By Spencer Dewbury
With Halloween nearing and autumn settling in, Westchester County becomes a patchwork of ghostly tales and historic chills. From the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow to run-down asylums and haunted roads, check out these six spooky sites in the region, blending eerie folklore with a dash of local history.
Sleepy Hollow: The Legend That Started It All
Sleepy Hollow isn’t just a literary landmark; it’s the archetype of haunted towns. Immortalized by Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the village is home to the eerie Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and the road where the Headless Horseman lingered. In October, ghost tours, lantern-lit walks, and costumed townsfolk bring the legend to life.
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery; 381 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY | 914.631.0081
Old Dutch Church; 430 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY | 914.631.4497
Buckout Road: Head Out to Buckout
A road so famous that there was even a 2017 Canadian horror film released about it. Stretching between White Plains and West Harrison, Buckout Road has no shortage of chilling stories. A ghostly woman in white (Mary Buckhout), the wandering Leatherman, and the terrifying Red House with rumored albino cannibals have cemented its spooky reputation.
Stoney Hill Cemetery; 247-299 Buckout Road, West Harrison, NY 10604
Untermyer Park & Gardens: Son of Sam’s Sacred Ground
Yonkers’ Untermyer Gardens feel like ruins from another world by day, but locals tell tales of torchlit gatherings, odd rituals, and rumors linking the site to Son of Sam cult activity. While never verified, the stories give the park an unsettling after-hours energy that keeps thrill-seekers curious.
945 N Broadway, Yonkers, NY | 914.613.4502
Letchworth Village: Let’s Go to Letchwork
Though just over Westchester’s line in Rockland County, Letchworth Village carries a haunting reputation. Once thought to be a progressive institution for the developmentally disabled, its history of neglect and mistreatment has left a dark legacy and transformed its abandoned buildings and hidden tunnels into a ghost hunter’s dream … or nightmare. Today, its overgrown grounds are both a hotspot for ghost hunters and a warning that the past is never entirely at rest.
Letchworth Village Road, Thiells, NY
Oakland Cemetery: Ghostly Sisters on the Hill
Established in the 1780s as Revolutionary War burial grounds, Oakland Cemetery (once St. John’s Burial Grounds) is known for its tragic beauty and its haunt. Legend says three white-clad women descend from a hill to chase away trespassers, with a chilling photograph said to capture their apparition.
2 Saw Mill River Road, Yonkers, NY | 914.963.1077
Manhattanville University: Quiet Campus, Noisy Spirits
On the surface, Harrison’s Manhattanville University is all serenity and ivy-covered halls. But on the inside, whispers resound in the library’s archives, and the elevator allegedly travels between floors on its own, with not a single button pressed.
2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY | 914.694.2200
