We asked, “What Hudson Valley location makes your skin crawl? Whose book have your read over and over again?” We wanted to know who is truly the best of the best in our local paranormal circle.  We asked and you told us. Congratulations to all our winners!

2010 Best of the Haunted Hudson Valley Awards

Favorite Local Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Favorite Local Historic Location
Vanderbilt Mansion, Hyde Park, NY

Favorite Local Haunted Book
Hudson Valley Haunts: Historic Driving Tours by Linda Zimmermann

Favorite HHV Facebook Fan
Donna Parish-Bischoff

Favorite Local Haunted Inn
Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, NY

Favorite Local Haunted College
United States Military Academy, West Point, NY

Favorite Local Haunted Restaurant
Cold Spring Depot Restaurant, Cold Spring, NY

Favorite Local Asylum
Mid Hudson Psychiatric Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

Favorite Halloween Attraction
Headless Horseman Hayrides, Ulster Park, NY

Favorite Local Paranormal Celebrity
Linda Zimmermann, Author and Ghost Investigator

Afterlife Investigations of NY and Haunted Hudson Valley™ partner in Workshop

What exactly are hauntings? Do you know what the different types of spirits really are? How is all the equipment used? Ever wonder what goes on in an actual investigation from start to finish? If so, come find out at our new workshop Paranormal Investigating 101.  Set in an old Victorian house with a haunted history, learn from an experienced investigator and get the opportunity to test out some investigation equipment. (Feel free to bring your own equipment.)

What is covered:

• Types of ghosts
• Types of equipment
• Where to go when you are just starting out
• How to run an well-organized investigation
• How to interview your client
• How to review your evidence
• Fact or faked evidence
• and more…

Paranormal Investigation 101 Class
Your Instructor: Maria Robson, Afterlife Investigations of NY

Light snacks will be served during break

Saturday, September 18, 2010
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Minimum Enrollment: 10 people for workshop to run

Where:  Miss Fanny’s Victorian Party House
4 Van Wyck Lane, Wappingers Falls

Directions:

Directions To This Location

Refund Policy: Tickets are non-refundable. We can not guarantee ghostly activity. As you, know the paranormal is unexplained and if ghosts performed on command there would not be a need for investigation.

Number in Your Party

1 Person $40.00 2 People $80.00 3 People $120.00 4 People $160.00

Tarrytown, NY ─ In the village of Tarrytown sits an enchanting, romantic style home nestled on the banks of the Hudson known as Sunnyside. Sunnyside was the abode of author, statesman, and historian, Washington Irving and his extended family. With its watercolor landscape views and charming atmosphere, it’s hard to believe that it serves as a host to ghosts.

In the 17th century Sunnyside was said to be haunted. That was the norm for any location in Sleepy Hollow at the time. Irving spoke of the ghost of “a young woman in the southwest bedroom that died of love and green apples.”

According to a New York Times article published in 1947, Washington Irving’s great-great-nephew offered remarks at the Rockefeller dedication ceremony in 1947 stating that the “ghost of the legendary writer was seen by guests who stayed in the front room of the home facing the Tappan Zee. He is said to be an amiable ghost.” That is not surprising considering how Irving was revered in his time. This was the first publicly reported claim of Irving’s ghost at Sunnyside.

They say that spirits choose not to move on because they don’t want to leave what they loved the most─ the place where they were the happiest. Sunnyside was that place for Irving.

The Man Behind the Legend

Irving himself remarked that if he were ever going to come back as a ghost, he would haunt Sunnyside. To appreciate that comment, you have to have a basic understanding of who Irving was and how he felt about his home, his family and friends, and his lifestyle. These significant historical facts are vital to entertaining the notion of the return of his ghostly apparition.

Washington Irving was more than the author of celebrated classic ghost story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Irving was deemed the “rock star’ of his time; in reality he was a simple gentleman who experienced emotional and financial challenges just like anyone else. His fiancée died at the age of 17 from consumption, which scarred him and led him into living the lifestyle of a confirmed bachelor. At one point, he was thought to have been romantically involved in a love triangle with writer Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly. They surely would have made an extraordinary writing team. Who knows what great literary works would have stemmed from that relationship?

