Harrisburg and Pittsburgh Homes Featured on HGTV’s “Scariest House in America”

Comedian and actress Rhetta toured homes in the Harrisburg and Pittsburgh areas in a recent episode of HGTV’s “Scariest House in America” titled “The Eeriest of the East.” 

Haunts in Harrisburg 

In Lower Paxton Township, Rhetta visited Fox Manor, a former nursing home that sat vacant for seven years before being bought by its current owners, Erin and Greg, 13 years ago. 

Complete with a fox head doorknocker and entryway painted in a shade named “fox fur,” the five-bedroom, four-bathroom home spans 4,032 square feet and was built in 1868. 

From 1965 to 1968, it operated as a nursing home. The owner fell down the stairs from a heart attack and died before a cardiologist purchased it. The cardiologist later also died in the home. 

“Things started happening very soon after moving in,” Erin said in the episode. “Running footsteps. Slamming doors. I can’t come up with any other explanation other than the house is haunted.” 

In addition to eerie sounds, the family has experienced water pouring out of their kitchen cabinets, their dryer bursting into flames, fleeting cigarette odors, disappearing footprints and other strange incidents. 

Morgue in McKeesport 

Rhetta traveled to McKeesport next, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where she met Kate and William, the owners of Hunter Funeral Home, a five-bedroom, five-bathroom home built in 1902. The Hunter family bought the home in the early 1950s and lived in and operated the business until 2024. 

The couple bought the home for 7% below list price and told the previous owner to leave behind whatever he wanted. Among the things he left were embalming tools, a funeral service podium, a casket bier, a death mask and a corpse-washing station. 

Rhetta also saw the old funeral director’s office, the coffin assembly station, the preparation room and a bedroom mysteriously abandoned by a Hunter family member. 

“Every room still looks like it’s meant for people in mourning,” Rhetta said. “If they wanted to set up shop for a funeral home right now, it is turnkey ready.” 

The Eeriest of the East and Scariest House in America

After seeing two additional spooky houses in New York, Rhetta named Erin and Greg’s Fox Manor the Eeriest House of the East. During the recent season finale, Fox Manor earned the overall title of the Scariest House in America, accompanied by a $150,000 makeover from HGTV.