The Pillars Estate is a Victorian mansion built in the early 1800s. Here, a recreation of the story of Titanic is put on every April. Ghost hunting is not allowed, and overnight guests have to sign a waiver saying they will not conduct séances or otherwise disturb the ghosts who reside here. Guided ghost tours are available.
The Pillars Estate
Wing's Castle
Wing’s Castle was built by artists Peter and Toni Ann Wing and was featured on TV’s Extreme Homes. The medieval-style castle is rumored to be haunted and is open for tours and overnight stays.
Red Coach Inn
The historic Red Coach Inn is said to be haunted, particularly in the Victoria Suite where, in 1927, a man bludgeoned his new bride to death. Guests have reported temperature drops and creaking noises. The inn was featured in an episode of TV’s Celebrity Ghost Stories, talked about by actor Bernie Kopell of “The Love Boat” fame.
William Phelps General Store
At the William Phelps General Store and Palmyra Historical Museum, folks have reported apparitions, ghostly whispers, footsteps, and touches from unseen hands. Ghost cats and images that turn up in photographs also have been experienced.
Batcheller Mansion Inn
The 1873 Batcheller Mansion Inn was originally home to Civil War veteran and prominent political figure George Sherman Batcheller. Both staff and visitors have reported meeting up with ghosts in the mansion.
Bannerman Castle
Bannerman Castle was built by Francis Bannerman, who had a military surplus business. In 1901 he began to build an arsenal on Pollepel Island because his storerooms couldn’t hold all of his stock. When Bannerman died in 1918, construction on his castle stopped. Then, in 1920, some of his stock exploded, destroying part of the complex. In 1967, the State of New York bought the island, removed the military ammo, and gave tours of the island were given in 1968. But after a fire broke out in 1969, the island was closed to the public. In 2009 another part of the castle collapsed; only some exterior walls stand today. The site is rumored to be haunted, perhaps by Bannerman himself.
The Lady in Granite
The Lady in Granite appears on a gravestone for the Gillette family. It is an image of a lady’s head, reclining, thought to be the head of Matilda Gillette. No amount of polishing has been able to remove the image from the stone. According to local legend, eventually her whole form will show on the tombstone, and then her ghost will be free to haunt the town.
Newell Road Spook Hill
Along Newell Road is Spook Hill, a place well known in local lore. Pass the top of the big hill until you see a driveway on the right and the Spike Road sign on the left. Stop and put your car in neutral and your car will roll backward up the hill.
Spook Rock Road
Spook Rock Road has a local legend about a beautiful Native-American princess who ran off with her beloved without the blessing of her father. When they stopped to rest on a boulder in Claverack Creek, the angered gods saw them and caused a flood, killing them both. Locals say the princess’s spirit lingers here, making a moaning sound in the wind.
13 Curves Road - Cedarvale Road
13 Curves Road, aka Cedarville Road, is known for a ghostly Bloody Bride. According to her legend, it was more than a century ago when a horrific car accident took the life of a newlywed couple on their wedding night. Their car veered off the road on one of its 13 curves, right into a creek. Both were instantly killed. Now, locals say, the ghost of a bride with glowing eyes, sometimes carrying an orange lantern, wanders the road’s curves.
