Monday, December 5, 2022

Hexeglaawe: Rehmeyer's Hollow

In 1928, after years of bad luck, John Blymire believed that he had been cursed, or hexed, by a local folk healer named Nelson Rehmeyer, who practiced pow-wow or Braucheri (Pennsylvania Dutch folk magic). The source of Blymire’s hex was confirmed by another powerful local healer, Nellie Noll - the River Witch of Marietta. To break the curse, she instructed Blymire to obtain a lock of Rehmeyer’s hair and his spell book and bury them six feet underground.  In November of 1928, Blymire, along with two accomplices, broke into Rehmeyer's home.  A confrontation ensued, ending in Rehmeyer's death. The three men charged with the crime then set fire to the house, hoping to remove the curse and to destroy evidence of the murder.  However, the house did not burn down as they had hoped.  This reinforced the belief that Rehmeyer was a witch and that his power prevented the destruction of the house. 

Rehmeyer's home, where he was murdered, still stands on Rehmeyers Hollow Road. The area has now come to be known as Hex Hollow.  Many locals believe it to be haunted.



This is the first entry in a series of blog posts investigating the folklore of Pennsylvania.  Hexeglaawe (the PA Dutch word for 'superstition') will hopefully reveal photographic evidence of rural legends, hauntings, folklore, and roads less traveled.

Thanks, Wren, for this neat idea and project.  I have a feeling we're just gonna find some monsters out there.

More information here. 


8 comments:

Lady M said...

Cool place to do a photo shoot. Is that the original house in the background? The one that would not burn?

Rot said...

It is!

Revenant Manor said...

Looking forward to all of this, and I intend to read every line while 'hearing' Leonard Nimoy's voice and cadence.

MR. Macabre said...

This is very cool, I look forward to more stories like this. The black and white photos are a nice touch.

Rot said...

Thanks, guys!

Willow Cove said...

Great Reading!
Thanks m fascinated with early american history.

Wren said...

Pretty excited for this :)

Rot said...

Same!