In Pittsburgh’s Brentwood neighborhood stands a seemingly ordinary house with an extraordinary tale. The house at 3406 Brownsville Road is not just a home, but a chilling chronicle of paranormal encounters that have been meticulously documented by Robert “Bob” Wesley Cranmer, a former US Army Major, businessman, author, and politician. 
A Boyhood Dream Turns Nightmare
In his book “The Demon of Brownsville Road,” Cranmer recounts his boyhood dream of owning the Craftsman-style house on Brownsville Road. When he and his family had the opportunity to purchase the home in 1988, it was a dream come true. Little did they know, it was the beginning of a horror story that would span decades.
From the moment the Cranmers moved in, they began to experience unsettling phenomena. Lights flickered on and off on their own, inexplicable footsteps echoed throughout the house, and an ominous black fog was often seen. Crucifixes and rosaries would be found bent and destroyed, marking the residence with an eerie air of malevolence.
A Home Plagued by Darkness
The family’s terror escalated when they discovered a metal box containing rosary beads and religious medals buried in the yard, pointing to previous attempts to combat the haunting. Further investigations revealed the gruesome history of the land, from a massacre in 1792 during the Northwest Indian War to rumors of illegal abortions performed within the house in the 1920s and 30s.
Despite these alarming discoveries and the escalating paranormal activity, the Cranmer family remained in the house, their lives increasingly overshadowed by the relentless terror. In “The Demon of Brownsville Road,” Cranmer attributes the significant mental health challenges his wife and two of his children faced to the demonic influence within the house.
Battle with the Demon
The final straw came when, in 2003, a violent confrontation erupted between Bob Cranmer and his son Bobby, followed shortly by the natural death of an elderly aunt who also resided in the home. This series of traumatic events spurred Cranmer to seek help from the Catholic Church, resulting in a two-year spiritual battle to exorcise the demonic presence from the home.
Exorcism and Aftermath
After an exhaustive effort, the house was declared free of its demonic possession in 2006. The ordeal led Cranmer and several other family members to convert to Catholicism. Today, Cranmer shares his story, declaring it as proof of the existence of God, Satan, Heaven, Hell, Angels, and Demons, aligning with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
As of now, the once haunted house operates as a Bed and Breakfast run by Bob Cranmer and his eldest son. According to them, the house has been free of any supernatural disturbances since the exorcism in 2006.
While the Cranmers’ ordeal with “The Demon of Brownsville Road” makes for a chilling tale, it also opens up a critical discussion about mental health. Their experiences underscore the importance of understanding mental health conditions as medical and neurological disorders, rather than attributing them to supernatural causes.
Conclusion
The story of the Cranmer family and “The Demon of Brownsville Road” continues to both fascinate and horrify. Regardless of whether one believes in the existence of the paranormal, this haunting tale serves as a chilling reminder of the unseen forces and hidden histories that might lurk within the walls of an ordinary-looking home.