The building that houses the Calaboose Grille began its life over a century ago as the Owego Town Jail. In fact, “Calaboose” is Cajun slang for jail, and the foundation is reported to have been laid by a chain gang. Some believe the restaurant is haunted by prisoners who once lived and worked here.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- 176 Main Street
Owego, NY
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 42.103328, -76.26232099999999
- County:
- Tioga County, New York
- Nearest Towns:
- Owego, NY (0.0 mi.)
Apalachin, NY (6.0 mi.)
Nichols, NY (7.8 mi.)
Newark Valley, NY (9.2 mi.)
Candor, NY (9.8 mi.)
Little Meadows, PA (10.3 mi.)
Endicott, NY (10.9 mi.)
Endwell, NY (12.4 mi.)
Spencer, NY (13.9 mi.)
Waverly, NY (15.0 mi.)
Contact Information
- Web:
- http://www.calaboosegrille.com/
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
Visited recently with my family – I had always done takeout and so was never in the building for more than five minutes and then just in the lobby. We ate upstairs; when we reached the second floor landing, it was like the three or four people were waiting there, and turned around to look at us. We weren’t left alone the whole time. I got tingles on (static, not moving) my back for a solid 45 minutes, and felt someone stroke my hair. They wanted to be noticed. I got the feeling as if someone else was pacing the walkway. It wasn’t scary, but it was very unnerving.
Was there today for the first time.. spoke with Clark the Owner and he showed us a picture. . My husband and I went upstairs and no diners were there .. just us .. have some very intersting pics we took.. actually see a man AND a woman in his and mine pics. Cannot wait to go show Clark of our findings!!!!
I worked as a waitress at this establishment when it was the Jailhouse Restaurant, before the new owners changed it to the Calaboose. Too many weird encounters to write but the most memorable for me was one busy night I had to go into the basement to grab a bottle of wine for a table, we stored our bottles in what once was the solitary confinement cell. I walked into the cell and the door slammed shut behind me locking me in. My coworkers didn’t find me until hours later when they were closing and needed to restock the bar. Lucky for me I had my bottle opener, needless to say when they found me I was freaked out and three sheets to the wind.
Hey Ruby, I’m Jackie Prager a reporter at WBNG. We’re working on a story about the former jail and would love to hear some of your stories about working there, sounds like you had some interesting experiences. Would you be interested in speaking with us? Feel free to reach out at jprager@wbng.com
Met a nice woman who worked in The Petal Pusher Gift Shop. She showed us a picture she took there and it was unbelievable. You could see a person in the picture dressed in period clothes, very distinguished, wearing a top hat Perhaps a Judge that may have been responsible for convicting many of the prisoners held there? Wish I asked her to send me a copy of the picture. It was really something.