When discussing the folklore of the paranormal, and the evolution of historical fact into myth, we tend to look towards the long term. Events that happened in the 1700's evolve to become something more than they ever were, facts blurred by the passage of time.

This can occur in the short term, however. Events happen that are so traumatic, so out of the ordinary for a community, they start to take on aspects that never existed, molding with other occurrences to become something folkloric, not factual. One example of this is Tug Hill Annie.

As the folklore goes, Anna Tebidor was killed in a horrible car accident in the 1950s. She was in an unhappy marriage, and tended to cope by drinking a lot. While coming back from grabbing wine with a friend, their car crashed after going too fast around a turn. Anna was killed horribly and graphically.

Soon after her death, people started reported seeing a headless woman wandering down the side of a nearby road. People started conflating her accident with other local accidents, creating an amalgam haunting that they called Tug Hill Annie. The real Anna Tebidor was forgotten, other than her name and tragic death being lent to this haunting.

The road she was reported to haunt wasn't even close to where she met her end. It’s hard to know why, exactly, Anna Tebidor is forgotten, while Tug Hill Annie remains. Anna’s story is one of a life ended too soon, and ended too tragically. Perhaps the folklore that brings people to Rt 177 for a look at the headless spirit allows the actual scene of the accident to remain undisturbed.

As much interest as there is in the paranormal throughout the Halloween season, hauntings and ghosts are not confined to particular times of the day, nor seasons.

This has allowed many TV shows like Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters to flourish over the past eight years. In-fact it has not only led to the popularity of these shows but also the rapid growth of local ghost hunting teams and a new development in local tourism in most areas, affectionately dubbed 'Para-Tourism.' 'Para-Tourism' is the new term for locations that feature ghost walks, ghost tours and even full paranormal investigations-ghost hunts as part of their yearly events.

In many cases these locations are historic or regionally renowned sites that would be otherwise closed. Now, after being featured on the larger TV shows or being investigated by renowned paranormal researchers the sites are able to turn to 'Para-Tourism.' This allows the public and even amateur investigators the chance to investigate these renowned hauntings. Throughout Central New York there are a number of haunted sites that are available for ghost hunting and quite a few that have been investigated by renowned TV paranormal personalities.

Beardslee Castle

One of the most renowned historic locations in CNY, Beardslee Castle was built in the 1860’s by Augustus Beardslee in Little Falls. The manor was designed to imitate Irish castles and has long since been rumored to be haunted. It was recently investigated by Ghost Hunters with interesting results. [Read more...]

Hulbert House

The Hulbert House was built in 1812 in Boonville, NY and ever since it was built, Hulbert House has been active as an inn. It was at one time one of the most well-known places to stay in the region with countless historic figures staying at the building. It was recently Investigated by Haunted Collector John Zaffis and has long been known for its 'Para-Tourism' status. [Read More...]

 Capitol Theatre

One of the most interesting and stylish hauntings in the Mohawk Valley is the depression era Capitol Theater in Rome, NY. The theater has accounts of a phantom projectionist that roams the halls and even a ghost cat that patrols the maintenance areas of the building. Recently investigated by Dustin Pari and John Zaffis, investigators and enthusiasts are encouraged to explore the very active hauntings. [Read More...]

Shanley Hotel

The Shanley Hotel was constructed in the late 1800's as a vacation getaway for those looking to escape the city on weekends. After a series of events through the early 1900's and the prohibition era the hotel experienced a number tragedies that led to multiple accounts of hauntings. The hotel was investigated multiple times by the TAPS Ghost Hunters with interesting results.

Naples Hotel

In the late 1800's, Jeff R. Brown built what was regarded as the finest brick hotel in Ontario County,The Naples Hotel and Restaurant. Over the course of prohibition era and a tragic string of events, the hotel acquired it's haunted reputation that led the TAPS Ghost Hunters to investigate recently.

Stone Meeting House

Capel Cerrig (Stone Church) was was built in 1831, and is located in downtown Remsen. The Stone Meeting House, as it is now named, has often been thought to be haunted with reports of strange lights, and feelings of being watched. [Read More...]

Farnam Mansion

The Farnam Mansion was build in the late 1860s by a respected Oneida businessman. Activity at the Farnam Mansion consists of lights turning on and off, voices, and strange shadows appearing in photographs with multiple guests have reporting odd occurrences. [Read More...]

