Mt. Pleasant ghosts star in film
By Mark Hofmann
DAILY COURIER
Sunday, July 16, 2006

The ghosts that haunt the R&R Station in Mt. Pleasant are about to be
the stars of a documentary movie.

The film is being made by Roger Marsh, a former Greensburg resident who
now lives in Chicago, where he works as a writer and producer of stage
productions
He also has observed, investigated and experimented with paranormal
activities.
Marsh's professional life and personal interests brought him home to
work with Stan Gordon, a UFO and Bigfoot researcher, also of Greensburg,
on a book about those phenomena in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
He then discovered another phenomenon close to home in Mt. Pleasant --
the haunting of the R&R Station in the borough.

Sherry Wingrove, owner of R&R Station, said Marsh was interested in her
story, which started 13 years ago when she purchased the 123-year-old
hotel, restaurant and lounge.
Wingrove said she remembered strange occurrences, such as hearing her
name being called from another room only to find nobody there. She
experienced strange knocking on the doors and other incidents that she
brushed off until she talked with her employees, who had similar tales.
After speaking with a psychic and two descendants of the building's
former owners, as well as investigating the history of deaths (often
violent) connected to the building, Wingrove came to believe that she
had multiple ghosts occupying her establishment.

Most recently, the Paranormal Research Organization chapter based in
Jeannette spent six months studying the building and determined that
much paranormal activity was evident.
"I'm fascinated by not one or two incidents, but dozens of incidents
with multiple witnesses," said Marsh.
He said the 11 ghosts that reputedly haunt the R&R Station will make a
good subject for his first documentary film.
The film will be the first in a series with the tentative title "Sacred
Dialogue: Haunted R&R Station."
The one-hour documentary will be in the spirit of such programs as
"Unsolved Mysteries," consisting of eyewitness interviews and
re-enactments.

With his assistant director, Shawn Galligan, and a crew consisting of
his daughter, his daughter's best friend and his 13-year-old nephew,
Marsh stopped in Mt. Pleasant on a Sunday to scope out locations,
including a local cemetery, the Daughters of the American Revolution
Home and the R&R Station, for the filming June 29-31
He needed only actors -- and they were closer than he expected.
"It was just phenomenal, the people who turned out," Marsh said of the
Sunday audition.
The cast of characters for the documentary will consist of seven
eyewitnesses, including Wingrove, plus people who have seen ghosts and
local actors portraying the spirits.

The ghosts in the movie include a milkman who was struck and killed by a
vehicle outside of the building, someone in the Mafia who was "whacked"
by two hitmen, one of the hotel's previous owners and his mentally ill
daughter, the top-hat man, the Victorian lady who walks the halls, the
little boy sitting on the stairs, children bouncing balls upstairs, a
little girl in nightclothes, and even a man who crawls into bed to sleep
next to women guests.
Wingrove said the characters in the movie are being played by everybody
from local business owners to Mt. Pleasant Mayor Jerry Lucia, portraying
the ghost of the Mafia man.
Liz Jordan, of Trotter, is playing Ellen Donnelly, the mentally ill
woman who screams and bangs on the wall.

Larry Monholland, of Mt. Pleasant, had a short role as a cemetery
caretaker where he approaches actors to ask if there's any particular
grave they would like to see.
"It was really interesting," Monholland said of the 20-minute shoot. "I
enjoyed myself."
As if the willingness of locals to work as actors for free wasn't
generous enough, other individuals donated vintage cars and props. A
local costume shop also donated its costumes and makeup expertise.

While the shoot was only three days long, Marsh said post-production
will take up to five or six months, and the movie should be completed by
Christmas.
Marsh said he will offer the film for distribution in Chicago, but a
premiere of the film will also be held at the R&R Station.
Marsh added that DVDs of the movie will be sold at the R&R Station.

For more information, contact the R&R Station at 724-547-7545 or visit
the Web site www.mtpleasantpa.com/randr/.

Mark Hofmann can be reached at mhofmann@tribweb.com or (724) 626-3539.