At Saratoga National Historical Park, the ghost of a black man in a three-cornered hat and ragged militia uniform was said to appear and tell his story to a visitor. He told her he thought he was shot and killed by his own men. After he told her the tale, he simply vanished. No one has seen him since, and the general opinion is that telling his story enabled him to move on toward his afterlife. He may have waited 220 years for someone who was willing and able to hear and understand him. Also around the battlefield, other soldiers’ ghosts are said to appear and sometimes moan in pain or speak.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- 648 Route 32
Stillwater, NY
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 42.9957923, -73.63535919999998
- County:
- Saratoga County, New York
- Nearest Towns:
- Stillwater, NY (4.1 mi.)
Victory Mills, NY (6.7 mi.)
Mechanicville, NY (6.9 mi.)
Schaghticoke, NY (7.1 mi.)
Valley Falls, NY (7.4 mi.)
Schuylerville, NY (7.7 mi.)
Round Lake, NY (8.7 mi.)
Greenwich, NY (9.5 mi.)
Saratoga Springs, NY (9.7 mi.)
Country Knolls, NY (10.2 mi.)
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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.
I keep an open mind with regards to the paranormal; however, I have to say that the Saratoga Battlefield is likely not haunted. I have walked the place for at least 25 years, sometimes 6 days a week, and I have never witnessed anything odd or unexplainable. I have been on all of the trails during AM to PM visits, too. I do not mind people exploring the possibilities of strange occurrences, but it offends me when zealots try to create happenings.Yes, people died there–but that fact does not necessitate the eldritch.
I grew up in a house there, three houses there. One burnt down and we built another on same foundation along with my grandparents home next door to us. And there are things I’d like to forget growing up and unsure if they had anything to do with the battlefield or not. This was in Bemis Heights.
I dislike “zealots” creating happenings, but I grew up there myself. Lived there 24/7. I had much more of a chance to deal with any type of happenings.
You must get that your experience is yours, not others.
I visited the site this spring and in all honesty. if the place was haunted, i doubt you’d find ’em.There is a winding 9 mile drive through the park to look at historic parts of the battlefield but the area has been allowed to grow up so much that much of the ground fought over is now covered with trees. sure there might be a spectral line of soldiers advancing, but you’d never see them for the trees.
The park has been recreated to appear as they were during the time of the battles. The trees you are talking about were the same spot back in 1777. If you stopped at the visitor center and learned about the place you would know this. Duh
I’ve lived near the Battlefield all my life but only began visiting it in the last 10 yrs to walk my dog. Having said that, I have seen a couple things I can not explain. They both center near the service road that comes out next to the Freeman Farm Overlook. My 1st experience was in early winter as I was walking towards the service road, headed South from the bottom of the Overlook. I was about to turn to go up the service road when thru the bushes (about where the Frasier monument is), I saw a strange glittering of lights on the tour road. The tour road is closed in the winter and the lights were traveling in the wrong direction as the road runs south one way. I stood there perplexed when suddenly a very tall person running like they were scared, across the road, away from the lights and into the trees. This person was all black, like a shadow. I looked for anything to tell me that it was just a jogger but it disappeared when it went down the slight embankment.It did not come out into the field. It made no sound and my dog did not respond to it either.
My 2nd experience was shared with my husband in the same area. We turned left off of the service road and when we looked up at the Overlook, we could see a person, again ALL black, standing there off to the side. It was like someone had taken an exacto knife and cut out the scenery and left a human shaped black canvas. It stood there for quite awhile never moving. It was still there as we passed and continued our walk. I made sure my husband saw it as he had laughed off my previous experience.It was gone when we came back. This person was different from the 1st. The 1st was almost too tall.The 2nd was heavier. If you pull up a map of the park it’s easier to see the area I’m talking about. I make no claims as to what I saw. I’ve never had a hallucination that I know of in my life and if I did I think I could do better than this craziness.
I visited Saratoga Battlefield many years ago. It was a clear day in autumn. I remember being impressed with how beautiful it was there. Walking around, I saw a sign pointing to the burial site of a British soldier, an officer, as I recall. Ready to go where the sign pointed, I stopped, suddenly feeling intense anger from this soldier. He was enraged at being buried there. The emotion was so strong, I walked away. I would like to go back some day and see if I have the same reaction. But this time I will go to the site and say a prayer. Hopefully, this spirit finds peace.
I lived in Bemis heights, here my entire life and my old house that had burned down and even new home built on same foundation original house burnt down on which was over 100 years old as well, both homes I experienced paranormal activity with men in militia style gear as well as old-fashioned style clothing. One woman in a long pencil dress and also a man. They were both angry and upset. Never happy or seemed to be okay. I am curious to know and always have been, more of the apparitions that used to visit at my home here.