The one-bedroom Plank House in Marcus Hook is one of the oldest operating houses in Delaware County, and is said to be the home of the pirate Blackbeard.
“It dates back to the 1700s,” said Joshua Chjaires, founder of Phantom Detectives LLC. “At that time, Marcus Hook was a well-known shipping port. It has a lot of history of paranormal activity. People report seeing the spirit of Blackbeard’s wife. They hear footsteps, crying, bangs.”
The paranormal investigative team based in Wilmington, Del. will visit the house and a graveyard out back, revealing their results at the Marcus Hook 17th Annual Pirate Festival on Saturday, Sept. 20, writes Kathleen E. Carey for the Daily Times.
Boothwyn native Melissa Ferrazzano is the medium on the team and has already sensed spirits days before the investigation.
Michael Manerchia ,of the Marcus Hook Preservation Society, won’t go into the house after dark after he and his wife experienced bedroom doors that opened and closed by themselves, in sync.
“You could walk in there in August, and it was 50 degrees. You could see your breath.”
A half a dozen paranormal groups have visited the Plank House, but nobody’s lasted a full night, Manerchia said.
Read more about what the investigators will be doing in the Daily Times.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in August 2025.
