, but because this was on a curve of the river, backwash and currents also pushed them UPstream, so when residents returned it was common for people up the river from the washout to find remains strewn in their yards as well. I remember a picture of a casket lodged between the second floors of 2 closely-built homes. Plus numerous pictures and stories...
National Guard reservists were assigned to collect and re-interr the remains, in hot, humid Summer weather. A horrible assignment.
