Archive #139 Belhurst Castle
Episode 40, Sep 26, 09:30 AM
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Intro:
Tonight, we journey to the quiet town of Geneva, New York, nestled beside the still waters of Seneca Lake. What awaits isn’t just a beautiful castle, but a story layered in history, trauma, and mystery.
🏰 The Land Before the Castle
Long before Belhurst Castle stood, this land was sacred to the Seneca Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Known as Kanadesaga, it was a place of peace, unity, and later, devastating loss. We explore the region’s deep Indigenous history and the brutal impact of the Revolutionary War, including Sullivan’s March and the destruction of entire villages.
🪶 The Village of Kanadesaga
Once home to the Council of the Six Nations, Kanadesaga was fortified in 1756 and later caught in the crossfire of colonial betrayal and frontier warfare. Learn how this once-thriving village became a ghost of its former self and why some believe the spirits still linger.
⚔️ The Coming Storm
The infamous Wyoming Massacre, fueled by misinformation and fear, led to a scorched-earth retaliation by General Sullivan. This section covers the horror that followed: the burning of orchards, sacred land, and communities, and the spiritual echo that remains in the region.
🔥 Sullivan’s March
Washington’s orders weren’t just tactical; they were cultural erasure. Over 40 villages burned. Graves desecrated. Elders and children were forced into the wilderness. In oral tradition, such pain leaves a residue. Could this land still carry the memory of that suffering?
📜 From Sacred Soil to Sale
Despite pleas for peace, the land was sold and divided, eventually ending up in the hands of businessmen and speculators. The Ontario Glass Company set the stage for what would come next, and the most prized portion of land fell to one man.
🏚️ The Hermitage and the Fugitive
Learn the shocking tale of William Henry Bucke, the London treasurer turned American fugitive, who hid in solitude under the alias “Henry Hall.” The secrets he buried beneath his home, including a rumored escape tunnel, would give rise to one of Belhurst’s most infamous ghost stories.
🌲 Belhurst is Born
After decades of rumors and transitions, Carrie Harron arrived, and everything changed. From the ashes of Otis Grove rose a grand mansion built with European stone and lavish taste. But her castle would inherit more than luxury; it inherited the land’s lingering spirits.
🏗️ The Building of Belhurst Castle
Carrie Collins spared no expense building her dream home. Imported stone, fifty men, four years of labor, and a few ominous incidents set the tone for the castle's darker legend. Some say the very act of construction invited something... unwelcome.
👻 The Hauntings Begin
Strange activity started soon after the castle was built, stories of tunnels, tragedies, and whispers in the night. And one name echoes louder than the rest.
🧳 The Tale of Isabella
She’s called the Lady in White. But who was Isabella? A runaway lover? A mistress on the run? Or two women whose tragedies became one legend? We trace the tangled threads of her story across time and folklore.
🚪 Two Endings, One Ghost
Whether drowned in the lake or crushed beneath the castle, Isabella’s end was tragic and incomplete. Her spirit is said to remain, lingering in the halls, on the lawn, and sometimes… at your window.
🌫️ The Lady in White
She’s seen gliding across the lawn, heard in ghostly arias, and smelled in the scent of roses that appear out of nowhere. Paranormal investigators and guests alike have felt her presence, and a few even claim to have seen her.
🪦 The Grieving Spirit
Isabella’s ghost doesn’t rage. She waits. Watches. Wanders. And maybe that’s what makes her story so haunted because it feels unfinished.
🍷 Spirits in the Bar
The castle’s bar isn’t just for wine and cocktails. Staff tell tales of glasses thrown, lights flickering, and the friendly ghost of former caretaker Dick O’Brien, who passed in 1972… but may never have checked out.
🎶 Echoes After Midnight
When the night is still, lullabies rise. Guests report hearing songs and voices when no one’s around, and it almost always happens after midnight.
👶 Haunted by the Unnamed
Some spirits at Belhurst don’t have names or backstories, just footsteps, dragging sounds, and the cries of unseen children. These often emanate from the old casino room, once a den of Prohibition-era secrets.
🎙️ Eyewitness Accounts
From shadow figures to singing through the walls, listeners of The Stoned Witches Hour Podcast share firsthand experiences from their stays at Belhurst. One saw a ghost pacing her room. Another chatted with a gardener, who’d died decades earlier.