Irving worked as a full-time writer and was employed just enough to maintain his middle-class status. He was also well-traveled and acted as US Ambassador to Spain. He never owned a home of his own until he purchased Sunnyside. “As Irving wrote, he was eager for a home and was willing to pay a little unreasonably for it. Irving finally purchased the property on June 7, 1835 for $1,800” (Sunnyside 2010). Irving worked alongside artist and friend George Harvey and passionately developed Sunnyside into a collaborative work of art that collectively presented sophisticated international influences in its design. This small saltbox house would be built into a magnificent mansion that he would cherish and share with his family and dearest friends.

The renovation of Sunnyside was taking a financial toll. Irving hesitantly accepted an offer to act as envoy to Spain in order to continue with his plans for Sunnyside. “It will be a severe trial to absent myself for a time from my dear little Sunnyside, but I shall return to it better enabled to carry it on comfortably.”(Sunnyside 2010) He left for Spain and depended on his brother Abraham and his five nieces to run the estate. Upon his return from Spain, Irving spent his concluding days at his beloved Sunnyside.

Until His Dying Days

Irving was not in the best of health. He suffered from a heart condition among other ailments. He was cared for by two of his nieces, Catherine and Sarah who never married. Irving continued to write up through the last days of his life. Happy to be back in his home, Irving stated, “My heart dwells in this blessed little spot, and I really believe that when I die, I shall haunt it” (Weston 1959).

Irving was an eloquent writer who penned his own last will and testament. It is apparent how he felt about Sunnyside and the delicate care that he received from his family in the way he fondly outlines how his estate should be handled. Irving wanted Sunnyside and his family cared for until their time there was over. The will states,

I declare my general intention to be to dispose all of my estate, so that it may be as far as possible kept together as maintenance for my brother, Ebenezer; and his daughters who have become accustom to reside with me, to enable them to live with the same degree of comfort they have been accustom under my roof. I make this disposition as an early return for the brotherly affection shown to me by my brother… I make it also in return for the consideration and cherishing care in sickness and in health I have ever experienced by his daughters to me for years and have rendered my home a happy one…(1859)

On November 28, 1859 at 76 years old, Washington Irving passed away resting in his bed at Sunnyside.

Sunnyside Today

Washington Irving had many happy years at Sunnyside, probably the happiest years of this life. It is not unrealistic to think that the spirit of the author of the greatest legend of the Hudson Valley would remain. Irving created his own legend in the story of his life. His love of Sunnyside and the affectionate care of his nieces stage the perfect setting for a terrific ghost story. It has been said that a woman combing her long hair has been seen in the cottage. We assume that this story refers to the spirit of one of his nieces who may linger to continually care for her adored uncle. No matter what you believe, Irving’s spirit lives on in his work and influence. He made an everlasting mark on the town of Sleepy Hollow. Ironically, of all the legendary haunts of the Hudson Valley, the man who composed the greatest ghostly legend of all would in fact become a ghostly legend in his own right.

Visiting

The delicate care of Sunnyside by the Irving family makes it possible for you to experience this warm and charming historical home today. In 1947, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated $500,000 to restore Sunnyside to its original state preserving this great piece of history.

Experience Sunnyside and view the original furnishings and belongings of Irving and his family. Who knows, you may even catch a ghost?

Photo Gallery: *Note: You can not take photos inside the home.

April 1 to Oct. 31*

Daily except Tuesdays
10am-5pm; last tour at 4pm

Special Hours
May 27-28 and June 2: noon-5pm; last tour at 4pm
Nov. 1 to Dec. 26*

Saturdays and Sundays; Friday, Nov. 26
10am-4pm; last tour at 3pm
For More Information

Call 914.631.8200 Monday through Friday or 914.591.8763 on weekend.

Visit their Web site >

Visit Washington Irving’s final resting place at The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery >

Works Cited:

“Always for the Irvings.” New York Times. 23 February 1896.

Faber, H.” Irving Home Opens with Two Ghosts.” New York Times. 1947.

Sunnyside (Tarrytown, New York). (2010, June 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10:25, July 12, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sunnyside_(Tarrytown,_New_York)&oldid=365726076

Weston, M. “Sunnyside Revisited.” New York Times. 26 April 1959.

