Pow-Wow
Updated 09/18/2023
This webpage pertains to the mystical healing practices of early Pennsylvania "Dutch" (German) settlers who settled in the Auburn area. The term "pow-wow" has become synonymous with this form of "treatment", although it is uncertain of how the term originally came into use by the Pennsylvania Dutch.
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The term "Pow-Wow" is perhaps most commonly associated with the Native American culture. In their context, the term can refer to a ceremony involving chanting, singing or feasting. The term can also apply to a Native American "Medicine Man" who is believed to have a special knowledge and/or power to heal. Furthermore, the term also can refer to an important meeting, gathering or discussion.
However, a lesser known definition of the term "Pow-Wow" exists among the early settlers of Pennsylvania who were of Germanic descent. Their actual term for this practice is "Brauche". These early settlers were mistakenly referred to as Pennsylvania "Dutch" because of a simple misunderstanding of language. When the German settlers attempted to explain their origins to non-Germanic people, they stated that they were of "Deutsch" (pronounced "doych") descent... which is basically the word for "German" in the German language. However, due to their heavily accented speech and misunderstanding what had been said, people mistook the term "Deutsch" for "Dutch" and believed these settlers were from Holland or the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the term stuck with them. Remarkably similar to Native American terminology, in the PA "Dutch" language, the term "Pow-Wow" can apply to the mystical practice of healing, or to an actual individual act of mystical healing, or to the person who possesses these mystical healing powers. Due to the parallel meanings of the term Pow-Wow in both of these heritages, the assumption is that the Native Americans were the original source of the word and that subsequently the term was misapplied to the Brauche practice of the Pennsylvania Dutch.. Many people misconstrue the nature of the Pennsylvania Dutch practice of "Pow-Wow". Some people mistakenly believe it is a pagan, or perhaps even evil, practice of spells in violation of religious doctrine. Many others also mistakenly believe the term "Pagan" is synonymous with "Devil Worship" or "Satanism" when in fact the term "pagan" originally derives from the term for "villagers". Pagans were often simple people who were highly attuned with nature. They would often worship various deities or supernatural beings rather than follow the practices of Christianity. In reality, the Pennsylvania Dutch practice of "Pow-Wow" is based in part on their early religious beliefs. A significant portion of this mystical knowledge is alleged to have come from documents written by the same Moses who is prominently mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. While Moses is most famous for his involvement in miracles such as the "Burning Bush", the "Parting of the Red Sea" and the "Ten Commandments", he also chronicled many aspects of Biblical knowledge. Some people believe that the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses are an extension of the "miraculous" knowledge documented by Moses. You may wonder why the PA Dutch mystical practice of "Pow-Wow" has any historical significance to Auburn, PA. The PA Dutch had a significant presence in the Auburn area at one time. Therefore, they are part of Auburn's heritage in a broad sense. However, more specifically, the PA Dutch heritage was practiced and promoted in the Auburn area during the 1940s and 1950s. People of the PA Dutch heritage would attend a large annual ceremony referred to as the "Auburn Fersommling". ("Fersommling" is a Pennsylvania Dutch term for a meeting or gathering.) In the most direct affiliation with Auburn, PA, the town is known to have been home to more than one practitioner of "Pow-Wow" during its existence. A woman whose identity is uncertain once lived on Forest Street and was said to have been skilled in the practice of Pow-Wow and mystical healing. Certain residents of the Auburn-area recall either a family member or themselves having been treated for illnesses or injuries in the PA Dutch tradition of Pow-Wow. However, one specific early practitioner would unknowingly propel Auburn into state-wide notoriety years after his death. A family whose surname was "Grover" once lived in half of a "double" house located at 208 Forest Street in Auburn circa the 1930s. The patriarch of the family, David Daniel Grover, was a known practitioner of the mystical powers of "Pow-Wow". David was married to Ada Mae (Long) Grover and had four sons, David Daniel Grover Jr., Lyle Aaron Grover, Mark Grover and Paul Grover; and three daughters, Anna (Grover) Basile, Betty (Grover) Metcalfe and Cynthia (Grover) Diefenderfer. An early resident of Auburn who was also an Auburn Area Historical Society Lifetime Member, the late Oscar Kilmer, told of his own Pow-Wow experience with David Grover. Oscar had lived in the 100 block of Forest Street just a literal stone's-throw down the street from the Grover family residence. Oscar stated that when he was a child, he became terribly sick and bedridden. When normal medicinal efforts failed to cure him, his parents resorted to asking Mr. Grover if he could heal their child using his knowledge of "Pow-Wow". Oscar remembers lying in his bed, feverish and badly ill, when Mr. Grover entered his bedroom. Oscar stated that Mr Grover began reciting phrases from a book he had brought with him titled the "Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses". When the incantations were finished, Mr. Grover lit a pipe and blew smoke into Oscar's mouth and nose, thus completing the "Pow-Wow" treatment. Decades later, when Oscar told his story, he was subsequently asked if the "Pow-Wow" spell had cured him. In his usual direct fashion, Oscar replied "Hell No! I got sicker than ever!" Obviously, Oscar did eventually survive his illness and his