🔍 Theories, Skepticism & Supernatural Reflection
Despite making USA Today’s list of haunted hotels, Belhurst Castle doesn’t lean into its ghost stories. No ghost tours. No confirmed photos. Just two famous spirits: Isabella and Dick. But some say that only makes the hauntings feel more... real.
🪶 The Silence of the Land
Oddly, there are no reports of Indigenous spirits haunting the property, despite the land’s tragic history. For a place built atop Kanadesaga, that silence is haunting in itself.
🌌 Finger Lakes: A Haunted Region
The Finger Lakes region embraces its ghosts. From cemetery tours to zombie festivals, the surrounding area keeps its haunted history alive, even if Belhurst Castle stays quiet.
🪦 Closing Thoughts
Maybe ghosts aren’t always loud. Maybe they’re in the quiet. The chill in the hallway. The glance across the lake. And maybe… if you pause and listen… you’ll hear one whisper your name.
🗣️ Featured Pronunciations
Kanadesaga – kan-uh-deh-SAY-guh
Haudenosaunee – ho-dee-no-SHOW-nee
Iroquois – EER-uh-kwoi
Seneca – SEN-uh-kuh
Palisades – PAL-ih-saydz
Warwickshire – WAR-ick-sheer or WAR-ick-shuh
William Henry Bucke – BUCK (not book)
Samuel Harron – HAIR-un
Louis Dell Collins – LOO-ee dell COLL-ins
Red Dwyer – DWY-er
Elizabeth Meyette – meh-YET
David Sakmyster – SACK-my-stir
Richardsonian Romanesque – rich-erd-sen-ee-uhn roh-muh-NESK
Vinifera Inn – vih-NIF-er-uh inn
🏰 Ghosts, tunnels, and tragic love stories… Welcome to Belhurst Castle.
From sacred Indigenous land to opera singers lost in legend, we’re diving into the haunted history of one of New York’s most mysterious places. 👻 Who is the Lady in White?
#HauntedHistory #BelhurstCastle #LadyInWhite #TrueGhostStories #HauntedNewYork #GhostPodcast #Paranormal #SenecaLake #IndigenousHistory #UrbanLegends #CastleGhosts #HauntedHotels #SpookySeason #HauntedFingerLakes #CreepyCastles
Tonight, we journey to the quiet town of Geneva, New York, nestled beside the still waters of Seneca Lake. What awaits isn’t just a beautiful castle, but a story layered in history, trauma, and mystery.
🏰 The Land Before the Castle
Long before Belhurst Castle stood, this land was sacred to the Seneca Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Known as Kanadesaga, it was a place of peace, unity, and later, devastating loss. We explore the region’s deep Indigenous history and the brutal impact of the Revolutionary War, including Sullivan’s March and the destruction of entire villages.
🪶 The Village of Kanadesaga
Once home to the Council of the Six Nations, Kanadesaga was fortified in 1756 and later caught in the crossfire of colonial betrayal and frontier warfare. Learn how this once-thriving village became a ghost of its former self and why some believe the spirits still linger.
⚔️ The Coming Storm
The infamous Wyoming Massacre, fueled by misinformation and fear, led to a scorched-earth retaliation by General Sullivan. This section covers the horror that followed: the burning of orchards, sacred land, and communities, and the spiritual echo that remains in the region.
🔥 Sullivan’s March
Washington’s orders weren’t just tactical; they were cultural erasure. Over 40 villages burned. Graves desecrated. Elders and children were forced into the wilderness. In oral tradition, such pain leaves a residue. Could this land still carry the memory of that suffering?
📜 From Sacred Soil to Sale
Despite pleas for peace, the land was sold and divided, eventually ending up in the hands of businessmen and speculators. The Ontario Glass Company set the stage for what would come next, and the most prized portion of land fell to one man.
🏚️ The Hermitage and the Fugitive
Learn the shocking tale of William Henry Bucke, the London treasurer turned American fugitive, who hid in solitude under the alias “Henry Hall.” The secrets he buried beneath his home, including a rumored escape tunnel, would give rise to one of Belhurst’s most infamous ghost stories.
🌲 Belhurst is Born
After decades of rumors and transitions, Carrie Harron arrived, and everything changed. From the ashes of Otis Grove rose a grand mansion built with European stone and lavish taste. But her castle would inherit more than luxury; it inherited the land’s lingering spirits.
🏗️ The Building of Belhurst Castle
Carrie Collins spared no expense building her dream home. Imported stone, fifty men, four years of labor, and a few ominous incidents set the tone for the castle's darker legend. Some say the very act of construction invited something... unwelcome.
