“Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles, there is a little valley or rather lap of land among high hills, which is one of the quietest places in the whole world. A small brook glides through it, with just murmur enough to lull one to repose; and the occasional whistle of a quail or tapping of a woodpecker is almost the only sound that ever breaks in upon the uniform tranquillity.”
—The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving
Welcome to the Eerie USA Podcast
I’m your host author Evan Camby. I write horror and suspense books and I’m the creator of this podcast where we discuss American legends, hauntings, and folklore. Welcome back to our show after a brief hiatus! I’m happy to be back with a biweekly show for you. In today’s episode, we’re going to visit the legendary Hudson River Valley
The History
What do you think of when you think about then spookiest places in America? Maybe it brings to mind abandoned insane asylums, or haunted houses, or former battlegrounds like Gettysburg. For me, one place I think of is the Hudson River Valley. The site of Washington Irving’s classic story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, it brings to mind a rugged, mysterious, and frightening version of America: of an untamed wilderness that had yet to be conquered. The Hudson River Valley is one of the America’s most well known and historic regions. Discovered by Henry Hudson in 1609, the 315-mile long river was America’s first river for many of the colonists. European settlers first arrived established villages there in the 17th century, but its important to note that the area had long been inhabited by various branches of the Native American Algonquin tribe. For the Algonquin peoples, the Hudson estuary was called Mahicanituk, or “The River That Flows Both Ways.
The Hudson River itself was of strategic importance during the Revolutionary War, and many battles were fought in the area. In the early 19th century, popularized by the stories of Washington Irving, the Hudson Valley gained a reputation as a somewhat gothic region characterized by remnants of the early days of the Dutch colonization of New York. The area is also associated with the Hudson River School, a group of American Romantic painters who worked from about 1830 to 1870.During the Industrial Revolution, the Hudson River Valley became a major location for production. Tourism became a major industry as early as 1810. With convenient steamboat connections in New York City, and numerous attractive hotels in romantic settings, tourism became an important industry. Early guidebooks provided suggestions for travel itineraries. Middle-class people who read James Fenimore Cooper’s novels, or saw the paintings of the Hudson River School, were especially attracted to the region. Today, The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area promotes historic, natural, and cultural sites in 11 counties. The region in large, and is divided into upper, middle, and lower sections.
Today, it’s one of the most beautiful parts of the country and home to a thriving tourism industry. In 1996, Congress formed the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area to recognize, to preserve, to protect, and to interpret the nationally significant history and resources of the valley for the benefit of the nation. Congress deemed the Hudson River Valley to be the “fountainhead of a truly American identity” because it has provided the setting and inspiration for new currents of American thought, art, and history. But to the early Dutch colonial settlers, the dark, mountainous region was thick with mystery and often danger, and the legends of their own homeland melded with this those of this new land, sparking a new breed of folklore. In the beginning of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving describes the region and its pervasive eerie aura:
“From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by the name of SLEEPY HOLLOW, and its rustic lads are called the Sleepy Hollow Boys throughout all the neighboring country. A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. Some say that the place was bewitched by a High German doctor, during the early days of the settlement; others, that an old Indian chief, the prophet or wizard of his tribe, held his powwows there before the country was discovered by Master Hendrick Hudson. Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvellous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions, and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols.”
Such was Irving’s description of the site, and the legends persist. Tales of strange creatures roaming the mountains and ghost infested buildings are just a few of the tales the region boasts today.
The Legends & Hauntings
Imps
One legend, known as the Imps of Dunderberg, dates back to the Dutch sailors of the 17th century. The sailors of the New Netherland colony feared the southern entrance of the Hudson Highlands, where Dunderberg lies. The winds were dangerous for ships heading through the area, and the blame fell on the Imps of Dunderberg. These Imps (sometimes called goblins), they were malicious tricksters, not harmless mischief makers. They would play nasty tricks on people, such as the decades-long sleep in Irving’s famous story, “Rip Van Winkle.”
