HINSDALE, NY - With legends of a hanging tree, a pond that has claimed at least one life, and hills that are said to hold the graves of countless, many believe that the Hinsdale House may very well be the most haunted houses in Western New York.
Current owner Dan Klaes says "It's not just one story, but the one that made it most famous was a story, during the 1970's a family started having poltergeist like activity in the house."
Clara and Phil Dandy lived in the house along with their children in the early 1970's. The activity became so frequent and menacing that they called Father Alphonsus, a priest from St. Bonaventure University for help.
Klaes says that the priest performed a structural exorcism. "The house started shaking and it sounded like a crying noise, a screaming noise coming out of the windows." It didn't work.
Klaes, who is also the Co Founder of Greater WNY Paranormal Society, tells me he believes that the paranormal activity goes back to 1799, and an Indian massacre that is said to have occurred on the land.
Mary Ball has come to the house and run tours for many years, she had an experience that seems to support that theory. "My son who is handicapped, was sitting on that bed one night. he didn't know the stories about the house, he just knew it was haunted. He looked out that window, and saw his dad standing out by the fire and he looked at me and said who is the angry Indian staring at Daddy? But the horrific history doesn't end there, during the 1800's there were stories of a pair of brothers who lived here, who raided passing stage coaches, robbed and killed the occupants and buried them, either in the cellar, or the hills behind the house.
Dan says the tortured past seems to echo today in many manifestations including shadow figures, electronic voice phenomenon (EVP's), objects moving and even full-body apparitions.
The Hinsdale House has its own website and a 24-hour live stream so you can check it out for yourself. They are also in the midst of a fundraising campaign to update things like the septic system, so the house can remain open for tours and paranormal research.