Murdered By Indians

During the mid-18th century, a handful of families settled within the boundaries of this township, only to abandon their homes shortly thereafter due to escalating tensions with the indigenous population. Among them were the Hoeth family, whose tragic fate unfolded in December 1753 when a small war-party of five Indians launched a stealthy assault on their homestead. Located twelve miles east of what is now Weissport, the house of Frederick Hoeth became the scene of a brutal attack while the family sat down to supper. The assailants unleashed a volley of gunfire through the door and window, fatally wounding Hoeth and injuring a woman. In the chaos that ensued, the remaining adults fled in search of safety, while Mrs. Hoeth sought refuge in the bake-house, only to face a relentless assault as the Indians set it ablaze. Enduring the suffocating heat and smoke, Mrs. Hoeth made a desperate leap into the water, where she met her tragic end, succumbing to burns or drowning. Meanwhile, the Indians set fire to the main house, claiming the lives of three children in the engulfing flames. Tragically, a grown daughter was killed and scalped, while several others were abducted and taken as captives into the northern reaches of Indian territory. Amidst the chaos, one Indian was killed and another wounded, prompting the remaining inhabitants of the region to flee in fear for their lives. 

As the flames consumed the Hoeth homestead, they left behind more than charred ruins. Whispers began to circulate among the locals, tales of restless spirits haunting the land. Some claim to have glimpsed shadowy figures moving through the moonlit fields, their mournful cries echoing into the night. Among them is said to be Mrs. Hoeth herself, her ghostly form emerging from the waters where she met her tragic end, forever trapped between this world and the next. And so, the legend of the Hoeth family lives on, a ghostly reminder of the events that unfolded one dark December night in 1753.