WE ARE SOLD OUT!

Due to popular demand, we have added another cemetery tour date on  Saturday, September 25th.  Come tour the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery by lantern in headless horseman country. This exclusive event is open to Haunted Hudson Valley™ Fans only. Walk with us as we roam through the winding gravel roads by flickering lantern light through the dark, black cemetery. What was that? You catch the shadow of an angelic face. Is there someone there?

Cemetery Historian, Jim Logan will be your guide as you learn about the cemetery’s famous and infamous residents during this “crime and punishment” themed tour. We will admire the eerie art and architecture of this historical cemetery in a unique experience that you are sure to remember for eternity.

You’ll even have the opportunity to enter the actual crypt that served as the resting place of the vampire Barnabas Collins in the 1970’s film, The House of Dark Shadows.

This is not a ghost investigation – this is a historical cemetery tour.

No Ghost Investigation out of respect for the families whose loved ones rest in this historical gem in Sleepy Hollow.

Everyone will get a free full-color Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Map and one raffle ticket for a chance to win a Haunted Hudson Valley™ T-Shirt! There will be five opportunities to win!

This is a two hour walking tour that covers various terrains. Be sure you are up to it.  Bring your camera, wear comfortable shoes and bring friends!

Time:

Cemetery Gates Open at 8:15 p.m.

8:45 p.m.  – Tee Shirt Drawing ( 5 Lucky Winners!)

9:00 p.m. – Tour begins at 9:00 and ends at 11:00 p.m.

Location: The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, 540 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591
Enter through the main gate and meet at the Chapel.

Space limited is to 30 guests. All proceeds support the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Historic Fund

Tickets: $20 per person

WE ARE SOLD OUT! If you would like to be put on a waiting list e-mail me at ghostwriter@hauntedhudsonvalley.net

Refund Policy: Tickets are refundable up to 2 days before the event. In the case of bad weather, we will determine a rain date.

Wait… did I just hear the faint noise of galloping off in the distance??

Your PayPal e-mail will serve as your ticket. If you have any questions, please e-mail ghostwriter@hauntedhudsonvalley.net.

This map was create to share the legendary haunted locations in the Hudson Valley on Google Maps. Please be aware that not all of this locations are public. Please do not trespass and confirm that you are welcome at these locations. Historic sites have specific tour hours. Abide by all rules and regulations of the site. We are not responsible for misuse of this information. There are a lot of locations on this map and it may take a minute to load.

View Haunted Locations in a larger map

Congratulations to our Winners!

• If I Only Knew Then… by Hope Thorpe – First Place Winner
• An Unearthly Voice by Melissa Mezzo – Second Place Winner
• Ouija Board Incident by Cliff  Zier – Third Place Winner

The Entries

• Pipa at the Door
• Ouija Board Incident
• The Pumpkin and the Chapstick
• Wake Up!

• An Unearthly Voice
• Something That Did More Than Go Bump in the Night
• The Ghost of Mooney House
• Kennedy Assassination Ghost Story
• If Only I Knew Then…
• The Lee Avenue Haunting

The Prizes!

First prize, Four tickets to Lyndhurst Castle and a Haunted Hudson Valley t-shirt (design in progress)

Second prize, Haunted Stories DVD Collection Vol. 1 and 2 from The History Channel

Third prize, $25.00 gift card to Amazon.com

FIRST PLACE WINNER!

My family and I moved from Florida back to New York when I was 15 years old.  We rented a home in the Town of Montgomery.  It was a beautiful country home with a large back yard.  The home was a Colonial style, with original hardwood floors and a fire place.  My favorite room in the house was the bathroom.  There was on old fashion tub with claw feet. Perfect for long baths to ease away stress!    A separate shower stall was located behind the door.    Off of the living room was a cozy sun room.  The previous tenants had left some of their belongings in the sunroom, but once it was gone, we had big plans for that area.  The house was situated on a lot on the edge of the woods, and there were pathways leading down to the Wallkill River.  A very comfortable house that offered enough room for the whole family and we were truly happy there.

