Peggy Noel and the Finger of Fire: A Warning from Devil’s Den

High above the jumbled rocks of Devil’s Den in Gettysburg sits a weather-worn boulder etched with the name: P. NOEL. At first glance, it looks like the sort of carving left behind by a passing traveler or perhaps a lovesick teen with a pocket knife. But ask around long enough, and you’ll hear a much stranger tale.

Local legend says the name was burned into the rock by Peggy Noel, a woman decapitated in a tragic carriage accident along Marsh Creek. According to the story, Peggy returned in ghostly form, her rage and sorrow manifesting as a flaming finger — the very one she used to inscribe her name into the stone.

Of course, some claim a far less eerie origin. They say it was likely the work of a 19th-century surveyor—methodical, mundane, and entirely devoid of ghostly fire.

But folklore doesn’t need fact to carry weight.

For decades, hikers, scouts, and ghost hunters have passed by the rock, many drawn in by the rumor that if you dare to trace the name with your finger, misfortune will follow you.

I once shared this very tale with a Boy Scout troop during a visit to Devil’s Den. I told them about Peggy Noel, the finger of fire, and the supposed curse. Naturally, a few of them couldn’t resist the dare. Laughing, they traced the name.

On the way back to the parking area, one boy slipped into a ditch and was rushed to the hospital with what we feared was a broken leg. As we sat in the van, five of his friends sobbed, certain they had cursed him. They were convinced that by tracing the letters, they had sealed their friend's fate.

Coincidence? Probably.

But do I believe you’ll be cursed if you run your finger across those letters?

No, I don’t.

Will I do it myself?

Not a chance.

(The leg was not broken only sprained, but I guarantee those kids didn't tempt fate again)