Smurl House – Haunted Duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania

The Smurl House is an unassuming duplex on Chase Street in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, that became one of the most talked about haunted homes in America during the 1980s.

From the outside it looks like any other modest family home in this small town along the Susquehanna River. Two joined units, a tidy porch, and a quiet residential street.

Yet for roughly fifteen years, the family who lived there said their home was the site of a violent and terrifying haunting. What began as small disturbances grew, they claimed, into physical attacks and what they came to believe was a demonic presence.

The case drew national newspapers, television crews, and the famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. It inspired a best selling book and a network television movie.

Whether you see it as a genuine supernatural event or a story shaped by fear and belief, the Smurl haunting remains one of the most documented and disputed hauntings in the country, and one of the most infamous among the most haunted places in Pennsylvania.

Historical Background

The house was built in 1973 as a two family duplex. It was, by every ordinary measure, a brand new home with no dark history of its own.

Jack and Janet Smurl bought one half of the duplex that same year and moved in with their young family. Jack’s parents, John and Mary Smurl, lived in the adjoining half.

The Smurls were a devout Roman Catholic family, and they were raising several daughters. For the first year or so, life in the new home was reportedly normal and happy.

According to the family, the trouble started around 1974. Small, strange things began to happen that were easy to dismiss at first.

Stains appeared on new carpet. A television set caught fire. Pipes leaked without an obvious cause, and unexplained scratches showed up on fixtures and walls.

The family said the disturbances slowly escalated over the following years. What could once be explained away as bad luck began to feel, to them, like something deliberate.

By the early to mid 1980s the Smurls said the activity had become frightening and constant. In 1986 they decided to go public, and the story quickly spread far beyond West Pittston.

Paranormal Activity Summary

The range of phenomena the Smurls described was wide and, by their account, deeply disturbing. It went well beyond the usual bumps and cold spots of a typical ghost story.

They reported loud banging and pounding on the walls, often at night. Heavy footsteps crossed empty rooms.

Foul, putrid odors filled the house without a source, then vanished as suddenly as they came. Family members described the smell as overpowering and rotten.

Appliances and electronics were said to turn on and off by themselves. Radios blared, and drawers and objects moved on their own.

The family also described shadowy, human shaped figures that appeared in doorways and beside beds. Cold spots and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere were common.

Most alarming were the reports of physical contact. The Smurls said family members were scratched, shoved, and in some accounts violently attacked by something they could not see.

The activity, they said, followed a pattern. It tended to grow more aggressive at night and during periods of family stress or conflict.

Ghost Stories & Reports

What set the Smurl case apart from a typical haunting was the family’s belief that they were not dealing with a human ghost at all. The Warrens described the presence as a non human spirit, something they considered far darker and more dangerous than the lingering dead.

Janet Smurl said she saw black, human like figures that stood over her while she slept. She described waking to a feeling of being watched by something with no face.

Jack Smurl gave some of the most shocking accounts. He claimed he was sexually assaulted more than once by an invisible entity, an allegation that made the case notorious and drew both sympathy and ridicule.

One of the Smurl daughters, Dawn, was reportedly thrown from her bed by an unseen force. The family also said their dog was picked up and hurled against a wall.

A priest was called to bless the home. According to the family, he left shaken and troubled, convinced that something was genuinely present.

When Ed and Lorraine Warren became involved, they conducted several visits and stated that they had gathered evidence of a demonic presence. They arranged for religious rituals and, eventually, attempts at exorcism.

The family said the disturbances would quiet for a time after these efforts, only to return. The full account was later detailed in the book The Haunted and adapted into a made for television movie.

Most Haunted Spot

If any single place in the home earned a reputation as the heart of the haunting, it was the master bedroom.

The Smurls said many of the worst events happened there. It was where Janet reported the figures standing over her bed and where some of the most frightening physical encounters were said to occur.

Cold spots, shadow figures, and a sense of dread were described as strongest in that room. To the family it felt like the center of whatever had taken hold of the house.