It did not take me long to make an assessment of this place.  Within the first day of being there I could feel right away that

there was something different about this home.  My mother and I were unpacking one night, and we decided to take a break.  We were laying on a bed together, talking and I said to her I felt that this place was “haunted”.  She said I was just uneasy about being in a new place and that those feelings would go away within a short amount of time.  Mom could not have any been more wrong.  We were in the house few days when the previous tenants came to pick up their belongings in the sun room.  They were a young professional couple.  I said to them, “Hey, lemme ask you a question, is this house haunted?”.   In which their reply was a very nervous laugh and a “nooooo”.  My parents just looked at me and laughed off the question as if to say … Silly teenager, what do you know…

At first we were having small paranormal experiences.  Enough to make us realize something wasn’t quite right, but small enough to make us think that it was our own lack of memory or disorganization.  We would go into the pantry for a can of soup and put the soup on the counter.  Then turn around for the can opener.  After that we would go back to the soup and it would be totally gone.  It would be back in the pantry or, oddly, in the refrigerator.   Occasionally we would see dark shadows move from one side of the room to the other, again being pushed aside by the thought process that this is “just my imagination”.  My nephew who was just 2 years old was living in the house too.  He use to spend his time in his room playing and talking with “the little boy”, when there were no other little kids in the house.  One night, after a few months of these minor experiences, I was laying in my bed trying to sleep.  I heard my bedroom door open up.  I thought it was one of my sisters coming to borrow something or ask me a question, so I turned around to look towards the door, and standing there, in the door frame, was a woman who I had never seen before in my life!  I could see she was short, with long hair. She seemed sort of frail.  As she stood there, looking at me, looking at her, swear I felt my heart stop!  I couldn’t breath, and I didn’t want to move.  I thought the best thing to do was to turn my back to the door way, and stare at the wall!  I thought if I didn’t acknowledge her, maybe she would leave me alone!  As I turned my back in total disbelief in what I saw, she too turned and walked down the hallway.  My mother who was in another room down the hall, heard someone walk past her room, and my brother who was laying on the couch down stairs in the living room, heard someone walk down the stairs.  When my brother and mother looked to see who was up, no one was found.

After this event everyone that stayed in this house with us had some sort of experience.  One day, my mother, best friend and I decided to try and contact the spirits that were trapped in this house.  As we prepared for our séance, I lit a large glass encased candle.  It was one of those spiritual candles in glass tempered to withstand the heat of the fire.  Within moments of the flame being lit, the glass exploded!  This should have been our sign not to proceed with what we were about to do.  I was at the head of the table trying to initiate contact.  We were seated in the dining room which was adjacent to the living room.  We sat with our hands joined to one another with our arms resting on the table in the form of a triangle.  In the middle of the triangle, we placed a lit white candle.  As we were calling forth the spirit of who we thought was a woman, a ball of white light formed in the living room.  The ball began to float and move towards us.  As it traveled into the dining room the ball of light grew in size.  As the ball of light passed over the table and closer to me, the flame flickered with the movement of the ball of light, and then the light passed right through me!  I remember shaking and crying, and becoming overwhelmed with sadness.

After that night we never tried to contact the spirits again, but we continued to have experiences here, in the form of shadows, doors opening and closing on their own, items coming up missing.  The biggest skeptic became a believer in this house! Now, I would love to investigate this place further.

It was over twenty years ago now. My husband and I lived in a tiny house in Beacon, NY. It was a converted summer cabin in an area of the city known as Groveville Park. When we first moved into the house it had a feel to it, sort of like someone was standing next to you, staring intently at you all the time.  As time went on things began to change and the house began to grow very creepy.

Over the years, all sorts of things happened.  It was little things at first, like objects disappearing. There were so many hours spent searching to no avail, only to find an item weeks or months later right where you had already looked to many times to count.

However, the most frightening experience happened one summer night in August of 1989. It was a hot and humid night. All the windows were wide open, with the shades up. I remember lying there in bed watching the streetlight shining through the open windows.  Unable to sleep, I gave up and started to read. Finally, it got so late, I decided I would just wait for daylight and get up. I remember I turned and looked at the alarm clock, it was 5 AM. My book was finally (two hundred pages later) starting to get really interesting.

