Van Cortlandt Park is thought to be haunted. Witnesses say dolls walk, doors close, whispers come from nowhere, and apparitions abound here in the Bronx’s oldest building, Van Cortlandt House. The park, back in 1778, was the site of the Stockbridge Indian Massacre, when British soldiers hunted and killed nearly 40 Native Americans. Their bodied were eventually buried in the northwest corner of the park.
Van Cortlandt Park
McCaren Park
A pool in McCarren Park has caught the attention of paranormal fans. When McCarren Park opened the giant pool in 1936, it had a capacity of 6,800. It recently reopened after being closed for over 30 years, and is rumored to be haunted by an invisible little girl. Cold spots, orbs, voices and more have been detected here. Incidentally, three men are said to have died at the pool: One was murdered and two drowned when they sneaked over the fence to have a nighttime swim.
Connecticut Hill Cemetery
This area is rumored to be the home of a group of migratory Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, creatures as well as the site of many UFO sightings, but the Connecticut Hill Cemetery ghosts don’t seem to be afraid. Witnesses have seen orbs, human shapes, shadows and strange mists while visiting the cemetery.
East Lake Road
Along East Lake Road in the late fall, a witness saw the apparitions of a young woman and an older woman in 18th-century clothing. The witness stopped to try to assist the woman but took off when he realized that they were ghosts–his headlight beams went right through their forms.
Van Schaick Family Cemetery
Anthony Van Schaick, builder of a 1700s mansion, left in his will part of his property to be used as a cemetery. Now, the Van Schaick Family Cemetery contains more than 50 relatives are buried in the cemetery near the historic house. The cemetery was restored in 2010 by participants in an Eagle Scout project. Apparitions of male and female entities, along with ghostly voices, have been seen and heard here through the cemetery’s locked gates.
Keuka College - Ball Hall
Ball Hall at Keuka College is rumored to be a hot spot for the spirit set. George Harvey Ball himself, the college’s founder and original president, is the one believed to be doing the haunting. Witnesses say TV’s turn off by themselves, beds move, and a ghostly woman’s voice has been heard. In Room 423, some have noticed a feeling that they were being watched. The smell of cologne and objects that had obviously been moved add to the mystery.
Letchworth Village
Letchworth Village is a former psychiatric hospital that is rumored to be haunted by the spirits of the patients who suffered here. Some reports say the full name of the place was Letchworth Village Institute for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic, and the establishment got into trouble with the law when its cruel practices were discovered.
Kenan Center and Kenan House
Kenan House is an 1800s Victorian mansion at Kenan Center. It is said to be haunted by a ghostly little boy whose apparition has been spotted running and playing all over the house. Also at the center, unexplained white lights and other apparitions have materialized.
Suicide Bridge - Colorado Street Bridge
Colorado Street Bridge, constructed over the Arroyo Seco River in 1912, is also known as Suicide Bridge. The nickname was acquired because of the around 100 folks said to have committed suicide by jumping from it, starting in 1919. Reports say that almost 50 of the jumpers died during the Great Depression, and at least one legend blames the bridge’s troubled past on a worker who fell and landed in wet cement below the bridge and left to die. Ghost stories abound in these parts, of course: The apparitions seen here range from a man in wire-rim glasses to a woman in a flowing robe, who leaps from the top of a parapet.
Roycroft Pavilion
The Roycroft Pavilion, built in 1903, has been used as a theater for the Aurora Players since 1941. According to the pavilion’s staff, the theater is haunted by the ghost of a middle-aged woman with dark hair.
