3 Old Mansions Suitable For Halloween Haunts: How Much House

ACROSS AMERICA — More than three-fourths of Americans celebrate Halloween in some way — whether they attend parties and take their kids trick or treating or go all in by decorating their homes to look like haunted houses.

There’s nothing in the Halloween rule book, an oxymoron in America’s most free-flowing seasonal observance, that requires haunted house attractions be restricted to sprawling period mansions with a century’s worth of people streaming in and out. But their rich histories and massive exteriors, along with turrets and Juliet balconies where who knows what kinds of spirits might lurk, do the theme justice.

This week in How Much House, we feature three homes in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia that we think are a perfect place to channel your Halloween spirit and create a seasonal display or attraction that will be the talk of the neighborhood.

And once Halloween is over, and after a couple have gotten a facelift and improvements from new owners, they are stunning, head-turning homes.

New York | $99,000

145 North St., Catskill
Listed by: Dina Palin | Houlihan Lawrence-Millbrook
Square feet: 1,720
Acreage: 0.13 acre
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2 (both full)
Year built: 1900

The English House, as this Carpenter Gothic house in the Catskills is known, has a storied history in the “Green Book,” the “bible of Black travel,” used during the era of Jim Crow laws in the South and in other places that weren’t friendly to African Americans. In its first decades, Minnie English ran it as a guest house for Black families who wanted to vacation in the Catskills, but found few lodging establishments would welcome them.

Visitors have included Robert Cole, at the time a famous Black composer, performer and writer. One local historian’s theory is that the patrons were often entertainers for The Mountain House and would board the train through the back yard, where there is still a trace of a train station house. The freight train still runs past the east side of the property.

The mansion is a fixer-upper that needs “every bit of loving a buyer has to offer,” according to the listing. But it may be worth it. The dramatic oval theme just won’t quit. Giant ovals are cut into the solid wooden doors and a voluptuous sculptural wooden stair rail. The original fireplace and full-size walk-out casement windows surround the huge living room. Original carved wood cornucopia details are found throughout. Peek inside for more photos.

Pennsylvania | $1,295,000

558 W. Montgomery Ave., Haverford
Listed by: Kathy Molloy | Long & Foster Real Estate
Square feet: unavailable
Acreage: 0.69 acre
Bedrooms: 7
Bathrooms: 5 (all full)
Year built: 1900

This three-story Romanesque Revival filled with Old World charm needs some TLC, but it has good bones. Some of the hallmark features include thick walls, a weighty stone exterior, round arches, beautiful stained-glass windows and impressive towers.

The house was converted to a triplex many years ago, but many of the breathtaking features survived. The property includes an exquisite stone carriage house that is just waiting for the right owner to rehab it.

Bryn Mawr College, Haverford Square and other amenities are within walking distance, and Suburban Square is just down the road. Peek inside for more photos.

Virginia | $1,249,500

810 Prospect Ave., Pulaski
Listed by: Nancy Page | Page & Associates Real Estate
Square feet: 4,460
Acreage: 3.54 acres
Bedrooms: 6
Bathrooms: 5 (4 full)
Year built: 1890

This 1890 Queen Anne-style home with a guest house is move-in ready. Idyllbrook Estate, as it’s known, includes a three-story main house with a basement and a 560-square-foot guest house built in 1904.

The main house has three fireplaces, original woodwork throughout, an elevator, renovated kitchen and baths, a whole home generator, a porte cochère with a cupola and a modern HVAC system. The fully renovated guest house has one bedroom, one bath and a kitchen.

The park-like grounds of the estate boast custom landscaping, ornamental gardens, patios, a Trex deck and walkway, stamped concrete sidewalks, numerous wrought iron elements, an ornate wrap-around front porch with custom millwork, stonework, stamped concrete flooring, copper guttering and a “singing” copper rain chain. Peek inside for more photos.

• Looking for something else? Search Patch real estate listings to find your dream home.