There are an astounding number of haunted places in New York State. Some of the ones I will list are very well known, while others are mostly talked about in the towns surrounding the areas. I personally am a huge fan of haunted places. My husband thinks it’s hilarious that I love exploring long abandoned abodes despite trembling with fear the entire time. If you too love to be scared out of your wits, check out these haunted places in New York.
This church is one of the most haunted places in New York. There are so many factors that contribute to the haunting of this holy place, it seems impossible that it WOULDN’T be haunted. The church was built upon what was once a cemetery. The bodies were removed and reburied elsewhere, but the spirits of those people are said to still linger. There are a couple of former pastors who are buried in the crypt below the church and several people, from priests to guests to church patrons, have died unexpectedly in various places throughout the church. It is said that you can hear foot steps within the building even when no one else is there, especially on the stairs leading through the four floors. There are secret passageways and ominous shadows sure to give you goosebumps!
While not as famously known as the Raynham Hall in England, with its well circulated photo of The Brown Lady descending the stairs, the Raynham Hall Museum in Oyster Bay, NY has certainly had its fair share of paranormal experiences. There are several stories surrounding this home which was built in 1738. Owners of the home began keeping a written record of the strange phenomena they experienced in 1914 and the vast amount of tales has grown exponentially over the years. The most well documented spirit is that of Sally Townsend, who fell in love with a solider who was staying with her family during the Revolutionary War. When the war was over, instead of marrying Sally, the solider returned to England and took a wife there. Sally died a spinster in her early 80s, leaving behind a love letter she had kept from her solider all those years. Her bedroom is always an unexplainable 5-10 degrees lower than any other room in the house, and upon entering the room, it is said you can sense her sadness.
This one is near and dear to me because it is a mere 15 minute drive from my house. It has been featured on the TV show Ghost Hunters and is frequented by many paranormal investigators from all across the country. If you are looking to be creeped out, you’ll want to stay in rooms 307 or 585, but anywhere on the third or fifth floors tend to be hot spots for paranormal activity. From children laughing when no children are staying as guests, to hearing furniture being pushed around on the 6th floor which doesn’t exist, there are all sorts of experiences that many, many people have witnessed firsthand. The Otesaga is a great place for EVP recordings and once a year they do an organized ghost hunt which allows you to search the hotel all night long. They are usually closed in the winter (as Cooperstown is a summer resort town), so it is the perfect time to arrange your own ghost hunting expedition with no guests to interfere with your findings!
If you’ve watched the movies or read the book, you know that the Amityville House was one of the most violent hauntings in recent history. Some people believe the whole story to be a hoax, but most people believe the Lutz family did indeed endure a horrible experience. A year after the DeFeo family of six was murdered in their sleep by the 23 year old son, the Lutz’s moved into the house, but lasted less than a month due to violent slamming of doors and windows, resulting in injuries to the family members, as well as offensive smells emanating from unknown sources and the children suddenly levitating on several occasions. These events took place in 1975 and Daniel Lutz, who was only a child at the time, finally came forward just last year to talk about his recollection of what took place. The house has changed hands a number of times and is currently for sale once again. Unfortunately, recent owners altered the appearance of the exterior, so it no longer resembles the one in the movie.
The Rolling Hills Asylum got its start as a Poor House which provided shelter for the homeless, orphaned or insane as well as inmates recently released from prison. In the 1990s it was renovated and turned into an antiques shopping mall, but the strange things experienced there caused enough concern that they called in paranormal investigators to have a look. Common occurrences that take place in the sprawling 53,000 square foot building include people being trapped in rooms because doors are held shut by an unseen force, disembodied voices and objects moving on their own. There are frequent spirit seekers who tour the building and the surrounding grounds looking to capture a photo or video of the mysterious events that happen here.
I was born in Utica and have seen this building a billion times, but I have never been inside it. I love haunted places, but this one is too scary for me. I have seen an incredible amount of photos and videos featuring the paranormal activity that goes on in the building as well as heard hundreds of stories about it. The Utica Lunatic Asylum was the first insane asylum in New York State and among the first in the entire country. As the first of its kind, the staff of the asylum experimented with many types of treatment and restraint such as the straight jacket and the Utica Crib, which is essentially a coffin with slatted walls. Many of their methods are considered, today, to be highly unethical, but at the time, they were searching for something that worked. When it opened, the goal was to rehabilitate the insane, but as the asylum began being filled less with people who needed observation and medication, and more with criminals with uncontrollable rage, the goal shifted more towards control and restriction. The building has been empty for a long time now and is completely decaying. The walls are crumbling; some of the floors give out when you walk through. It is definitely not a safe place to be, however, nearly everyone who enters experiences something. A crew recently entered the building and stayed for only 45 minutes due to the safety hazards but managed to capture photos of figures and orbs, EVP recordings as well as shadowy figures on video.
The New York Shadow Chasers said that the spirits in this house are “happy to communicate.” They have conducted several paranormal investigations both publicly and privately, as have other groups, and the spirits here seem to be incredibly active. Lights will turn on by themselves, doors will open and close and shadow figures have been seen by many people. This is an incredible hot spot for picking up EVP recordings that seem to actually be answering questions as opposed to being unintelligible sounds or noises. The historical aspect of this beautiful mansion is enough of a draw to lure me there; the haunting is just a bonus!
If you have the same twisted idea of fun as I do and are the curious sort, looking for a few haunted places to visit, check some of these out. Most of them have such a meaningful historical background, that even if you don’t get to witness some sort of activity, your trip won’t be wasted because you’ll get a great self-guided tour of beautiful buildings from the past. What's the most haunted place you've ever visited?