Hoyt’s Mansion: Urban Legend?
Written by Laura Schnecke
Staatsburg, NY— We often discuss “ghost stories” on our Facebook page. Urban myths run wild, especially in such a historic area as the Hudson Valley. While at first glace we quickly want to believe in these tall tales, upon closer inspection we can weed out those that are truly just stories and those that require more investigation.
Always on the lookout for new haunted treasures here in the Hudson Valley, I came across some information on Hoyt’s Mansion aka The Point in Staatsburg. Like Wyndcliffe, Hoyt’s Mansion has fallen into ruin and has gone unnoticed by most of the people in the area. I’ve lived in the Valley my entire life and have never even heard of it. Legend has run wild regarding Hoyt’s Mansion, and I was intrigued to learn more. Did the whole family really kill themselves in the house as urban legend suggests?
I did my research before heading out to the site and was prepared for my outing. In 1855 Lydig Monson Hoyt and Geraldine Livingston Hoyt began construction on their gothic revival home. The building was designed by Calvert Vaux who may be best known for designing Central Park in New York City. The house was strategically placed on a vista over the Hudson River for beautiful views to the north.
After Geraldine died in 1897, the house and 90 acre estate was passed to their son Gerald. It remained in the family until 1962 when greedy NYS took the house by eminent domain. The estate was flanked on either side by Mills Mansion and Norrie Point, both already owned by the NYS Parks Department. The department wanted to combine the parks with the land owned by the Hoyt family. Mrs. Hoyt refused to sell but lost the battle anyway when New York State abused their power.
New York state allowed the house to fall into ruin while a massive town pool was in the planning stages. The plan to build the pool complex never came to fruition and was finally scrapped all together as the historical importance of Hoyt’s Mansion were realized. Even though the building became a National Historic Landmark in 1990, it has continued to deteriorate . Today the home sits vacant and boarded up, just a shadow of what it used to be.
So is the house actually haunted? We may never know. Because the building is not safe, there was no legal way to enter. While I did find a lot of research about the house architecture and family, I found nothing in regards to a family mass suicide. Does Hoyt’s Mansion’s crumbling walls hold any true spiritual activity, or are the rumors simply just the product of active imaginations ? Based on the history I’ll make my own assumptions, but without proof either way, I’ll leave you to your own opinions.
If you want to visit, check in at the visitor’s center of Mills Mansion to get hiking directions. It is a quick, easy walk on a major carriage trail, but don’t expect to get too close. The house has been condemned and is fenced to avoid any accidental injury. Don’t bother going at night. Not only is it not safe, but you are just asking to get in trouble. Some of the rumors include silent alarms tripped by motion sensors, and there are definitely motion sensor lights on the exterior of the building.
