The Real Ghosts Of Long Island Explored

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Island's history is rich and beautiful, but it also has a dark side, as there's no shortage of eerie tales surrounding many sites — historic and not.

From hanging trees and ghostly lighthouses, to haunted playhouses and theaters, to places you'd never expect. There's public woods, campgrounds, and trails, not to mention the requisite cemetery or two.

And don't forget the many sites where blood was shed, whether by war or more personal motives.

Historian and paranormal investigator Kerriann Flanagan Brosky said it's important to remember that Long Island is more than a theatrical take of the Amityville Horror House, for which it has become well known, simply because the region is "rich in history."

"In particular, I really like to zone in on those historical places, and the goal is to teach people local history in the hopes of preserving it," said Brosky, a Huntington resident. "What better way to do that than through a ghost story?"

In her book, "Historic Haunts of Long Island," she details the history of the Country House Restaurant in Stony Brook, as well as the Long Island Maritime Museum, which, she said has quite a lot of things happening.

"As far as towns, I would say that Cold Spring Harbor is probably the most haunted town on Long Island in my opinion — really every one of those buildings has a ghost or two. And, after that, I would say that Stony Brook, St. James, and Setauket area. Those areas have a lot of places."

Here's Patch's Short list:

• Amityville Horror House: It's fitting this is the very first item on this list — it's known the world over. The property is the site where Ronald DeFeo killed his family in 1974. A family who lived there afterward claimed it was the subject of demonic possession in a book that was later turned into a series of movies.
• Brewster House, Stony Brook: People have reported supernatural experiences at this Stony Brook historic home now owned by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, according to Kerriann Flanagan Brosky.
• Brookwood Hall, East Islip: The former mansion-turned-orphanage has also prompted some reports and investigations, according to the Town of Islip, which featured it in a video segment about the region's darker and less-known history. Historians believe it is haunted by the children who lived at the mansion, but they are considered happy spirits. They are said to laugh, sing, jump, and open and close doors, causing a general ruckus — particularly at night, just like kids do.
• Camp Hero State Park, Montauk: The former U.S. military base now turned state park has been the subject of urban legends for years. Hidden military base, ghostly home to lost spirits, or otherworldly beings ... it's up to you after a Google search.
• Country House, Stony Brook: Its old owner, Annette Williamson, is said to have been murdered by the townspeople for spying for the British in the Revolutionary War, and it was later owned by British actor, Thomas Haddaway, who held séances with artist and poet William Sidney Mount to contact spirits of the dead, The Times Beacon Record reported.
• Execution Rocks Lighthouse, Sands Point: Colonial soldiers are said to have been shackled at the lighthouse at low tide — an old British execution method — awaiting their deaths, and other accounts have that slave owners brutally punished their slaves at this location. Serial killer Carl Panzram later confessed to dumping the bodies of 10 men that he killed near the lighthouse, according to Wikipedia.
• Fiorello Dolce Patisserie, Huntington: The eatery's employees have seen rolling racks move and a pairing knife detach from a magnetic board and slide across the table, not to mention an iPad once turned on by itself and started playing "Blue Monday" by the 80s British New Wave group, New Order, according to a witness' account in Newsday.
• Fire Island Lighthouse: Ghost accounts are not limited to just one person here. Former lighthouse keeper Nathaniel Smith is said to have lost his daughter to illness before a doctor could make it to the barrier island, and some say he can be seen keeping vigil to this day, according to a report in Newsday.
• Gateway Playhouse, Bellport: The site of the Haunted Playhouse, Long Island's biggest Halloween draw, reportedly stays active all year, but not only with the theatrics. Staffers have given accounts to The Long Island Advance about seeing dancing ghosts in period garb, and guest stars, including well-known celebrities, have also reported having paranormal experiences. The premises have been investigated by ghost hunters in the past.
• Katie's, Smithtown: It's said to be haunted by the ghost of Charlie Klein who is rumored to have taken his own life after falling on hard times. For more in Newsday, click here.
• Ketcham Inn, Center Moriches: Former owners the Havens family aided the colonial cause during the Revolutionary War, and it is said to be haunted now, News 12 reported. Kerriann Flanagan Brosky believes she has captured a photo of a little girl in a window there.
• Kings Park Psychiatric Center, Kings Park: The now-shuttered former state mental hospital has been the subject of supernatural claims for over 20 years, as urban explorers have taken to the grounds.
• Lake Ronkonkoma: The lake is rumored to be haunted by the spirit of a Native American princess whose love was spurned by a settler and then she took her own life on the lake, causing her now to be known as the "Lady of the Lake," Travel.com has reported.
• Lakeview Cemetery, Patchogue: The cemetery has been the subject of several ghost investigations, after visitors have reported seeing strange sightings there.
• Montauk Lighthouse, Montauk: A drowned woman named Abigail is said to cause some mischief, like tugging on clothing and moving furniture, at the site, according to Dan's Papers.
• Montauk Manor, Montauk: It's a glitzy hotel now but witnesses have reported seeing an original inhabitant of the land — a long-forgotten Native American chief, as well as drumming, coming from nearby Fort Hill, according to an account on 27East.
• Mount Misery Road, Huntington: Multiple legends surround this spot. Definitely run a Google search and decide for yourself.
• Murf's Backstreet Tavern, Sag Harbor: The site of the now-closed tavern was surrounded by tales of a former owner who never left, emphasized with a blender that started mixing margaritas by itself and a jukebox with a ghostly patron, Dan's Papers has reported.
• Old Whaler's Church, Sag Harbor: There's been reports of inexplicable shadows, voices, and an organist told Dan's Papers about seeing faces in a mirror while practicing late one night.
• Pizza Hut, Centereach: The location has been investigated by Long Island Paranormal Investigators, according to The Gothamist.
• Raynam Hall, Oyster Bay: Sarah Townsend is said to haunt the halls. She lived at the home during the British occupation and had suffered from the unrequited love of a British soldier, according to an account told to Newsday.
• Sagtikos Manor, Bay Shore: A woman has been seen on the property, as well as misty forms, according to an account in Newsday.
• Union Cemetery, Middle Island: Paranormal researchers have also taken photos of what they believe to be ghostly orbs on the property.
• Villa Paul, Hampton Bays: Disembodied footsteps and lights going off are par for the course at this restaurant once owned by a judge and rumored to be on property with unmarked graves, Dan's Papers reported.
• Wickham Farmhouse, Cutchogue: Three people were murdered with an axe at the site, and years later people have reported seeing a ghostly figure standing over their bed, The Long Island Press reported.
• The Windmill at Stony Brook-Southampton Campus: Legend has it that a girl fell from the second-floor steps when her family lived there and today her ghost still walks the property, according to published reports. The windmill is lit every year at the holidays.

*Editor's Note: The sites listed here are rumored to be haunted, though there is no empirical method yet to prove that. People have reported having experiences at the locations.