I remember thinking how grateful I was to have had an uneventful night. The house could be so creepy and had a tendency to do things such as, the sound of foot steps on the floor, doors we didn’t even have opening and closing, the sound of someone exiting and entering through one of the bedroom closets, strange balls of light, the feeling of dread in the bathroom. Let’s just say I preferred to be sleeping at night in that house.

Then I heard it. This sound coming from the living room, this scratching sound, like animal claws on the hardwood floors. I stopped reading, I was thinking, “That dog is being really loud. What’s he up to?” (We had a dog for so many years it was an automatic thought.) I was reading again and there was more scratching. “That dog really needed to be quiet, so distracting.” There it was again, that scratching noise. It sounded like it was coming closer. I thought, “Oh wait a minute, the dog died last winter.”  I stopped for a moment, I thought about it for a minute, “It must be the cat.”  I went back to reading.

Now there was a lot more scratching and again it sounded even closer. It sounded like it was almost in the hallway, “Wait a minute.” I thought, “I know I locked the cat in the mudroom last night.”  I suddenly felt this intense dread come over me. I yelled out, “Who’s there?” No answer returned. I continued to hear movement. Concerned, I started to get out of bed, but just as my feet were hitting the floor, that’s when I saw it.

I had this large basket of laundry in the hall that was in need of folding. I saw this small human figure. It was inky black and stooped over, creeping behind the laundry basket. I can’t explain why, but without thinking I began to yell at it to get out of my house. Suddenly it stood up. (I just have no words that can impart to you the intense shock and fear that came over me at that instant.) It’s in my house! Right there in front of me this thing in my house. It did not come through a door or a window!  It came from the living room. A space that has no doors or windows that opened to the outside, but it’s in my house! At that point it stepped out from behind the laundry basket. Then turned towards me. It stood there for a moment. It was as if this faceless thing were looking at me. Then it folded up on itself, there was this flash of light and it was gone and so too was any sense of comfort or security in that house ever again.

“What are you so happy about?” snapped Nancy as I met her and the other neighborhood girls on the sidewalk. Nancy, Vicki, Denise and I were on our twice-weekly walk to spend the afternoon at the “Y”. “What are you so happy about? Don’t you know the President is dead?”

What? The President is dead? President Kennedy? No, I didn’t know. That afternoon? No, no one had told me. Class was interrupted by the announcement? No, I was at religion class in the “Y” Building, not in the school building. Discussion followed about the events of that afternoon for the course of maybe two blocks. Then silence descended upon the group for the rest of the five-block trek to the “Y” for swim team.

Routine in the locker room was normal. So was swim team practice itself. It was normal on the surface anyway; no one really spoke to anyone else that afternoon, about anything. No mention was made of the assassination of the President, Boston’s own. Mrs. Sullivan, the coach, was red-eyed, but she said nothing beyond her usual drill instruction, but it seemed like she blew her whistle harder on that historic, gloomy day.

At home that evening, my mother and my grandparents were wailing. I couldn’t understand the depth of their emotions. My 12-year-old mind couldn’t see why the death of someone so far removed from any of us – the President of the United States – should affect the adults so deeply. Grandma came upstairs the next morning from her first-floor apartment in our two-family home, and spent the day with my mother. My 10-year-old brother, Johnny, and I really didn’t pay much attention to the events of that day and agitated to watch cartoons instead of the non-stop news coverage. We didn’t get our childish wish. Mom and Grandma stayed glued to the television set for updates on the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald, and were most curious as to who this Oswald was. Later, the two of them sat horrified as Jack Ruby shot Oswald on live television, and the question of who Oswald was would likely never be fully explained. This Oswald, forever to be mysterious, killed their President, Boston’s President, the compelling interest of every Bostonian, Catholic or otherwise, who was NOT of the Brahmin class. Yes, the Kennedys had money and power, but they were never Brahmins. They were not of Boston’s ruling class of patricians with Puritan ancestors, and they always stood outside the sphere of true respectability. The Kennedys were always outsiders, and in the sorrow all around me I understood that they were our kith and kin, that the Kennedys’ ascent to national legitimacy was indeed our own, and now Jack Kennedy was dead.

