Every city and town has ghost stories and urban legends.  Follow the trail and learn about 5 of Williamsport’s.

Stop 2:            The executions of Catherine Miller and George Smith

                        154 West Third Street

The Cell Block opened as a nightclub in 2001 within the old Lycoming County prison building. This building was constructed in 1868 after a fire destroyed the original prison building a year prior; it closed as a prison in 1982. One of the prison’s notable prisoners during its operation was Catherine Miller. She and her friend, George Smith, were convicted of murdering Catherine’s husband, Andrew. In her defense, Catherine claimed her family forced the marriage and that Andrew stopped caring for her and their three daughters after her parent’s death. After an investigation, George openly admitted to killing Andrew and continuously said that Catherine planed it. By his account, he beat Andrew to death and then retrieved a rope from Catherine to hang him up in the barn to give the allusion of a suicide; Catherine never admitted to anything.

At their trial, Catherine and George were sentenced to death. The jury believed the pair would not have committed the crime without the other; the jury felt that they both had blood on their hands. The murder took place on March 18, 1880, the trial was in May 1880, and they were hanged on February 3rd, 1881.

Catherine was the last female criminally hanged in Pennsylvania. It is unknown if either Catherine or George’s spirits still haunt the property or if they could come to terms with their deaths and move on. The pair were not the only people to spend their last days at the prison, as a number of executions occurred here. Between those who died in the building’s fire that destroyed the earlier prison and those who were executed, the property has seen a multitude of misery. It is ironic that today it is a place for good times and cheer, when it’s past is full of gloom.