Haunted places in the Capital Region

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — With Halloween at the end of this month, you may be getting into a spooky mood. Instead of watching a scary movie, why not opt for a close-to-home, real-life ghost experience?

From cemeteries to hotels to government buildings, scary tales and hauntings are all around the Capital Region. Many places also offer ghost tours so you can experience these haunts firsthand. 

These are some of the thought-to-be haunted places around the Capital Region.

New York State Capitol, Albany

Which two U.S. Presidents visited the Capitol after they died? What happened to the “lost” Capitol murals and their artist? Does the secret demon carved in stone hold a Capitol curse? Does the night watchman who died in the Capitol Fire of 1911 still make his rounds? To find these answers, you can reserve your spot for a Capitol Hauntings Tour on the Empire State Plaza website.

Albany Rural Cemetery, Albany

As with many graveyards, the Albany Rural Cemetery is rumored to be haunted. Founded in 1841, some spirits who have been spotted roaming the grounds include a girl in a prom gown, a mad horse, a hitchhiker, as well as Anna T. Osterhoudt and Mary Douglas Scott, who both died in the cemetery. All of this is according to the New York Haunted Houses website.

Ten Broeck Mansion, Albany

According to the Ghosts of Albany website, a ghost walks the upstairs halls of Arbor Hill’s Ten Broeck Mansion. The house was built in 1859. In the mid-20th century, children who lived in the house reported seeing a strange man whenever they went to the top floor. The figure, who often appeared in empty hallways, wore the clothing of a 17th-century Dutch soldier.

The Ghosts of Albany website speculates that this man met his end or was buried on the hill where the house stands in the 1600s. Ghosts of Albany holds haunted ghost tours, as well as private tours for groups around Albany.

NYS Education Department Building, Albany

According to the New York Haunted Houses website, the New York State Education Department Building was built in the early 1900s and has had some paranormal activity. Objects in the building have been known to move on their own and shadowy figures have been spotted. The haunting is alleged to be connected to an Italian worker who mysteriously vanished during the building’s construction.

Forest Park Cemetery, Brunswick

Forest Park Cemetery was founded in 1897 and eventually abandoned in the early 1900s. The Brunswick Historical Society is working on repairing the cemetery after it was damaged over the years. There are many tales about people who are buried there or things that have happened in the cemetery.

Loudon Cottage, Loundonville

Loudon Cottage is thought to be haunted by the ghost of President Abraham Lincoln. According to Haunted Places.org, when Lincoln was shot, one of his guests at the theater was Senator Ira Harris’s daughter Clara. After the event, Clara’s white dress was stained by Lincoln’s blood. After returning home to the cottage, she had a special closet built for it and had it sealed up. After that, she allegedly saw the ghost of Lincoln in her room. Others have reported seeing Lincoln’s ghost as well.

Vale Cemetery, Schenectady

Vale Cemetery opened in 1857. According to HauntedPlaces.org, witnesses say some of the statues cry out at night or bleed from the eyes or the tops of their heads. Ghosts are also alleged to wander through the gravesites and sit in trees. Strange lights have been seen and singing has been heard within the old church on the grounds.

Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes

The Cohoes Music Hall is thought to be haunted by Eva Tanugay, a vaudeville performer in the 1800s and early 1900s. According to the music hall website, she was a hit and lived the life of a celebrity. Eva was the highest-paid vaudeville performer of her day. But her fame and wealth did not last forever. As her career waned over time she also lost her fortune in the stock market crash. Eva lived out her last days in her home in Hollywood and died at the age of 68.

Guptills Woods, Latham

Guptills Woods on Pollock Road in Latham has long been rumored to be haunted, as has a house found in the middle of the trees. Witnesses have reported light orbs and strange sets of eyes without faces peering out from the dark, as well as singing while in the woods. All of this is according to the New York Haunted Houses website.

Saratoga County Homestead, Providence

The Saratoga County Homestead opened in 1914 and treated tuberculosis patients until 1960. The building reopened in 1961 as an infirmary. The property passed into private hands in the 1980s and sat empty for decades. It’s thought to be haunted by those who died there. The current owner offers paranormal tours of the building but they often sell out quickly.

Crandall House, Ballston Spa

Located outside three elementary schools in Ballston Spa, the Crandall House stands. According to New York Haunted Houses, the home was built in the 1800s for Sylvester Crandall, a failed stockbroker, and his wife, Julia. In 1887, Julia’s mother and step-sister came to the house to bring her home, but Sylvester came down with a shotgun and killed the mom, step-sister, and then Julia before shooting himself. Neighbors and schoolchildren have reported seeing a man, likely Sylvester, in the home.

Batcheller Mansion Inn, Saratoga Springs

Tales of supernatural experiences at the Batcheller Mansion Inn by both staff and guests. According to the Haunted History Trail website, the Albany Paranormal Research Society investigated the location twice.

Canfield Casino, Saratoga Springs

The Canfield Casino was established in the late 1800s by professional boxer John Morrissey. According to Saratoga.com, the place became one of the world’s most renowned gambling houses of the era. The Casino is also known as one of the most haunted places in the area.