 Rolling Hills Asylum

While not quite in our Central New York area, the Rolling Hills Asylum just east of Rochester has been featured on nearly every show for its hauntings. Every team from TAPS to Ghost Adventures has investigated the site with very interesting results.

These are just a few of the most renowned locations in our region, our own local sites that have been featured on national paranormal shows for their historic significance and their extensive ghostly activity. The most notable thing about shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures is that a good number of their iconic investigations, sites like Eastern State Penitentiary, the Shanley Hotel and more are actually open as 'Para-Tourism' sites.

Join the Shadow Chasers for a night of haunted history and ghost hunting at Capel Cerrig (The Stone Meeting House) in Remsen. Tickets are $15 and are available in advance or at the door. All proceeds go to benefit the Remsen-Steuben Historical Society.

Capel Cerrig (Stone Meeting House)

The Central New York region is known for the confluence of cultures which currently populate the region, and have helped our region develop its unique cultural views.

One of the cultures that helped form our area is the Welsh culture. Immigrating in the late 1700s, Welsh settlers were drawn to the Central New York region as it reminded them of the hills of Wales. Baron de Steuben was gifted with a large plot of land by First President George Washington as a gift for his service to the newly created United States of America. Offering smaller plots of this land for inexpensive prices, Welsh settlers could not resist moving to the area.

When the Welsh came to this area, they were determined to hold on to many of their traditions from Wales. The Welsh were renowned for their singing skills, as well as their religious beliefs. Soon after settling in the area, they began forming churches.

One such church was Capel Cerrig (Stone Church). This church was built in 1831, and is located in downtown Remsen. The church was built out of stone, and has remained unchanged since it was built, with the exception of a new slate roof in 1888. The church was actively used until 1986, at which point its congregation had dwindled to 4 full time attendees. The church was then purchased by the Remsen-Steuben Historical Society, and is used to house their local history collections, as well as hosting local events.

The Stone Meeting House, as it is now named, has often been thought to be haunted. Reports of strange lights, and feeling watched have been reported by many. Investigations of the building have revealed that those reports most likely are accurate. Photographs have been taken of the building that show a shadowy figure of a man in a top hat. Audio recordings made on the site indicate that there are at least two spirits present, a chatty female spirit and a sarcastic male spirit.

Paranormal Mystery Tour with Brian Cano

Herkimer County Community College will again be offering the chance for paranormal enthusiasts to ghost hunt through Chasing Shadows 101, a non-credit paranormal investigation course.

Taught by TV ghost hunting personalities, the New York Shadow Chasers, who have been investigating the paranormal for the last 17 years, the Shadow Chasers were featured as the PBS Ghost Hunters and have worked with numerous paranormal TV figures from SyFy channel and more.

Chasing Shadows 101 is designed to provide an in-depth look at paranormal investigations and paranormal science through advanced Analytical, Documentary and Psychic methods. Examining the paranormal through a series of classes and investigations, the class will receive a top-down look at paranormal research with hands-on experience evaluating multiple sites with the latest research tools, interacting with witnesses, researching a location and evaluating evidence.

The fee is $89. To register, call 866-0300, ext. 8251

or visit www.herkimer.edu/pay-ce.

The class consists of 8 classes of two hours each, starting on April 7th, and running through May 26th. The cost of the class is $89, and registration is conducted through HCCC's website, pre-registration is required and spaces are limited. The follow up class is Chasing Shadows 201 and is offered to continue learning through as series of investigations and evidence review.

Chasing Shadows 201 Investigation:

Winter is a time of reflection, introspection and speculation. The coming Spring, although it feels an eternity away at this time, is a time of regrowth. This cycle of rebirth and reinvention doesn’t just apply to nature beginning the cyclical regrowth after a cold winter, it also encompasses our re-emergence into the world after semi-hibernation during the cold CNY winters.

Paranormal Investigators are no different than the rest of society. During winter, our cases dry up as even the ghosts appear to deem the weather too nasty. Any cases that we do schedule are at the whim of the weather, sometimes having to be cancelled at the last minute due to snowstorms. Some investigators use this down time for self-reflection. We look on the past year, examine our victories, and our low points, and use those experiences to shape the upcoming year. We analyze what worked for us, and what didn't, and use that knowledge to make us a better team.

The Shadow Chasers are no exception. Over our winter hiatus, we looked back on the last year. We've been able to accomplish a lot of amazing things this year, things that wouldn't be possible without the support and assistance of our community. Yet, we found ourselves wanting to be able to do more for the people who support us.

