By Theresa St. John
William Phelps General Store & Home Museum
It’s often called the museum where ‘time stands still,’ and for anyone visiting Wm. Phelps General Store & Home Museum, it’s easy to see why. Located in Palmyra, New York, the building served the needs of people living in the area, as well as those traveling up and down the Erie Canal during its heyday.
It served as a boarding house, tavern, bakery, and general store since opening in 1826. The proprietor, William Phelps, completed renovations to the store in 1875. He left the business to his son, Julius, who continued to run it while living upstairs with his family.
Dealing with the public was hard, as many had a running tab with the store, with most refusing to pay their balance. Eventually, Julius gave up trying to collect his money, became disenchanted with the government who wanted to step in for their piece of the pie – namely more taxes, and decided to lock the front door and walk away in 1940.
Today, if you wander through the provisions store, items on the shelves remain on the same shelves as the day Julius abandoned it. Ledgers with customer’s names and amounts owed lay open on the long wood counter.
Upstairs, signs of the family’s elegant home, filled with post-Civil War furnishings and Victorian grandeur, untouched by electricity or plumbing, remain. Sibyl Phelps, daughter of Julius and his wife Mary, lived there in solitude, until her death in 1976.
She was an eccentric, talented young woman who dreamt of becoming a famous actress. She was an accomplished pianist, organ player, and guitarist. She also sang. But she wanted to live out her life on stage.
The young woman defied her parent’s wishes and traveled to New York City to become a student of acting. She returned home, without a nickel to her name, in 1926, when the school closed during the start of the Great Depression.
Said to have a crystal ball, Sibyl seemed more able to converse with spirits than living people. She became a recluse and surrounded herself with furry friends – some believe she cared for 15 cats at a time.
Voices, footsteps, cat sightings, the smell of cigars, and the sound of piano keys upstairs have been reported by many who visit and those who work inside this intriguing museum. Her birthday continues to be celebrated each year with an array of treats for guests and individual psychic readings.
The Naples Hotel & Restaurant
The Naples Hotel, constructed in 1890 by Jeff R. Brown, offers private guided spirit tours. These tours cover some of the hotel’s storied past, walking guests through different areas of the building while speaking of its history. The guided sessions also share some ghost stories, witnessed by visitors spending the night and members of staff during their work-shift.
The hairs on the back of your neck will stand up straight while watching the video of spirit activity caught on camera in the downstairs area – when no one else was around.
Located in the heart of downtown Naples, New York, the hotel has hosted visits and speeches by prominent politicians over the years, including Robert F. Kennedy, according to the website.
Naples Hotel appeared during season 8 of the SYFY Channel’s Ghost Hunter due to the number of ghost sightings. The establishment boasts 32 rooms, including guest rooms where daring travelers can spend the night and hope for an other-worldly experience. They also have a restaurant and a basement bar, which some say is the most haunted part of the building.
One of the most talked-about ghosts is that of a man nicknamed ‘Topper,’ who killed himself on the third floor during the 1920s and is said to be seen wandering about the hotel.
Framed pictures on the wall become crooked, various objects are moved from one spot to another when no one’s nearby, and a dark figure dressed in fashion from the 1920s is often spotted wandering the upstairs hallway.
There have also been reports of a female spirit named Alice and her two young children who are all believed to have died in the hotel during the 1900s.
If you’re lucky (unlucky?) you might be booked in the Saki room, supposedly the most haunted guest room available to guests. The room’s theme follows an Asian feel, with teal, reds, and golds dominating the décor.
A good deal of activity also occurs in the front dining room of the hotel. Just ask anyone who works there – they’ll share stories of table settings gone missing, chairs that they try to push in but can’t because a spirit seems to be sitting in them already, making them too heavy and awkward to move.
Whether for an overnight stay or a simple meal – sharing it with a ghost sounds more likely than not.
The Parkview Inn
Owego, New York’s Parkview Inn dates back to the 1800s. It was built in early 1867 by Robert Cameron and was known as The Exchange Hotel. Through the years the hotel underwent several changes, renovations, and ownerships – becoming the Dugan House in 1876 and the Page Hotel in 1910.
In 1946, a woman named Alice Shcauffller purchased the property and renamed it, again, The Park Hotel. In 1991 it changed hands and became the Parkview Hotel, owned and run by couple Joseph and Louise McTamney.
Today it’s a popular bar and restaurant owned by Mark and Beth Johnson. The town’s staple has always been a gathering place for the locals and people passing through the area.
When the Johnson’s received a grant from the state, they decided to re-open the upstairs hotel area, even though it would be an enormous undertaking for the couple.
From day one, both of them felt as if they belonged there, even after many people spoke about strange things happening at the inn. There’s more than one spirit believed to reside there, but a frequent visitor is a young child named Marguerite.
Reports say Marguerite liked to sit by the roaring fire, wrapped in a warm blanket. She had a small rocking chair and would often rock until she was closer to the warm flames.
On December 30th, 1909, she moved far too close to the fire. Her blanket caught on fire, enveloping both her and the rocking chair. She lived for several hours, finally succumbing to her burns and trauma around 9:30 that night.
People today believe that she visits the inn, ringing the bell in the kitchen as a ‘hello’ when no one else is in the room.
Others feel a light tapping on their shoulder, or hear a voice asking if they work in the hotel.
Beth shows visitors the “Crying Room,” where several women enter and then leave, overcome with emotion. She’s been told that a woman lost her young child while staying at the hotel years ago.
This past Spring, the hotel had a grand re-opening, with another name on the exterior wall of the historic hotel. After eight years of planning and two years devoted to the majority of their hotel renovations, Beth and Mark Johnson hung the sign together.
Certainly, little Margueritte and other friendly spirits will love the new Dugan House Restaurant and Pub as much as the old Parkview, if not more. It’s a dream come true.
These are just 3 of more than 60 locations covered by the haunted history trail of New York State, for more information please visit: https://hauntedhistorytrail.com/
All photos by Theresa St. John
1 comment
Thank you for sharing this lovely story. –MaryGo
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