The adjoining half of the duplex, where Jack’s parents lived, was also said to be affected. The family believed the presence moved freely between both units.

Can You Visit?

The Smurl House is a private residence and it is not open to the public. There are no tours, no visiting hours, and no entry fee, because people actually live in the home.

The Smurl family themselves moved out in the late 1980s, and the property has changed hands since. The current occupants have no connection to the original events and value their privacy.

There is nothing to see beyond an ordinary looking duplex on a quiet street, and photography of the home is discouraged out of respect for the residents. Curiosity seekers who arrive hoping for a show are simply looking at someone’s house.

If you are interested in the haunting, the responsible way to explore it is through the book, the film, and reputable written accounts rather than a trip to Chase Street. For those who want places they can actually visit, there are many other haunted places in Pennsylvania that welcome guests and ghost hunters.

Best Time to Visit

Because the home is private and off limits, there is no ideal season or hour to plan around. The property is not a destination.

The peak of the reported activity ran from the mid 1970s through the late 1980s, with the most intense years in the mid 1980s when the family went public. That window is now firmly in the past.

For anyone studying the case rather than visiting, autumn and the days around Halloween tend to bring renewed interest, documentaries, and retrospectives. That is the best time to revisit the story, not the street.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

The Smurl family gave numerous interviews to newspapers and appeared on national television to describe what they said they endured. Their willingness to speak openly, even about the most humiliating claims, was part of what made the case so widely discussed.

Ed and Lorraine Warren spoke about the case for years afterward. Lorraine Warren described it as one of the most active and aggressive cases she had encountered.

Other visitors to the home reported an overwhelming feeling of dread and unease, even when nothing dramatic occurred. Some said they could not explain the heavy atmosphere they felt inside.

Skeptics offered a very different account. Investigators associated with organized skeptic groups suggested that natural explanations, suggestion, and the strain on the family could account for much of what was reported, and they questioned the lack of independently verified physical evidence.

Both perspectives remain part of the record. The family always maintained that they had nothing to gain and much to lose by coming forward.

Local Legends & Myths

Over the decades the Smurl story has grown in the retelling, and some versions add details that were never part of the family’s original account. It is worth separating the documented claims from later embellishment.

One common myth holds that the land itself was cursed or built over something sinister. In reality the duplex was a new build in 1973 with no known dark history, which is part of what made the case so unsettling to those who believed it.

Other retellings exaggerate the violence into scenes lifted more from the television movie than from the family’s statements. The film dramatized events for effect, and popular memory sometimes blends the two.

Within West Pittston, the house became a quiet local landmark, the kind of place neighbors would point out to visitors. Most residents have long preferred to let the story rest and to respect the people who live there now.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

The most significant investigation of the Smurl House was carried out by Ed and Lorraine Warren, who took the case on in 1986. They brought in religious clergy and pushed for formal exorcism rites.

The Warrens said they captured audio recordings of unexplained growls and sounds they interpreted as demonic. Critics questioned the authenticity and origin of those recordings, and no findings were ever independently confirmed under controlled conditions.

Skeptical investigators who examined the case argued that the evidence was anecdotal and open to ordinary explanations. This tension between belief and doubt is exactly what has kept the case famous and unresolved.

No major paranormal television team has been granted access to the home since the story faded from the headlines, because it remains a private residence. Anyone tempted to study a site like this should remember that responsible investigation requires permission, respect for the property, and, where access is allowed, proper preparation and a solid ghost hunting equipment guide.

Safety Warnings & Legal Restrictions

The most important thing to understand about the Smurl House is that it is private property. It is a home where ordinary people live their daily lives.

Trespassing is strictly prohibited and can lead to police involvement. Standing on the lawn, peering through windows, or knocking on the door is not only illegal but deeply intrusive.

The current owners have no connection to the reported haunting and have asked, in effect, to be left in peace. They did not choose the notoriety attached to their address.

If the case fascinates you, honor it through the books, documentaries, and firsthand interviews that already exist. There is no legitimate way to visit, and the respectful choice is to leave this quiet duplex, and the family inside it, undisturbed.

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