Haunted Long Island: 8 Sites To Visit By Halloween

LONG ISLAND — Spooky season is upon us, but do you have the guts to explore Long Island's creepy past?

Well, if you're game for more than just costume parties and trick-or-treating, you're in luck. Long Island is supposedly home to a number of haunted sites. And Patch has compiled a list of them, which can be found below.

Just an FYI: don't expect to find Bayville Scream Park, Spooky Fest, or other haunted attractions on this list. (If you're looking for those, check out Patch's 2021 Long Island Haunted House Guide).

Here, readers will learn about places where people have reported witnessing supernatural activity. But only the most intrepid will dare venture to these notorious sites.

The Hanging Tree

In Patchogue, off Grove Avenue and in the vicinity of Swan River, the Hanging Tree is said to be the site of suicides and Colonial-era witch trial executions.

For years, visitors have reported seeing strange lights and moving shadows (including a lady in white), experiencing unexplained temperature changes, and having their cellphones or other battery-powered electronics suddenly die.

That's some creepy stuff. Creepy enough that, in 2011, a movie was made about the Hanging Tree.

Lake Ronkonkoma

It's the largest — and perhaps best known — freshwater lake on Long Island. But if you ask locals to take a swim in Lake Ronkonkoma, many will refuse.

Legend has it that during the 1600s, a Native American princess named Tuskawanta fell in love with a White settler, whom her father forbade her to see. The settler, who went by the name of Hugh Birdsall, was banished from Lake Ronkonkoma, according to a 2018 New York Times article.

Distraught and heartbroken, Tuskawanta then spent the next seven years trying to send love letters across the lake, in hopes that Birdsall would find them. But she never received a reply. So one day, the princess rowed herself out to the middle of the lake and fatally stabbed herself.

Now known as the Lady of the Lake, Tuskawanta is said to drown at least one male every year to replace her lost lover.

Coincidentally, there have been multiple drownings at Lake Ronkonkoma over the years.

Again, we're not saying Tuskawanta — or any spirit, for that matter — is responsible for their deaths. But it is worth mentioning.

Amityville Horror House

Probably the most famous haunted site on Long Island is the Amityville Horror House.

In the early hours of Nov. 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr., 23, murdered his entire family in their home on Ocean Avenue.

The notorious killer was eventually convicted on six counts of second-degree murder after he admitted to using a gun to kill his father, Ronald DeFeo Sr.; his mother, Louise; and his younger siblings John Matthew, Mark, Allison, and Dawn.

About a year after the killings, the Lutz family bought the Dutch-Colonial home at a drastically reduced price of $80,000. They fled their house 28 days later, claiming to be terrorized by evil spirits.

Multiple paranormal investigators were called to the home, including Ed and Lorraine Warren — a couple whose work inspired several Hollywood horror movies.

The site of the grisly mass murders also spawned a torrent of books, films, and documentaries, including the 1979 movie "The Amityville Horror."

Just keep in mind this home is not open to the public. It is a private residence. So for your sake, don't trespass or loiter.

Raynham Hall Museum

Oyster Bay's Raynham Hall Museum was once the home of Samuel Townsend, a spy for George Washington during the American Revolution. And like many people at the time, Townsend was forced to offer much of his residence to the Redcoats, including Major John André. The British intelligence officer was later hanged as a spy for attempting to assist American General Benedict Arnold's surrender of West Point.

It's believed that André's ghost still wanders Raynham Hall. But he is not alone, according to LIHauntedHouses.com.

The website says another officer allegedly quartered a lover in Townsend's home, and her room now feels unusually cold.

A third spirit, supposedly a woman in the kitchen, will sometimes welcome guests with the scent of cinnamon and apples baking. Mmmm...kind of like the sound of that.

Wickham Farmhouse

In 1854, a former farmhand murdered Mr. and Mrs. Wickham at their home in Cutchogue — sending shockwaves throughout the East End.

The murderer, who went by the name of Nicholas Bain, was caught days later by an angry mob and hung for his crime.

Fast forward to 1988, the farmhouse is now owned by Anne and John Wickham — who one night wake up and find a dark figure standing over their bed. It's not exactly clear who that person was — or whether the couple imagined it all together.

Regardless, after that frightening incident, the couple's bedroom was sealed. And, according to LongIsland.com, it hasn't been opened since.

The Wickham farmhouse has since been converted into a fruit farm. But some people swear they've heard footsteps coming from the second floor.

Swing by 28700 Main Rd. and see for yourself (and maybe buy some produce while you're at it).

Katie's in Smithtown

In 2013, the popular Travel Channel series "Ghost Adventures" rented out Katie's in Smithtown to search for evidence of the bar's famous ghosts and investigate new poltergeists.

"There's always activity here, but it changes from time to time," bar owner Brian Karppinen said. "Lately, we've been hearing voices of women and children, which is kind of new."

The Ghost Adventures Crew — publicly known as Zak, Nick, and Aaron — had a scout contact Karppinen after learning about Charlie Klein, a bootlegger and bartender in the 1920s. Klein died by suicide in 1933 in fear of going to jail after selling a drink to an IRS man, according to Karppinen's own research. But his spirit apparently still lives at the bar.

At this time of year, particularly close to Halloween, Karppinen says there tends to be an uptick in ghostly activity at Katie's.

Harbor Mist Restaurant

In the 1800s, this Cold Spring Harbor restaurant was an inn and that inn had a brothel, according to DiscoverLongIsland.com. Rumor has it that a local whaler had returned home to find his wife with a customer and killed them both.

Sometimes doors will open and close, lights will flicker, and the stereo will play. Yikes.

Fire Island Lighthouse

Some say that a caretaker who once lived here hung himself after his sick child died. Now his spirit apparently roams the lighthouse.

You can swing by the lighthouse today and admire all the beautiful views Fire Island has to offer. And who knows? Maybe the caretaker will join you.