A Haunted Heritage
Staff | April 15, 2016 | Comment
The Hudson Valley is home to dozens of historical institutions, landmarks, and preserves, of which a select few are either reportedly haunted or supposed sites of paranormal or extraterrestrial activity. Light your tapers! It’s time to explore the unexplained.
GHOSTLY GRAVEYARDS
The Hudson Valley’s extensive history has left many in its wake to rest in their graves, though not all spirits rest easy. Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis is said to be home to a ghostly woman in a long white gown who emerges from a mausoleum to run from river bed to river bed, only to mysteriously disappear. The St. James Episcopal Graveyard in Hyde Park now offers a guided graveyard tour starring six new characters to highlight their personal haunted history.
HAUNTED HISTORY
In late October and early November, visit the oldest street in America for a haunted tour with Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz. Guests meander through creepy stone houses and hear legends linked to the very ground they walk on. Further south, take a boat tour to Bannerman Island, where the remains of a 1900s Scottish style castle are still reportedly visited upon by the spirits of Native Americans and early Dutch Colonial settlers.
ACCOMMODATING APPARITIONS
Built in 1905, Pine Bush House Bed & Breakfast is an elegant piece of early 20th century architecture, and a creepy, ghostly example of local supernatural activity. Each room has its own ghost, the doors sometimes lock inexplicably, and the hallways are dominated by the sounds of laughter and footsteps when no one’s there. Ever stayed at a B&B equipped with a dungeon? Wing’s Castle in Millbrook offers day tours of their stone towers and will book you for the night, if you dare.