somewhat dubious treatment all those decades ago. However, Oscar was adamant that his recovery had nothing to do with the "Pow-Wow" treatment he had received. David Grover's practice of "Pow-Wow" extended beyond mere attempts to heal others. He apparently decided to utilize his arcane knowledge in an effort to protect his home and the occupants within it. Whether his efforts were successful is uncertain. What is certain is that decades later, his efforts were inadvertently recognized on both social media and television. After the Grovers, another family occupied the home. They had purchased both halves of this "double" house and converted the structure into a single dwelling. Even though they made renovations to the interior walls to join the two halves, they were unaware of the unusual measures David Grover had taken years ago to protect his home and family. After living there for several decades, the family sold the home to its current occupants. The current occupants were a family who purchased what was thought to be an ideal home for their needs. The house was professionally inspected and deemed to be in satisfactory condition. However, after having lived there for a relatively brief period, a previously unidentified roof leak was discovered to have caused mold to have formed between the interior and exterior walls on what had once been Grover's half of the house. The mold was sufficiently severe to cause some of the family members to suffer illnesses as a result of their exposure to it. Unfortunately, upon demolishing and removing the interior side of the exterior walls, mold wasn't the only thing found within the cavities between the studs. The family discovered that portions of the attic floor allowed direct access to the top of these cavities which would permit objects to be dropped into these spaces, either accidentally or purposefully. Upon removal of the drywall and plaster, the family discovered a vast array of unusual items. Some of the items found within the walls could easily have been accidentally lost when they dropped into the space. For example, an empty wooden thread spool or a small package of fishing hooks. Some of the items may have been intentionally placed within the walls as a means of disposing of items that were intended to be hidden from other family members. These items could include a portion of a cigarette package or numerous "medicinal" bottles. A vintage bottle embossed with the name "Hilleman" and "Philada." could have been either a soda bottle or a beer bottle. Another vintage bottle embossed with the legend "A.G. Traeger" and "New Haven" was found. In the 1890s, "A. G. Traeger" was a "popular New Haven bar man" which implies the bottle may have contained alcohol. A broken bottle of "Dr. Burckard's Cough Syrup" was discovered. The label indicates that it contained one percent alcohol. Even a bottle of the infamous "Porter's Pain King" was found within the walls. Porter's Pain King caused far more medical problems than it ever cured. The "medicine" contained both ether (a highly flammable liquid used as a powerful anesthetic) and 63% alcohol (which is equivalent to 126 "proof" alcohol"). For comparison purposed, whiskey commonly contains between 43% and 50% alcohol while tequila's alcohol content normally ranges from about 30% to 55%. Was it any wonder that the consumer wasn't feeling any pain after using this so-called "medicine"? However, these items weren't indications of David Grover's attempts to protect his home and family. His efforts are what eventually resulted in the mostly biased coverage by reporters and social media many decades later. Their coverage used such ridiculous terms as "creepy", "horrifying", "beyond terrifying", "dark and awful secrets" and at least one source prefaced pictures of these items with the "teaser" statement of "Warning: the images below may be disturbing to some readers". The coverage even attempted to falsely imply that family members became physically ill due to the objects in the wall. The actual truth is that some of the family did suffer from illnesses...due to the mold that had formed within the walls. The highly exaggerated descriptions provided were either due to the reporter misunderstanding the nature of these objects, or the reporter deliberately sensationalizing the discovery in order to benefit from the hype (and we all know that no decent reporter would ever sensationalize or exaggerate facts just to boost interest in their story). The family members never thought their discovery was anything more than "unusual". They weren't "frightened", "horrified" or "terrified"... they simply were intrigued by what they had found and they were understandably upset about the mold causing them illnesses. Thankfully, the mold issue was eventually eradicated and the family who lives there no longer needs to worry about mold affecting their health. So...what were the items that David Grover may have deliberately placed within the walls of his home in order to protect it and his family using mystical spells from the PA Dutch practice of Pow-Wow? Some of the items may, or may not, have been affiliated with Pow-Wow, but other items were almost irrefutably involved in Grover's magical spells. First, there was a curved piece of oak wood that had a strip of cloth tied to it. An individual who specializes in the study of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage stated this practice of tying knots around an object was used in Pow-Wow. Other items found within the walls were made from metal, which the specialist stated was used in spells for protection from hexes being placed against a person or place. These items included a badly bent and buckled curtain rod, an empty tin of "healing ointment", a tin of Sauer's Black Pepper, a metal funnel-shaped item, an unidentifiable round metal tin with a lid, and an iron frying pan. While some of these items may have arguably been nothing more than discarded items, the iron frying pan was still capable of being used and therefore would not have likely been deliberately