These Imps were headed by the Heer of Dunderberg. The Heer was said to be none other than the restless spirit of John Colman, a crew member of the ship Half Moon under Henry Hudson who was killed by Native Americans with an arrow to the neck. People of the Hudson Highlands area believed that Colman’s spirit became the Dwerg, or Heer of Dunderberg, a goblin who dressed in Dutch clothing, who raise storms to sink ships at World’s End (the area just north of West Point where the Hudson is over 200 feet deep.) The Heer even appears in writings by Washington Irving. When a ship went through Peekskill Bay, superstitious sailors did several things to make sure that the Heer would not doom their ships to the depths. Either tipping their hats towards Dunderberg, or tying a horseshoe on the mast.
The Heer’s domain was said to stretch from Polopel Island (also known as Bannerman’s Island), an island between Cold Spring and Beacon. The legend says that sailors especially dreaded seeing the “Storm Ship,” a ghostly ship crewed by an army of the Imps of Dunderberg.
Anna Dorothea Swarts
One of the most enduring stories of the Hudson River Valley Region is that of the surprisingly fact-based story of Dorothea Swarts. Anna was a young servant girl who, in 1755, met a grisly fate. Records show that young Anna worked for the owner of the Salisbury manor in Leeds, William Salisbury. William was a known tyrant who treated his staff terribly. One night, tired of the ill treatment, Anna attempted to escape. Salisbury caught wind of this and caught her, tying her to the back of horse, and dragged her back to the farm. Anna was horribly dashed to death. William Salisbury was found guilty of the murder of Anna, but he bribed the judge to suspend his sentence until he turned 99. It wasn’t long after the trial that citizens of Leeds claimed to see her ghost sitting on the wall outside of the Salisbury Manor. Others have seen a huge ghostly horse riding by the manor, which is now thought to be haunted, and could hear the galloping hooves of the horse and the screams of Anna. Salisbury Mansion still exists today, although it is not open to the public. But some say that the ghost of Anna Swarts still haunts the grounds, refusing to let any inhabitants of the mansion live in peace as vengeance for her terrible death.
Captain Kidd:
And what would any region be without a legend of a greedy pirate? The tales surrounding the Hudson Valley’s own Captain William Kidd has been the source of much inspiration for famous American authors. This article by Kirk Moldoff from the Peekskill Herald (link in show notes below) tells the story:
“The night is dark and stormy as Captain William Kidd’s treasure ship, the Quedah Merchant, approaches Caldwell’s Point at the base of Dunderbergh Mountain. This part of the river is the beginning of the Race, the treacherous Southern Entrance to the Hudson Highlands. Chased by British warships, Kidd is wanted for piracy and murder. As they approach this deadly spot, his crew panics at the thought of running the Race on a stormy night and scuttle her. Or the ship runs aground. Or hits a rock. Or she is set afire and sunk by Kidd. There are many versions of the story. William Kidd and his crew take what they can, but the bulk of the treasure goes down with the ship. The year is 1699.
So the legend goes, with Kidd and his crew escaping overland and ending up in Boston, where Kidd is arrested. He was sent to England, tried, and hanged in 1701.
There has always been a fascination with Captain Kidd and his treasure. His exploits inspired Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Stories of his hidden spoils place it at dozens of locations on the Eastern seaboard from North Carolina to Long Island.
In the book Myths and Legends of Our Own Land (1896), Charles M. Skinner described the rock where many believe the treasure is buried: “Though it is 200 feet up the cliff, inaccessible either from above or below, and weighs many tons, still, as pirates and devils have always been friendly, it may be that the corking of the cave was accomplished with supernatural help, and that if blasts or prayers ever shake the stone from its place a shower of doubloons and diamonds may come rattling after it.”
In different versions of the story Captain Kidd — who was executed for murder and piracy — is the ghostly guard of his treasure. In 1825, two soldiers attempted to dig at a purported hiding place along the Hudson, and the story goes that a terrifying apparition rose from the ground, causing the men to faint. The soldiers later swore it was the specter of Kidd, keeping watch over his ancient treasure.
Kingstons Old Dutch Church
Tucked into the sleepy Catskills in the town of Kingston is a church with a haunted history that dates all the way back to 1658. It is this church and churchyard that feature in Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow, though many get it confused with the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery nearby. The church’s 2.5-acre burying ground is the alleged haunt of the headless horseman, and also the resting place of local citizens who likely inspired Irving’s characters of Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones, and others in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Like the Hudson River Valley itself, the Old Dutch Church has witnessed many different groups of people – Dutch Settlers, Native Americans, African American who were enslaved and servants, and British soldiers. The cemetery is the final resting place of many Revolutionary War Veterans whose homes were burnt by the British in 1777, as well as George Clinton, the first governor of New York, and Sojourner Truth, who escaped slavery to become an abolitionist and activist.
