At this point you’re probably already familiar with some of New York’s most popular hauntings, like the Amityville Horror House or one of our abandoned asylums. Something you may be surprised to find out though is that there are plenty of unseemly haunted locations that are hiding right under your nose. We’ve already clued you in that our state has multiple haunted lakes, but there’s also a popular park out by the shores of one of our famous bodies of water that’s known to have quite the chilling history.
Part of Monroe County, most of us have grown up hearing nerve-racking stories about Durand Eastman Park.
John B./Yelp
Within Rochester, the over 900-acre park is a popular place to visit if you’re looking to trade in your typical urban scenery for something more luscious and green.
Keith Ewing/Flickr
What you may already know is that the park is said to be quite haunted by a spirit that goes by the Lady in White, Lady of the Lake or The White Lady.
sanna.tugend/Flickr
Over the years the story of the Lady in White has come to vary, but there’s one prominent tale involving the disappearance of a mother’s young daughter.
Julie T/TripAdvisor Out of the variations of Rochester’s story about the Lady in White, the one you’ll often hear the most is this. Before the park became what it was, the area use to be made up of farmland. During the 1800s a farmer’s wife found herself always being protective of her daughter. One night the daughter went missing after being out with a local farmer boy. After realizing that her daughter was never coming home, the mother who was full of grief committed suicide by throwing herself into Lake Ontario.
One of the misconceptions about the park though involves what many now call, The White Lady’s Castle.
Steve C./Yelp Today inside of the park you can find the castle-looking structure that’s pictured above. But the stone wall was actually part of a former snack stand that was created back in the early 1900s during the park’s earliest years. Now today you’ll often hear people tying the remains of this snack stand into the story of the White Lady, claiming that the remaining wall was that of her castle and the home she lived in.
You may also remember that earlier this year the tale of the Lady in White was once again revived after a storm hit the area, causing a tree in the park to be left resembling the famed spirit.
Monroe County Parks Department/Facebook Back at the very end of March when weather out on Lake Ontario was still quite tumultuous, Durand Eastman Park was one of the many areas that was affected by harsh storms. As if locals weren’t already up in arms enough about the damage that was being done the area, residents found themselves shocked when a tree was damaged and left looking the Lady in White. Some say the tree looked like the Lady in White who was holding a baby, meant to represent the missing daughter she roams around the parking looking for today. No matter what you believe, the figure formed on the tree was most definitely a spine-tingling sight.
Today those visiting the park at night claim to see the figure of the Lady in White, relentlessly looking for her lost daughter that never came home.
Julie T/TripAdvisor Over the years those who have spotted the spirit claim to have seen her older spirit while others say the ghost they saw was still quite full of youth. The ghost of the farmer’s wife has frequently been seen out towards Durand Lake, continuing to make her presence known to locals throughout time.
What unsettling stories about Durand Eastman Park did you grow up hearing? To visit another chilling destination that’s guaranteed to leave you with your hairs standing up, dine at The Most Haunted Restaurant In New York That You’ll Never Forget!
John B./Yelp
Keith Ewing/Flickr
sanna.tugend/Flickr
Julie T/TripAdvisor
Out of the variations of Rochester’s story about the Lady in White, the one you’ll often hear the most is this. Before the park became what it was, the area use to be made up of farmland. During the 1800s a farmer’s wife found herself always being protective of her daughter. One night the daughter went missing after being out with a local farmer boy. After realizing that her daughter was never coming home, the mother who was full of grief committed suicide by throwing herself into Lake Ontario.
Steve C./Yelp
Today inside of the park you can find the castle-looking structure that’s pictured above. But the stone wall was actually part of a former snack stand that was created back in the early 1900s during the park’s earliest years. Now today you’ll often hear people tying the remains of this snack stand into the story of the White Lady, claiming that the remaining wall was that of her castle and the home she lived in.
Monroe County Parks Department/Facebook
Back at the very end of March when weather out on Lake Ontario was still quite tumultuous, Durand Eastman Park was one of the many areas that was affected by harsh storms. As if locals weren’t already up in arms enough about the damage that was being done the area, residents found themselves shocked when a tree was damaged and left looking the Lady in White. Some say the tree looked like the Lady in White who was holding a baby, meant to represent the missing daughter she roams around the parking looking for today. No matter what you believe, the figure formed on the tree was most definitely a spine-tingling sight.
Over the years those who have spotted the spirit claim to have seen her older spirit while others say the ghost they saw was still quite full of youth. The ghost of the farmer’s wife has frequently been seen out towards Durand Lake, continuing to make her presence known to locals throughout time.
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