Some say they have experienced paranormal activity throughout the halls. Reported incidents include:

• In the 1990s, a visitor saw a woman dressed in a Victorian gown roaming through the corridors.
• In 2007, a Saratoga Springs History Museum volunteer stated a woman dressed in Victorian clothing approached their group, asked a question, and vanished into thin air.
• In 2009, during an exhibition opening, a patron had a glass slapped from her hand by a ghost.
• A volunteer and an employee of the Casino claimed they witnessed a lid to a garbage can fly into the air and crash onto the ground on its own.
• There have been reports of the smell of cigar smoke when no one is smoking, objects moving in rooms that had been locked for the night, sudden freezing temperatures, hostile energy, and other occurrences.

Skene Manor, Whitehall

Skene Manor is believed to be haunted by the wife of Philip Skene, the original owner. Legend has it that when his wife Katharine died, Philip kept her body on the property to keep her close, according to GlensFalls.com.

Fort William Henry Museum, Lake George

Ghost tours are offered at the Fort William Henry Museum in September and October. The area surrounding Fort William Henry has been the scene of countless battles, diseases, and harsh climates. On the tour, you can hear stories that have been handed down over the years, as well as the personal experiences of the guides. You can find the tours on the Fort William Henry Museum website.

Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing

The Sagamore Resort was named one of the 10 most haunted hotels in the country, according to LakeGeorge.com. The hotel was originally built in 1883. It was burned down by fires in 1893 and 1914 and was fully reconstructed during the Great Depression.

A former employee also claimed The Sagamore was built on Native American burial grounds. Some reported haunted sightings include:

• A little boy from the 1950s, reportedly hit by a car, hangs out on the golf course causing mischief by stealing golf balls and throwing them at golfers while laughing.
• Ghostly children can be seen on the golf course or giggling in the hallways.
• A woman in white enters hotel rooms to frighten the guests. She hovers over them while they’re sleeping, blowing cold air onto their eyelids.
• A woman wearing a blue polka dot dress moves through the hallways and the hotel’s restaurant.
• A blonde woman once spoke to a hotel chef, then walked right through him. He reportedly quit right after.

Barkeater Chocolates, North Creek

According to the Haunted History Trail website, nearly every employee has experienced unexplained sounds and movement since Barkeater Chocolates bought the property in 2013. In 2015, a construction crew working on the building claimed to hear footsteps and voices coming from upstairs, but no one was in the building. Barkeater Chocolates offers both haunted public tours and private tours.

Old Montgomery County Courthouse, Fonda

The Old Courthouse was built in 1836 when the county seat was removed from Johnstown to Fonda, according to the Haunted History Trail website. Paranormal activity includes books falling from library shelves, voices and footsteps heard when no one else is in the building, and sightings of a woman in a blue Victorian dress.

The Knox Mansion, Johnstown

According to the Haunted History Trails website, the Knox Mansion was built in 1889 by businessman, Charles Knox, who owned Knox Gelatine and the Knox Gelatine Factory in Johnstown. Guests have reported seeing lights flickering, lamps dropping, hearing footsteps and voices, seeing ghosts, having sheets pulled off, and a piano being played by itself. Children have reportedly seen the dead gardener who apparently loved the company of children.

Fulton County Historical Society, Gloversville

According to the Haunted History Trail website, the Fulton County Historical Society is headquartered in the Kingsboro School, which was built in 1900 on the site of the original Kingsboro Academy. Paranormal teams have conducted investigations in the building and found EVP evidence. Museum staff has reported already closed doors slamming shut to the model train operating on its own.

Historic Hotel Broadalbin, Broadalbin

According to the Haunted History Trail website, the Historic Hotel Broadalbin, formerly the Kennyetto Inn, started as glove factory in 1854 before becoming a Keeley Cure hospital in 1895, which offered treatment to those suffering from alcoholism. The treatments at the hospital may not have been humane, and patients who were tested on may still haunt the building.

Bull’s Head Inn, Cobleskill

The Bull’s Head Inn in Cobleskill was established in 1802 and is currently a restaurant. The building is rumored to be haunted by one of its deceased residents, Mrs. John Stacy, who has been seen wearing a white gown in the dining room by guests, and flinging napkins and silverware by bartenders.

Grapevine Farms, Cobleskill

Grapevine Farms in Cobleskill is rumored to be haunted, according to the Haunted History Trail website. The farm was built in 1850 and turned into a gift shop, restaurant, and wine cellar in 2002. Customers over the past several years have reported seeing and feeling apparitions and hearing unusual sounds. Grapevine Farms is having two Guided Ghost Hunt events on October 28.

Dr. Best House & Medical Museum, Middleburgh

Located in Middleburgh, this was the private home of Dr. Christopher Best. The museum is owned by the Middleburgh Library Association and gives visitors an inside look at the doctor’s life in the late 1800s. The doctor, his wife, and his son all died inside the home and there have been a number of paranormal investigations, some of which have heard the sounds of the family talking and playing a piano.