A Pennsylvania filmmaker revived a mystery surrounding a head found in Shamokin, a town in the Pennsylvania coal region, for a new generation. Matt Spade unveiled his latest documentary about the case that spans more than a century on Saturday, Sept. 14.
In 1904, a decapitated body found in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, was buried after police declared it a murder. However, after burial, someone found a head, but locals didn’t bury it. Instead, they took it to a funeral home in Shamokin where staff embalmed it. The funeral home put it on display in the hopes that someone would identify the victim.
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Hundreds of people reportedly viewed the head of the murdered man. However to this day, no one has determined the identity of the homicide victim. The head remained with the funeral home until 1976. Then, it was put on display at the Anthracite Heritage Center and eventually became dubbed “The Shamokin Head.”
Two judges reportedly saw the exhibit at the museum, and the display allegedly disturbed them. That viewing eventually lead to a court order in 1977 that required the town to bury the head in an undisclosed location in Northumberland County.
However, as the legal battle played out, the museum claimed it lost the head for several weeks. That’s where this new documentary directed by Spade and narrated by Chet Davis comes in. It is titled: “The Shamokin Head: A Chet Davis Story.”
Davis, a 24-year-old art teacher at the time, said during the fall of 1976, then-Mayor Harold Thomas asked him to put the head in his care and make a model replica of it before the town buried it.
“It was my second-year teaching at the Shamokin High School,” Davis said in the documentary. “One day, Harold Thomas walks in carrying a midsize box, and then Harold said, ‘Can you keep a secret?’ And looking right at me is the head, and I had never seen a decapitated head before.”
“I’d like to tell my story and clear up the mystery of what happened to the Shamokin Head,” Davis added.
The head, alongside Davis, reportedly made its way into bars, the passenger seat and trunk of his Chevy Chevelle, and in a box in the back sink of his art room.
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Spade and Davis hope the 20-minute film dispels myths about the head. It addresses allegations like a cult taking the head and other folklore by revealing the “true oddity of it all.”
The documentary’s first screening took place on Saturday, Sept. 14, but Spade said he plans to share it on his Shamokin History YouTube Channel.
[JACK AYLMER]
A MORE THAN 100-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY IS GETTING NEW LIFE THANKS TO A PENNSYLVANIA FILMMAKER.
HE’S SHARING THE STORY OF A HEADLESS BODY – AND THE HEAD ITSELF TO A NEW GENERATION.
[CHET DAVIS]
“I’D LIKE TO TELL MY STORY AND CLEAR UP THE MYSTERY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SHAMOKIN HEAD.”
[JACK AYLMER]
IN 1904, A DECAPITATED BODY FOUND IN PENNSYLVANIA’S COAL COUNTRY WAS BURIED AFTER POLICE DECLARED IT A MURDER CASE.
AFTER THE BURIAL, A HEAD WAS FOUND, BUT THEY DIDN’T BURY IT.
IT WAS REPORTEDLY TAKEN TO A FUNERAL HOME IN [SHAH-MOE-KIN] TO BE EMBALMED AND PUT ON DISPLAY IN THE HOPES SOMEONE WOULD IDENTIFY THE VICTIM.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE VIEWED THE HEAD OF THE MURDERED MAN BUT TO THIS DAY THE IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM HAS NEVER BEEN DETERMINED.
THE HEAD REMAINED WITH THE FUNERAL HOME UNTIL 1976 BEFORE IT WAS PUT ON DISPLAY AT A LOCAL MUSEUM… AND EVENTUALLY BECAME DUBBED “THE [SHAH-MOE-KIN] HEAD.”
TWO JUDGES WHO SAW THE EXHIBIT WERE DISTURBED BY WHAT THEY SAW, WHICH EVENTUALLY LED TO A COURT ORDER IN 1977 THAT THE HEAD BE BURIED IN A PRIVATE LOCATION IN NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY…
BUT DURING THE LEGAL BATTLE THE MUSEUM CLAIMED IT LOST THE HEAD FOR SEVERAL WEEKS…
THAT’S WHERE THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY COMES IN… TITLED: “THE [SHAH-MOE-KIN] HEAD: A CHET DAVIS STORY.”
[CHET DAVIS]
NOVEMBER 1976, I WAS A 24-YEAR-OLD BACHELOR.
[JACK AYLMER]
DIRECTED BY MATT SPADE AND NARRATED BY CHET DAVIS.
DAVIS WAS A YOUNG ART TEACHER AT THE TIME IN [SHAH-MOE-KIN], AND SAYS HE WAS ASKED BY THEN-MAYOR HAROLD THOMAS TO PUT THE HEAD IN HIS CARE AND MAKE A MODEL REPLICA OF IT BEFORE IT HAD TO BE BURIED.
[CHET DAVIS]
IT WAS MY SECOND YEAR OF TEACHING AT THE SHAMOKIN HIGH SCHOOL. ONE DAY, HAROLD THOMAS WALKS IN CARRYING A MIDSIZE BOX, AND THEN HAROLD SAID, CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? AND LOOKING RIGHT AT ME IS THE HEAD… AND I HAD NEVER SEEN A DECAPITATED HEAD BEFORE. I’D LIKE TO TELL MY STORY AND CLEAR UP THE MYSTERY
[JACK ALYMER]
THE HEAD ALONGSIDE DAVIS MADE ITS WAY INTO BARS, THE PASSENGER SEAT OF HIS CHEVY, AND IN A BOX IN THE BACK SINK OF HIS ART ROOM.
SPADE AND DAVIS HOPE THE 20 MINUTE FILM DISPELS MYTHS ABOUT THE HEAD–
THE DOCUMENTARY’S FIRST SCREENING TOOK PLACE THIS PAST WEEKEND BUT SPADE SAYS HE PLANS TO SHARE IT ON HIS [SHAH-MOE-KIN] HISTORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS— I’M JACK AYLMER.
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