Re: Emmaus Farm ("Haunted House")
Im not sure about a haunted farm house but here is a little bit of interesting info on Emmaus, PA
History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmaus,_Pennsylvania ;
http://www.city-data.com/city/Emmaus-Pennsylvania.html
Founding
Emmaus was settled in the 1740s and dates its founding to 1759. For approximately 100 years, until the mid-1800s, it was a closed community of the Moravian Church. The original land on which the town now lies was donated by Sebastian Heinrich Knauss for use by the Moravian church. The founders and original residents of the town were members of the Lutheran and Reformed faiths, who joined the Moravian church when their own denominations were unable to provide ministers. Emmaus was one of the three leading Moravian communities in the northeast United States at the time of its founding.
1800s
Iron ore was discovered nearby in the 1800s and served as a source of industrial growth for much of the 1800s and 1900s. In 1859, the East Pennsylvania Railroad (later part of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad) brought trains to Emmaus. That same year, the town was incorporated into a borough. In 1869, the town's first blast furnace opened. The largest iron company was Donaldson Iron Company, which made cast iron pipes and other products until the company closed in 1943. During the 1800s, Emmaus was also a center of silk and cigar manufacturing.
Origin of name
The borough was named for the Israeli village of Emmaus, where, according to Christian teachings, Jesus was seen by disciples following his crucifixion and resurrection. From its founding in 1740 until the 1950s, the borough used the Pennsylvania Dutch spelling of the name, Emaus, to reflect local language and the significant presence of Pennsylvania Dutch in the borough. In the 1950s, however, the town formally change the name to Emmaus, reflecting the identical spelling as that referenced in the Bible's New Testament.
Population trends
In 1940, public census statistics showed that 6,731 people lived in Emmaus. The population of the borough has since nearly doubled to 11,313, as of the 2000 census. Housing construction has reached the borough line in all directions, so significant continued population growth in the borough is unlikely. Outside the borough line, however, the local population continues to grow, particularly in neighboring Lower Macungie Township.
Historical sites
Emmaus is home to several residences and other properties that were constructed in the late 1700s and early 1800s and have been labeled historic sites by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Under historical preservation Commonwealth laws, the sites are protected from commercial and other development expansion in the borough.