I was always edgy going up to my room at night on the third-floor of that ancient house, because that floor was haunted by who-knows-what sad spirits of those who had lived there before. The house was alive and it knew me, and I didn’t like that feeling. I never was able to relax in my bedroom. I never saw anything physically appear, but so many strange things happened up there. As I lay in bed at night, I often heard the noise of objects moving or of footsteps of people who were not there. I would return to my room to find belongings moved inexplicably. Whatever or whomever occupied these attic rooms at night was not at peace, and I didn’t like being up there with it. I never spoke to my mother or my grandparents about these things, because they would not believe me, I was certain.

That night, November 23, 1963, I ascended those creaky stairs to my room. I lay there going over in my mind the events of the previous two days and thinking about the reactions of all the grown-ups in my house and in my neighborhood. Suddenly, I began crying, sobbing, contorting in sorrow under the blankets of my bed. The significance of the President’s assassination finally came to me in that moonlight-filled room. I wept, because Kennedy wasn’t just a national figure to me, to my family, or any of my neighbors. He was uncle, cousin, nephew; he was one of us. And I cried with the emotion of one who has lost a close relative.

Suddenly, I felt a weight at the foot of my bed. It was a weight as though a human being was seated there. There was no footboard at the bottom of this bed; so the shifting of its lower end was obvious. My heart raced; I was afraid. I put my head under the covers, frightened to look down and terrified of what might be there. I tried to explain the weight on the bed to myself – maybe it was my grandmother’s cat! But this cat would have had to walk up two flights of squeaking stairs, and I would have heard its approach. Whatever was at the foot of the bed, it was not my grandmother’s cat.

Slowly, with great trepidation, I peaked over my covers. In the light of the strong moon, I saw the clear indentation on my bed, the distinct impact of a body on that space. But, there was no one there. Slowly, my fear gave way to a feeling of ease. My racing heart slowed and peace came over me. Whatever sat on my bed was there to comfort me. Whatever its usual state of agitation might have been, it put it aside for that night to show the bit of humanity it still possessed. It ceased to be the haunter of these premises, the disturbed spiritual remnant of a past occupant, and became, for that instant, a sympathetic soul still capable of empathy and the consoler of a weeping child.

Calm came over me and fear fell away, and eventually I fell asleep. In the following days, my household, my neighborhood, and my small world continued as before, but forever altered. Thanksgiving came and went a few days later, with the whole table in a depression.

John-John saluted his father goodbye. Jack Kennedy was dead. Camelot was gone.

It was in November of last year (2009), My husband and I went to Ireland for our honeymoon. When we arrived we drove to our first hotel, which was the Clontarf Castle Hotel in Ireland, which is 2 miles from Dublin City Center. The Clontarf Castle was built in 1172, and in 1997 it was open to the public as a 4 star hotel.

There is remnants of the old castle inside the Hotel itself in the main lobby area. Well, on our last stay at the Castle (which we stayed there already 3 nights with nothing happening). We both went to bed a little early due to having to get up in the morning to drive to our next destination. My husband experienced something that he couldn’t explain. He told me that during the night around 3:00am he woke with the feeling of someone tapping his shoulder. As he woke right next to him there was this little girl dress in period clothing (he said like a peasant girl and she was around 9 or 10 yrs old) and she was tapping him telling him to “Wake Up”. The way our bed was there was no way someone could squeeze between the bed and the nightstand, plus he said he could see right through her. As he tried to focus on what he saw, he was eager to wake me up. As he tried too wake me up, he was unable to sit up, speak, or do anything. He felt as if someone or something was sitting on his chest. Then as he came too and was able to move, he looked over to me and there he saw a black shadow figure on my side of the bed. He thinks the shadow figure was either sitting on the bed next to me or leaning over me, he isn’t sure but he saw a shadow figure (it was blacker than black). He also thinks that the little girl was trying to wake him up cause of the shadow figure.

I’m glad he was able to move cause we didn’t know what that shadow had in mind. It was really freaky!!! . That night I turned on all the lights in the room before I finally fell asleep. And as we were leaving we told the front desk of our experience and they told us that this was the first time someone actually said anything about a ghost at the hotel.