There is always a demand to join us on investigations, and we wanted a way to allow those unable to join us to feel like they were there, investigating alongside us. To that end we are happy to announce that Chasing Shadows 101 will be returning in the Spring at herkimer County Community College for a 4th year running. Look for the announcement date to be sometime around April.

Through the Chasing Shadows classes we have had many students over the 4 years and with such positive feedback it has led to the Chasing Shadows 201 level course as well. The community eduation in regards to this field has been one of our proudest moments in the 16 years of opperation and we are happy to say a good number of students have also joined the team. (Let's face it, after 32 hours together in class you're already part of the team)

Last year our first Chasing Shadows 201 class took center stage and helped us investigate Hotel Utica alongside Kris Williams and Chris DiCesare from Syfy Channel and this fall's Chasing Shadows 201 class helped investigate 3 notoriously haunted locations alongside the Gettysburg Ghost Gals and psychic Carmen Reed and helped raise funds for Herkimer Historical Society. We don't know what 2017 will bring but we are looking forward to meeting some new faces and taking them on some adventures with our ever steadfast team.

Ghosts and Christmas have been intrinsically tied for as long as we can remember. Charles Dickens cemented this connection with ‘A Christmas Carol’, where crotchety Ebenezer Scrooge was confronted with the ghosts of the past, present, and future.

As we enter the holiday season, it leads us to ask why the paranormal is so tied with this holiday season. Why do reports of ghost sightings increase? It makes sense around Halloween, the season where the deceased are remembered and honored, but why Christmas?

The first reason is also the most obvious. Christmas is a time of family. This is a time of gift-giving, of celebrating the family you have, even if you can’t stand them the other 11 months of the year. And just because our loved ones have passed away, doesn’t mean that they don’t still feel the draw of these connections, and wish to return to their loved ones during this time of family.

The second reason might not be as obvious. As well as being a time of family and of generosity, the holiday season occurs at the end of the year. This is a time of reflection, not only on the past, but onto the future. We spend time with our loved ones, and no one is better at making you reevaluate your past decisions than the close proximity of family. Much like Ebenezer Scrooge, these spirits haunt us, reminding us of our failures and dreams, providing us with the encouragement to change the course of our lives.

So, this holiday season, keep an eye out for any spirits or loved ones who may no longer be with us. Listen to the message they have, and embrace this time of family and celebrations. 

Fall is upon us, and throughout October and fall comes the peak season for paranormal investigations. Everything takes on a spooky tone, and many locations that open for public events start to offer special Halloween events. In addition to locally run events, there are many historic locations which offer opportunities for the public to investigate these historic haunted buildings.

13 Buffalo Central Terminal

Featured on Ghost Hunters, it is an ornate art-deco train terminal in use from the ‘20s to the ‘70s. Now derelict, it has been featured on Ghost Hunters, and is available for private tours. This Halloween, a candlelight tour of the building is being offered.

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12 Rolling Hills Asylum

Investigated by both Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, Rolling Hills was first a coach stop, which was converted into a home for the mentally ill, which slowly became converted into a nursing home. After the nursing home was closed, the building was abandoned until it was turned into Carriage Village, a small mall. It is currently open only as a paranormal hotspot, offering tours of the location.

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11 Miss Fanny’s Victorian Party House

Built in the 1860s, this home is incredibly haunted. Open only to private events, this building has been featured on Haunted Collector, and offers private investigations and other private events.

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10 Dunkirk Lighthouse

Overlooking Lake Erie, this building has paid witness to multiple shipwrecks. It is one of the few lighthouses still outfitted with a Fresnel lens and lantern, dating from 1857. This lighthouse and naval museum are open for public tours during the day, can be rented for private investigations at night, and also host various Halloween tours during the month of October.

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9 Main Street Armory

Built in 1905, as a home to New York’s 3rd Battalion, it fell into disrepair, until it was turned into an events center. Notoriously haunted, it has been investigated by both Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. It can be rented for private investigations, but seems to focus more on being a premiere venue for weddings and parties, instead of focusing on its haunted history. This Halloween season, the armory is hosting a haunted house event.

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8 Shanley Hotel

Investigated by Ghost Hunters, this building has been used as an inn and restaurant since it was built. Reportedly incredibly haunted, this building offers both private and public investigations. This Halloween, the Shanley is offering a special Halloween night investigation.