One of the best known legends of the Old Dutch church is that of a hobgoblin who is said to be trapped in the steeple. The legend claims that the creature had originally attached itself to the mast of a ship carrying the pastor and his wife up the Hudson River in the early days of the church. The creature’s presence caused high winds and rough waters, and the pastor began praying, attempting to cast the creature out via exorcism. The next morning, the goblin’s cap was found hanging on the tip of the steeple, and the story says that is how the creature came to be imprisoned in the 217 foot high steeple, where some believe he remains to this day.
The sensationalism of a legend of a hobgoblin stuck in a church steeple aside, people have reported some kind of spiritual presence in that area of the Old Dutch Church. There is a story that, in the 1980s, a man painting the building felt a tap on his shoulder. Startled, the painter glanced up just in time to see the face of the steeple’s clock changed from Roman Numeral 7 to 8.
The burial ground of the Old Dutch Church is one of America’s oldest, and surrounded by numerous ghost stories. The most famous, of course, is that of the headless horseman. The legend says he patrols the churchyard, protecting the sacred site from those who would do it harm. Others say he is searching for his missing head, or out for revenge for his centuries old murder. In every version of the story, the horseman is unable to leave the grounds, confined to the old burial ground for eternity as a lost soul.
1 La Veta Place or the Ackley House
America has plenty of homes which are famously purported to be haunted: The Winchester house and Amityville are two that come to mind. But did you know there was such a thing as a “legally haunted house? The house in question, the Ackley House, is located at 1 LaVeta Place in Nyack, New York, and is one party in the famous trial, Stambovsky v. Ackley, sometimes referred to as “The Ghostbusters Ruling” because of the astonishing decision by the court that the house was, as a matter of law, haunted. Because of this ruling, for many years afterwards New York state realtors were legally required to disclose to buyers if a home had a reputation as being haunted. But what really happened at 1 LaVeta Place?
Little is known about the 3 story Victorian clapboard house’s early occupants. Some believe it was likely home to a family that is still in the area until it went unoccupied for about a decade in the 1960s. The home isn’t the site of any highly publicized murders or gruesome tragedies. Still, the rumors of ghosts can be traced back to a mid-1970s Reader’s Digest article called “Our Haunted House on the Hudson” written by resident Helen Ackley, wife to George Ackley, and mother of four now adult children. In it, she wrote about the family’s experiences with ghosts when they lived in the home.
In one of the most compelling stories in the article, George Ackley claims to have seen a pair of disembodied moccasin-clad feet walk by him from the hallway above the staircase he was standing on. On another occasion, Helen saw a man dressed in Colonial or Revolutionary war attire emerge while she was repainting the entryway. Their daughter Cynthia, a high school student at the time, was allegedly awakened daily by something shaking her bed. One day she politely asked the room to let her sleep in, and the shaking stopped. Though these experiences might disturb some, the Ackleys were more or less welcoming to the paranormal events. They thought the spirits seemed friendly, and eventually considered them part of the family. The Ackleys claimed that before they moved in, a neighborhood child believed the house was haunted, and asked Helen, “lady, you know you just bought a haunted house, right?”
In 1989, about 25 years after the Ackleys moved into 1 LaVeta Place and 15 years after the article was printed, the Ackleys wanted to downsize, so they listed the house for sale at just under $800,000 with Ellis Realty. Helen was thrilled when a young couple, Jeffrey and Patricia Stambovsky expressed interest in buying the property. According to the realtors, Helen did in fact disclose the haunted nature in a few passing conversations (in fact, one of the realtors claimed he remembered Helen refusing to sign her end of the contract before having a conversation with the Stambovskys about it), while the Stambosvskys claim they found out about the haunting through a contractor, and that they wouldn’t have bought the property had they been properly informed. Mr. Stambovsky’s position has consistently been that, while he doesn’t believe in ghosts, he does believe in the market and the fact that other people who do believe in ghosts can impact it.
