As my pre-birthday celebrating wound down it was obvious Dave still had some surprises in store for me. Once again, for our final stop, I had no idea where we were going or what to expect. Ever since I was a teen I have been fascinated by sideshows. Not so much by the human oddities but more so with the illusion and gaffs (something fake advertised as real, or “unreal”). Show me a real live lizard man (a person with scaly dry skin) and I will probably quickly move on but show me something like a feejee mermaid, something weird in a jar or a fur-bearing trout and I am there! Over the years I have even collected some various gaffs so this fascination of mine was definitely noticed by Dave which lead us to our final destination…Trundle Manor.

As we approached, Dave gave me the low-down on Trundle Manor and my interest was certainly sparked. At the time I grew up sideshows were a thing of the past so to see a place that was a tribute to something I found so interesting I knew immediately that this place was going to be fun. As we parked at what appeared to be an unassuming home I felt my heart start to pound in anticipation of what was to be seen inside. What we could see on the outside was bizarre enough!

After checking out the sights on the property it was time to knock on the door and gain entrance to the goodies inside. As we knocked on the door we heard scurrying inside and voices as our hosts prepared to greet us. When the door did open we were introduced to Velda. She greeted us warmly and brought us inside which was much appreciated considering how cold it was outside. As we stood in the parlor she welcomed us and gave us a small introduction to Trundle Manor and it’s unbelievable collection. Looking around I just could not focus. Every inch of every shelf and wall had something interesting on it.

Before me moved into the first room she called in Mr. Arm, her husband. Without going into too much detail they both ran down the history of the Manor and described many of the treasures we were seeing. Not only were there many gaffs as described above but there were also real things…creepy things…in jars. There was mortuary equipment and the most painful looking gynecological instruments I had ever seen. The sights were actually overwhelming and to be honest, you could spend hours looking at each and every little thing and you would probably still miss a bunch of it.

The whole experience was surreal and something I will not forget anytime soon. Once again Dave had gone above and beyond with finding this place. Velda and Mr. Arm were phenomenal hosts providing an interesting and very entertaining tour. If you are going to be in the Pittsburgh area I highly recommend planning ahead and booking a tour. All of the information can be found on their official website HERE!

Sadly, this ended our 2017 excursion. Though it was depressing that it had to end, once again Dave was able to cram so much fun into so little time, creating memories that will last a lifetime. It also made me more excited for our 2018 trip to the Everglades! This was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend birthday celebration!

The complete details of our visit to Trundle Manor will be revealed in issue 105 of Scary Monsters Magazine! This will be the start of our own regular column “Terror From Beyond The Daves’ WEIRD USA!” This will feature in depth coverage of some of the most bizarre places we’ve visited while hopefully inspiring readers to take unusual road trips on their own.

~David Albaugh