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7 Naples Hotel

Built in 1895 by Jeff Brown, the hotel strives to convey the same atmosphere as when the hotel was originally open. Featured on Ghost Hunters, the hotel offers private investigations.

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6 Fort Ticonderoga

Built in 1755, this fort saw fighting during the French and Indian War, as well as the Revolutionary War. As a result of this fighting, the fort is remarkably haunted, with ghost sightings being a regular event. Ghost tours are regularly offered during the summer.

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5 Rapids Theatre

Located in Niagara Falls, this theatre was opened in 1921, and remains one of Niagara Falls’ oldest and historic buildings. The Rapids Theatre is also one of Niagara Falls most haunted buildings, with reports of footsteps, eerie voices, and apparitions. After appearing on Ghost Hunters, this building offers both public and private investigations

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4 Sunnyside

Located in Sleepy Hollow, and home to Washington Irving, writer of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and creator of Ripp van Winkle, this museum is not only a tribute to Washington Irving’s life and career, but is also reported to be haunted. Some believe that Washington Irving’s spirit remains, and can be seen walking on the grounds. While not open for paranormal investigations, they do offer regular tours that offer access to the building and the grounds.

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3 Hyde Hall

Featured on Ghost Hunters, this beautiful property features not only a view into the 19th century way of life, but also features ghosts, and a curse placed on the original family. Hyde Hall offers various types of investigations, both public and private, and offers candlelight ghost tours around Halloween

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2 Hotel Utica

Located in Central New York, this old hotel has been home to many famous guests who stopped on their way through Utica. Some of them have never left. On Halloween 2015, the Hotel hosted Haunts and Legends Live, with an opportunity to investigate the off-limits 13th floor of this historic hotel, with the company of several Syfy Channel paranormal investigators.

1 The Buffalo Naval Yard

Home to two decommissioned naval cruisers, the USS Little Rock, and the USS Sullivans, and a retired submarine, the USS Croaker. The USS Sullivans is most famous for its association with the Sullivan Brothers, who were all killed while serving in the US military, and are reported to haunt their ship. Private tours are available, and a special October public investigation is taking place.

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The 7

Attendees had the chance to investigate the haunted sites with Psychic Carmen Reed of “A Haunting In Connecticut”, and Gettysburg Ghost Gals from “Ghost Detectives” and the NY Shadow Chasers. The night opened with Carmen taking the Courtroom and the Gettysburg Ghost Gals setting up in the historic 1834 herkimer jail.

The 7th annual Haunted History Investigation was an outstanding success with more than 200 attendees and most reporting some form of activity, whether it was unusual noises, EVPs caught on recorders, strange anomalies in photos or weird responses from ITC gear. (Many responses, and attendee photos have been shared via Facebook) It was also a successful fundraiser for the Herkimer Historical Society helping with repairs to the jail and the continued preservation of Herkimer's History.

After the tragic fire, the architect was commissioned to construct a jail that would not be as susceptible to fire as the previous wooden structure. The architect traveled to Auburn to review the 1818 Auburn Prison design and construction. Upon returning to Herkimer, the architect began construction on a stone jail built with 'fire-breaks' that would prevent any incidents from spreading. The Herkimer County Jail, also known as the 1834 Jail, is a two story structure with high basement, five bays wide, of ashlar limestone blocks with dressed quoins built in 1835. It features a gable roof with oval window and narrow cornice and a Federal style entrance.

The Herkimer Jail served not only to house inmates, detainees and those awaiting trial but also served as the living quarters for the family of the county sheriff until its closure in the early 1980s. As with most jails of the time, the building has seen many incidents over the years including reportedly a birth in the cells as well as many suicides by inmates.

In December of 1884 Roxalana Druce (Druse) murdered her husband in a horrific fashion and enlisted family to help her hide the body. Roxalana was subsequently arrested and held in the Herkimer County Jail. Her trial was held at the Herkimer County Courthouse. The trial was a national scandal sparking outcry for women’s rights and after she was hanged for the crime outside the 1834 Herkimer Jail(as the last person to die from hanging in New York State) her trial helped the introduction of the Hadley Bill in the NY State Assembly in January, 1887 to abolish capital punishment and substitute life imprisonment for women found guilty of first degree murder.