Unfortunately, these interactions weren’t documented, and we’ll never know for sure what the Stambovskys did or didn’t learn prior to the contract. Regardless, Helen was notified that the Stambovskys wanted to back out of the deal after she’d received the down payment. What’s more, the couple filed a lawsuit against her for fraudulently misrepresenting a material condition of the home (i.e., that’s legalese for “you did’t mention the ghosts). The Stambovskys argued that the ghost stories devalued the property, but the court initially dismissed the complaint and said that Helen did not have a duty to disclose the haunted house stories to the Stambovskys.
However, this was not the end of the legal battle. Ultimately, the case settled out of court, but not before it reached the New York State Supreme Court ruled the home legally haunted. This changed New York State real estate license law for a brief time, requiring the broker to automatically disclose if a home owner said they had a ghost. As a result, the Ackley home has gone down in history as America’s “legally” haunted home.
But the legend doesn’t end there. I found an interesting anecdote on the website of the original realtor, Ellis Sothesby (linked in the show notes below).
“Fast forward to about 2012, the third owner after Mrs. Ackley called us to list the home for sale. While the owners didn’t mention the ghosts, the first day I had a showing there, I had my own supernatural experience. As I went around the house putting the lights on, the door bell rang as I made my way to the Tower Room on the top floor. The clients had just arrived to view the home. As I put the last light on a light bulb burst and a small fire started. The flame grew larger and a nearby shade caught fire before I could put it out.Was it a ghost I encountered that day? Did they object to the house changing hands again? Many in the psychic world say there is no such thing as coincidence. Perhaps the activity at 1 La Veta Place was simply an old soul wanting me to know they were still there. We will never know for sure… one thing is certain, however, the next time you hear a creek in the floor or a voice in the night, just keep moving forward and don’t look back.”
The Valley of Ghosts & Goblins
The Hudson River Valley, nestled snugly in the picturesque mountains and valleys of upstate New York, is an area just as thick with legends and lore. It was truly hard to pick just this small smattering of stories for you for this episode, but I think all of them together get the point across the the region is truly rife with legend in a way few other parts of the world are. When I think about haunted America, I think about places like the Hudson River Valley because of its mysterious aura and the sheer number of paranormal phenomenon reported in the region for centuries. There is just something about driving through the winding roads cutting through the forests and hills that brings to mind all things spooky.
I’ll leave you with this quote from the poem Castle of Indolence which Irving quotes at the beginning of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
“A pleasing land of drowsy head it was,
Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye;
And of gay castles in the clouds that pass,
Forever flushing round a summer sky.”
CASTLE OF INDOLENCE, James Thomson
***
Thank you, listeners, for tuning in to this episode of the Eerie USA Podcast. Thank you for your patience during our brief hiatus. I hope you enjoy our new longer, biweekly format of the show where I can go into more depth on each topic and also enjoy a bit more time for writing.
Please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode, and leave us a quick review if you enjoy the show. Consider supporting us on Patreon at patreon.com/EvanCamby where I share one exclusive piece of behind the scenes content per week, every Friday.
For more scary stories, check out my books on Amazon. My horror story collection, “Walking After Midnight: Tales for Halloween Part III” available on Amazon, and the entire series and my other books are all in ebook and paperback formats for less than the price of 2 cups of coffee.
Join us for the next episode where we’ll be visiting the famous grounds of the Battle of Gettysburg and its untold number of restless spirits. Until next time, I’m your host Evan Camby, bringing you America’s forgotten places and forgotten people.
Credits/Sources/Show Notes:
Music credits:
“Classic Horror 1” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
“Zombie Hoodoo” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
“Come Play with Me” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Show Notes/Sources:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land (1896), Charles M. Skinner
The Legend of 1 La Veta Place, Ellis Sothesby Realty
https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a40706898/haunted-ackley-house-true-story/
Paranormal Stories Haunt the Mid-Hudson Valley, Richard Ellis (2016)
Hudson Valley History: The Imps of Dunderberg, Gabriel Berger (2021)
Treasure on the Hudson and Captain Kidd’s Humbug, Kirk Moldoff (2021)
Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground, VisitSleepyHollow.com
Old Dutch Church a Symbol of Kingston’s History, Paula Ann Mitchel (2013)