The Seven Gates of Hell

 by Brenda Florido-Lopez

The Seven Gates of Hell is located in Hellam Township, Pennsylvania. Once on Trout Run Road, but is now known as Toad Road. One myth about the Seven Gates of Hell is in the 1900s, an asylum burned to the ground and while firefighters were trying to go in and save the patients, they couldn’t make it in time because of the number of gates this asylum had. The patients who did manage to get out of the fire, were caught by police and beaten by police if they were too psychotic, some others managed to not get caught. The gates in this story resemble keeping the patient’s souls from coming out and anyone from coming in. 

Another myth about the Seven Gates of Hell is there was a doctor who lived in the area and he went insane which caused him to build seven gates going deep into the forest. It is said that only one gate was visible during the day but at night, the other six could only be seen at night. whoever has passed the gates never make it past the fifth gate, and once passing all seven, they will be entering Hell.

People who do go into the gates have heard screams and a rush of wind throughout the forest. Because of all the attention this area received, the gates are no longer there. Although the gates are no longer there, travelers enjoy camping near the area where the asylum supposedly was. Hellam Township has claimed there was never an asylum built in that part of town nor a fire. Although there is a doctor who lives there with one gate, he has no trespassing signs throughout his property. People have also argued that because of “Hell” in Hellam, it is named after hell, but Hellam Townhsip has also denied that, they claim it is named after Hallamshire, England. 

The town of Hellam has asked for tourists to stop coming for this reason, and that trespassers will be prosecuted.

Works cited:

Soto, E.L. “The Seven Gates of Hell in Hellam, Pennsylvania.” Fact-chology, June 5, 2021.
https://factschology.com/mmm-podcast-articles/gates-hell-hellam-pennsylvania

McClure, Jim. “Insane and wrathful: The horrific Seven Gates of Hell legend in York County.”
York Daily Record, October 22, 2017. https://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/york-
town-square/2017/10/22/seven-gates-of-hell-intriguing-tale-of-horror/787664001/
 

Brady, Olvia, Kyle “Beware Road Tippers, Seven Gates of Hell in Pennsylvania is a Terrifying
Destination.” Drivin’ & Vibin’, October 12, 2021.
https://drivinvibin.com/2021/10/12/seven-gates-of-hell/
 

“Seven Gates of Hell.” Hellam Township. https://www.hellamtownship.com/index.asp?
Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B815447CA-49FB-4346-84E6-75D01939B2DF%7D

For Further Research:

Hellam Township, https://www.hellamtownship.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=
%7B815447CA-49FB-4346-84E6-75D01939B2DF%7D, Hellam Township’s official
website with information about its history.

Drivin’ & Vibin’, https://drivinvibin.com/2021/10/12/seven-gates-of-hell/, Information about
camping near Hellam Township. 

The Human Exception, https://www.thehumanexception.com/l/the-seven-gates-of-hell/, Podcast.

The Seven Gates of Hell

Author: Courtney Simmons

In the outskirts of Pennsylvania, in an area called, Hellam Township, there was a strange event that occurred years ago, which is how this area earned its name, The Seven Gates of Hell. The story behind this tragedy begins with a mental institution or an insane asylum that was said to be both either haunted or burned down. According to an online article called, “The Downtowning Gates of Hell,” from Weird U.S., states that if you were to pass through these seven gates then you would go straight to hell, but nobody has ever made it past the fifth gate (Wheeler). The article also states that the gates were located in the woods off a scene of a tragic asylum fire, and also how the gates today look like fallen trees in the woods. In another online article called, “Seven Gates of Hell,” from Hellam Township, it explains how there are rumors about the wooded off area called Troute Run Road in the northwestern part of the township (Gov Office). It explains the rumor of how the insane asylum caught on fire, and the inmates were either burned, killed, or lived on to murder (Office). The article then switches views and explains how as the rumors all seemed true, no asylum had ever existed in that area, and a local doctor had only one gate which was to keep out trespassers (Office). In an Article called, “Seven Gates of Hell, York, Pennsylvania, from, Unexplained-Mysteries, is based on different people’s point of views from others who have actually been to the area. According to one of the recorders, the doctors were crazy and the asylum was a place of pain and torment (Winchester). The article explains how the doctors and patients that were not killed during the asylum fire, were gunned down by the Sherriff and the cops (Winchester). 

Works Cited:

“Weird Pennsylvania.” Weird U.S., n.d. Web 19 October 2013.

Radon, Musee. “The Gates of Hell.” The Directorate of Fine Arts, 1800. Web 19 October 2013.

http://www.weirdus.com/states/pennsylvania/local_legends/seven_gates_of_hell/

http://www.hellamtownship.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B815447CA-49FB-4346-84E6-75D01939B2DF%7D

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=246618

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=246618

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=246618