The Rolling Hills Asylum in East Bethany is a sprawling brick building built in 1827 as The Genesee County Poor Farm and in the 1950s it was a county home and infirmary. Over the years people reported strange occurrences of the paranormal kind. It was declared the “Second Most Haunted Place in the United States” by Haunted North America and has been featured
on many TV shows. So, maybe that makes it the most haunted in NYS but it depends on who is promoting what. I find it interesting that paranormal activities are so popular again. There are groups that go to places to discover paranormal activities. C.I.T Pit Cru is a CNY group that had done paranormal investigations at Casey’s Cottage at Mexico Point and recently investigated the Starr Clark Tin Shop and Underground Railroad Museum.
Forts are often places with hauntings and Fort Ontario is no
exception. The ghost of British lieutenant who lost his life in a 1759 duel has been seen by many; and also Corporal Fykes who died of disease in 1782. According to local legend anyone who walks over Fykes’ grave in the Post Cemetery will be haunted forever but if you jump over his grave he will haunt the person of your choosing.
Lighthouses are another favorite places for hauntings and the iconic Oswego Lighthouse is no different. It is said to be haunted because people have reported seeing lights in the windows and sensing a “presence.” Probably the most familiar Oswego tale is that of the Seneca Hill ghost who is reported to make an appearance in early November. Clad in white nightgown, she and a child have been seen running on the Route 57 hill. Supposedly, she committed suicide by jumping from a barn window after the end of the world did not happen as predicted.
In Syracuse the opulent Landmark Theater is said to be haunted by
the spirit of Clarissa who fell to her death from a balcony in 1930. It may have been when she saw her husband electrocuted while working on the stage or, according to another version she was an actress distraught over losing a coveted role. It is just one of the hauntings at this historic “movie palace” theater.
There are a variety of paranormal activities and I think one of the interesting ones deals with vortexes and ley lines. Vortexes and ley lines are places where there are special energy forces. In fact, some say the vortex portal at Thompson Park has sent people into time warps and has transported people to other parts of the park. For more than 100 years there have been reports of people who have “gone missing” only to show up claiming they were transported to the “past.” I first heard about the phenomena when John and I visited the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio. It was late in the day and there was only one other person there. She was walking around with what looked like divining rods looking for ley lines. She said she had driven all the way from NYC because she felt the ley lines would reenergizer her. Later we saw her stretched out on the ground in the head of the serpent. I hope it helped her because the drive alone would have sapped my energy.
