Scary stories from the Hudson Valley

Seven successive generations of the Livingston family have resided in the 1740s house at the Clermont State Historic Site, so there’s certainly room for some legend and lore. Among them? Margaret Beekman Livingston, known as Peggy to close friends and family, and mother to Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, who passed away in the dining room. *Photo by niki@hvny.info.*

The Headless Horseman? Hulda, the German Witch Doctor (as recently featured in the HVNY weekly newsletter)? The hobgoblin of Uptown Kingston? Or something no one else knows about…yet…?

What is your favorite haunted happening or scary story that happened here in the Hudson Valley?

Share it below, or email hello@hvny.info.

BANNERMAN ISLAND

Native Americans and early Dutch Colonial settlers have been haunting the ruins of Bannerman Island in the Hudson River, walking alongside visitors in the paths around the 1900s castle and through the manicured gardens.

BARDAVON 1869 OPERA HOUSE

Poughkeepsie’s musical mecca apparently carries a tune all its own – employees have been reportedly advised to pick a song to hum when in the theater alone to calm the spirits – especially one named Roger. According to a Bardavon house manager, as part of a security sweep in 2002, even Gov. Pataki’s bombsniffi ng dog refused to go into the coal bin room in the basement, instead whimpering and crying outside the door. And one aggressive spirit even prompted a visit from a shaman from Highland.

BASH BISH FALLS STATE PARK

Named the most spectacular waterfall in Massachusetts, and located right over the New York border from Copake, Bash Bish Falls offers stunning views of the 60-foot waterfall and a climb with views across borders. But where did the name of the falls come from? Legend has it that the falls takes their name from the story of a young Mohican woman who, when accused of adultery, was ordered to be bound to a canoe and sent over the falls. But before her punishment, a ring of bright butterflies circled her head, and she broke free of the constraints and threw herself over the falls instead. The infant daughter she left behind often sat longingly at the top of the falls looking for her mother until one day she too leapt to her death. On moonlit nights, it is said you can see a woman behind the falls.

BLITHEWOOD, BARD COLLEGE

The daughter of Captain Andrew C. Zabriskie apparently haunts the family’s summer home after her death from either falling or being pushed out of a high-rise in Manhattan. The captain commissioned four statues for his daughter in the Blithewood Gardens, one of which reportedly wanders.

BOSCOBEL

Ghost of former owner Elizabeth Dyckman has been spotted standing at an arched window in the back of her home at Boscobel. Dyckman has been observed by many, including a psychic, wearing a blue gown and searching out the window for the familiar view of her home before it was moved 15 miles to its current location.

CLERMONT STATE HISTORIC SITE

Seven successive generations of the Livingston family have resided in the 1740s house, so there’s certainly room for some legend and lore. Among them? Margaret Beekman Livingston, known as Peggy to close friends and family, and mother to Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, passed away in the dining room. Hear about some of the true-life stories and meet ghosts from Clermont’s history during Legends by Candlelight Ghost Tours.

HISTORIC HUGUENOT STREET

New Paltz was founded in 1678 by 12 Huguenot families who fled religious persecution in France. Now, the area is a National Landmark District with the seven original stone houses from 1705 and burial grounds. Like many of the district’s homes, heirlooms and furnishings, the spirits of residents of the 19th century have presumably stayed in the area with sightings including a colonial-era man with an ax.

At the Elting Library, mysterious images have been caught on security cameras, but who might the spirits be? Two deaths in the house have been documented – Oscar C. Hasbrouch, who owned the home and died in 1899 of what was called “consumption,” now known as tuberculosis. And Charles V. Auchmoody, a boarder in the house, died in 1908 after suffering “a stroke of paralysis.”

MISS FANNY’S VICTORIAN PARTY HOUSE

In Wappingers Falls, strange voices and loud knocking emanate from the three-story 1860s farmhouse, Miss Fanny’s Victorian Party House. During tours, a medium will help lead the way up the dark staircase to spot some of the site’s spooky happenings, including seeing a large man with the unnerving habit of disappearing into a wall.

OLD DUTCH CHURCH, KINGSTON

As the City of Kingston keeps expanding into a haven for many, there might be something much older – and much creepier – in the emerging city. A hobgoblin – a troublesome creature – is said to haunt The Old Dutch Reformed Church. According to legend, the hobgoblin swooped down and perched on the ship of a clergyman and his wife who were battling the Hudson’s stormy waters. The clergyman prayed the hobgoblin away that night, but the creature’s hat was discovered hanging on the church’s bell tower the next morning. A pastor at Old Dutch Church has said that while there was no bell tower during the time of the story, the church, which was built upon a graveyard, is certainly haunted. Among other figures, the pastor said he experienced a man dressed in black with a top hat standing in his offi ce one day. Other stories include long-deceased parishioners congregating after 10 p.m., a small painter working on the steeple during lightning storms and even the hobgoblin adding an extra line to the clock face.

RONDOUT LIGHTHOUSE

Set off the coast of Kingston, the lighthouse legend tells of a young widow waiting and searching for her husband who died in a boating accident on their wedding night.

THE SHANLEY HOTEL

Equipped with its own Ghost Weather Station, The Shanley Hotel in Napanoch is known as one of the most haunted places in the Hudson Valley, where visitors can spend the night if they are brave enough. Rumor has it that there were several murders and it is believed the spirits are trying to communicate to the living in the 35-room hotel. Ghosts of James Shanley’s wife, Beatrice, is presumably often heard crying over the loss of her three children, which happened at the hotel.

TARRYTOWN MUSIC HALL

Unexplained happenings and paranormal activity have been experienced at this 136-year-old historic theater: Lights mysteriously turning back on after closing. The eerie sound of an unknown singer performing vocal scales in the wings after hours. High-profile artists refusing to stay in one particular dressing room because they “sensed a presence.”

At the request of The Music Hall, Gotham Paranormal Research Society visited the theater multiple times in 2019 to investigate unexplained activity experienced by the staff, crew and other visitors. They revealed fascinating findings about the paranormal activity at The Music Hall, including intriguing EVP (electronic voice phenomena) audio files and EMF (electromagnetic field) readings. Ghost tours of the music hall, led by legendary storyteller Jonathan Kruk, take place through October: https://tarrytownmusichall.org/ghost-tours/

HUDSON

In Hudson, Maggie Houghtaling's ghost haunts the "Register-Star" building, where she was hanged in 1817 for murdering her child--a crime for which she was later cleared. The ghost of a young Native American girl haunts Claverack Creek, where she threw herself into the water when her father forbade her to be with the man she loved.