discarded. The intentional placement of this frying pan within the walls is highly suggestive that its presence there was due to a Pow-Wow spell by Grover. Furthermore, if one metal item was definitely placed within the walls for that purpose, it stands to reason that at least some of the other metal items found within the wall were intentionally placed there for the same purpose. The final grouping of items which were found within the wall have definite ties to Pow-Wow. Pictured here is a piece of cloth which was painstakingly sewn shut to secure the contents within it. Inside the cloth was found partial animal skeletal remains. Other skeletal remains of animals were found within other cloth. Numerous chicken feet were found within the walls as well as a similar number of chicken skulls...but no evidence of other chicken bones to include the rib cages were present. Therefore, the heads and feet of the chicken were all deliberately placed within the walls but never any of the remaining chicken bones. Other animal skulls ranging from small to moderate in size were also found within the walls. Some of them may have entered the walls on their own accord and eventually died there, but others seemed to have been deliberately placed since no other portions of their skeletal remains were found. The majority of skeletal remains from animals seem to have been intentionally placed within the walls and the most obvious reason for their placement would have been Pow-Wow spells conducted by David Grover. David Grover was not practicing "black magic". His actions were not based on evil but on good intent. The presence of these skeletal remains was not a "dark and awful secret". Their subsequent discovery was not "frightening", "horrifying" or "terrifying". David Grover was merely trying to protect his family and home by utilizing a common practice of Pow-Wow which was in part based on his own religious beliefs. Whether or not these practices were truly affiliated with Moses, the Bible, or ancient learning is uncertain. What is certain is that the media's reaction to this event was unjustifiably sensationalized. The walls in this house have been cleared of David's mementos of his Pow-Wow beliefs. The family living within the home has done repairs and has renovated major portions of the structure. They no longer have any significant concerns about the mold that once had made them ill but has long since been removed. David Grover inadvertently left an unique legacy in the home during his occupancy. The current occupants are building their own legacy of love shared and pleasant memories. EDITOR'S NOTE: The website titled https://thehauntedlibrarian.com featured an article titled "Pennsylvania Dutch Magic: Hexes" dated January 19, 2023, composed by "The Haunted Librarian" out of Gainesville, Florida and produced by Archer Paranormal Investigations. This article provides some additional insight into the Pennsylvania Dutch practice of "Pow-wow". The article reads: "In 2015, a strange news story went viral. The Bretzius family of Auburn, PA were renovating their 1930s home to discover animal corpses wrapped in newspaper tucked within the walls. The carcasses were filled with spices and other items. The newspaper wrappings dated from the 1930s and 1940s. The family purchased the 2,320 square foot, 5 bedroom/2 bath home in 2011, which fell far outside the window for recourse from the home inspection. The family was saddled with expensive repairs, spending over $20,000. However, they were curious and wanted to know more about the creatures. Somewhere along the line, they were told the animals were part of Dutch magic, or Powwow. I became fascinated with the resurgence of the story. As you may know, I’m an avid genealogist and have taken many ancestral lines to the American Revolution. My material line has deep roots in Pennsylvania, with many associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch. I found a lot of information on Barn-stars and Hex-signs but nothing about wrapping dead animals in newspaper and stuffing into the walls as protection spells. Pennsylvania Dutch (PA Dutch) is divided into two categories: The Plain Dutch and the Fancy Dutch. I have ancestors in both. The Plain Dutch are the Amish and Mennonites, etc. They are plain folk, hence the name. And they’re not actually Dutch. Their religion forbids decorations, among other limitations. They did not participate in painting stars or hexes on their barns. The Fancy Dutch are the German Lutherans and German Reformed people who relocated in America, bringing their Dutch and German culture with them. While in Europe, they did not paint symbols on their barns This is unique to their American lives. PA Dutch Magic is called Brauche or Braucherei and incorporates the Bible into spiritual healing. Bible verses are woven into folk practices. There are pre-Christian and pagan traditions involved, as well. Early settlers interacted with the Native American Indians and appropriated the Algonquian word “powwow” or “pow-wow” for their ritualistic healing. The word can be a verb implying a trance or divination or a noun for ritualistic procedures. It is still used today." For many additional fascinating articles on the paranormal; visit their website. |
This cast-iron frying pan was also found within the walls. The rust may have formed only after it had been placed there. The pan is too large to have been accidentally dropped down the openings and too useful to have been merely discarded as trash. This strongly suggest that it and the other metal items may have been deliberately placed there as part of the practice of Pow-Wow.
This piece of cloth was painstakingly sewn shut to prevent its contents from becoming separated. Then the cloth and its contents were deposited within the walls. This was a clear indication of a deliberate attempt to practice the art of Pow-Wow in order to protect the home and inhabitants from hexes. When opened, the partial remains of a chicken were discovered within it.
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