Then in 1906, the Historic Four Corners were once again engulfed in a national murder trial and scandal. Known as An American Tragedy, Chester Gillette was brought to trial at the Herkimer County Courthouse for the murder of Grace Brown on Big Moose Lake. Once again, Chester was held at the Herkimer County Jail, tried at the Herkimer Courthouse and even Dr. Suiter was brought in to testify at the trial. Chester Gillette was eventually found guilty and sentenced to die in the Electric Chair at Auburn Prison.

Herkimer Courthouse Ghost Caught On Camera

People have reported seeing shadowy apparitions and hearing strange noises through the halls. Even as the building sits empty today, there are many that say they have seen something.

Investigation:

After investigating the Suiter Building and Herkimer Courthouse in 2011, the Shadow Chasers have had a strong relationship with the Herkimer Historical Society offering the opportunity to investigate the Suiter building again for classes and other occasions. Recently, the Herkimer Historical Society was able to offer the team a chance to finally investigate the historic 1834 Herkimer Jail.

The investigation included members of the Chasing Shadows 201 class from Herkimer County Community College. While the cameras were being placed, the team members reviewed methods with the students and assigned rolls.

The team divided into three groups with each tasked with investigating a separate floor, the groups would then follow through investigating the location to verify any results from the previous sweep.

A few static anomalies were detected in the cellblocks on the first floor, second floor women's section and third flooor cells in the central 'mess' area. No additional environmental anomalies were detected at the location.

Throughout the investigation, the rain added contamination to audio recording both during EVP sessions and ITC sessions. In spite of the added contamination, multiple times throughout the investigation audio anomalies were captured on cameras and recorders as well as experienced on site.

Upon review, cameras captured several light anomalies in addition to recording multiple audio anomalies.

Find out on the night of Saturday October 22^nd with Herkimer’s Haunted Crossroads Investigation. The 7^th annual Haunted History investigation, Herkimer’s Haunted Crossroads Investigation will have explorers investigating the legendary 1834 jail house where murderer Chester Gillette was held and Roxalana Druse was hanged. The Eckler Building, Doctor suiter’s 1860 medical practice, and the historic 1860 courthouse where Chester Gillette was found guilty of murder. Investigate these haunted sites with Psychic Carmen Reed of “A Haunting In Connecticut”, and Gettysburg Ghost Gals from “Ghost Detectives” and the NY Shadow Chasers.   Get your tickets now for Herkimer’s Haunted Crossroads Investigation…

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Guest Investigators

Carmen Reed

  Aside from being folded in half at birth and coming out upside down, there would appear to be nothing abnormal about Carmen Reed. And there is nothing abnormal, rather it’s called paranormal. Carmen Reed’s life has recently been portrayed in the box office blockbuster movie, “A Haunting in Connecticut”, a film based on her intuitive abilities and, obviously, a haunted house. Carmen knew from almost the beginning of her cognitive life that she was special, an “intuitive”; as she could feel when things were about to happen. Her paternal grandmother had the same feelings, so perhaps it was genetic. And even further back is a Cherokee Shaman and an Indian Princess, so perhaps it is more than just a gift. Perhaps it was pre destined that she see a spiritual side of life that only a few can comprehend.  

Gettysburg Ghost Gals

Brigid Goode

 Brigid has been a paranormal investigator for over 24 years. Performing countless investigations over the years, now living in Gettysburg, she has become an expert in the field of historical and paranormal research of Gettysburg Battlefield. She has also become one of today’s foremost evp analysts. She has produced and edited thousands of hours of audio and video throughout the last 20 years. Brigid along with the other Gals host one of the top female radio shows, Gettysburg Ghost Gals “live” in paranormal radio.  

Shadow Chasers

The New York Shadow Chasers were the PBS TV Ghost Hunters for 3 years before partnering with Townsquare Media. After hundreds of paranormal cases throughout New York, the Shadow Chasers have been featured in countless media including features on Fox TV, the Folklore & Frost Documentaries on PBS TV, radio broadcasts, and the Haunted New York books. The Shadow Chasers have released multiple books including Chasing Shadows: New York Ghosts and currently teach a course on ghost hunting at Herkimer County Community College.

Haunts And Legends Of New York

Watch the Complete Haunts and Legends Season 1 via this Youtube Playlist

Watch the complete first season of the Haunts and Legends of New York including our explorations of the Happy Valley ghost town near Syracuse, the Lost Village of Delta near Rome, Utica's Secret Underground Waterways and the Hidden Vault at Bagg Commemorative Park in Utica.