👻 The Hauntings Begin
Strange activity started soon after the castle was built, stories of tunnels, tragedies, and whispers in the night. And one name echoes louder than the rest.
🧳 The Tale of Isabella
She’s called the Lady in White. But who was Isabella? A runaway lover? A mistress on the run? Or two women whose tragedies became one legend? We trace the tangled threads of her story across time and folklore.
🚪 Two Endings, One Ghost
Whether drowned in the lake or crushed beneath the castle, Isabella’s end was tragic and incomplete. Her spirit is said to remain, lingering in the halls, on the lawn, and sometimes… at your window.
🌫️ The Lady in White
She’s seen gliding across the lawn, heard in ghostly arias, and smelled in the scent of roses that appear out of nowhere. Paranormal investigators and guests alike have felt her presence, and a few even claim to have seen her.
🪦 The Grieving Spirit
Isabella’s ghost doesn’t rage. She waits. Watches. Wanders. And maybe that’s what makes her story so haunted because it feels unfinished.
🍷 Spirits in the Bar
The castle’s bar isn’t just for wine and cocktails. Staff tell tales of glasses thrown, lights flickering, and the friendly ghost of former caretaker Dick O’Brien, who passed in 1972… but may never have checked out.
🎶 Echoes After Midnight
When the night is still, lullabies rise. Guests report hearing songs and voices when no one’s around, and it almost always happens after midnight.
👶 Haunted by the Unnamed
Some spirits at Belhurst don’t have names or backstories, just footsteps, dragging sounds, and the cries of unseen children. These often emanate from the old casino room, once a den of Prohibition-era secrets.
🎙️ Eyewitness Accounts
From shadow figures to singing through the walls, listeners of The Stoned Witches Hour Podcast share firsthand experiences from their stays at Belhurst. One saw a ghost pacing her room. Another chatted with a gardener, who’d died decades earlier.
🔍 Theories, Skepticism & Supernatural Reflection
Despite making USA Today’s list of haunted hotels, Belhurst Castle doesn’t lean into its ghost stories. No ghost tours. No confirmed photos. Just two famous spirits: Isabella and Dick. But some say that only makes the hauntings feel more... real.
🪶 The Silence of the Land
Oddly, there are no reports of Indigenous spirits haunting the property, despite the land’s tragic history. For a place built atop Kanadesaga, that silence is haunting in itself.
🌌 Finger Lakes: A Haunted Region
The Finger Lakes region embraces its ghosts. From cemetery tours to zombie festivals, the surrounding area keeps its haunted history alive, even if Belhurst Castle stays quiet.
🪦 Closing Thoughts
Maybe ghosts aren’t always loud. Maybe they’re in the quiet. The chill in the hallway. The glance across the lake. And maybe… if you pause and listen… you’ll hear one whisper your name.
🗣️ Featured Pronunciations
Kanadesaga – kan-uh-deh-SAY-guh
Haudenosaunee – ho-dee-no-SHOW-nee
Iroquois – EER-uh-kwoi
Seneca – SEN-uh-kuh
Palisades – PAL-ih-saydz
Warwickshire – WAR-ick-sheer or WAR-ick-shuh
William Henry Bucke – BUCK (not book)
Samuel Harron – HAIR-un
Louis Dell Collins – LOO-ee dell COLL-ins
Red Dwyer – DWY-er
Elizabeth Meyette – meh-YET
David Sakmyster – SACK-my-stir
Richardsonian Romanesque – rich-erd-sen-ee-uhn roh-muh-NESK
Vinifera Inn – vih-NIF-er-uh inn
🏰 Ghosts, tunnels, and tragic love stories… Welcome to Belhurst Castle.
From sacred Indigenous land to opera singers lost in legend, we’re diving into the haunted history of one of New York’s most mysterious places. 👻 Who is the Lady in White?
#HauntedHistory #BelhurstCastle #LadyInWhite #TrueGhostStories #HauntedNewYork #GhostPodcast #Paranormal #SenecaLake #IndigenousHistory #UrbanLegends #CastleGhosts #HauntedHotels #SpookySeason #HauntedFingerLakes #CreepyCastles
References and Bibliography
1. Belhurst Castle in running for best haunted hotel in US. Finger Lakes 1. (2019, August 9).
https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2019/08/09/belhurst-castle-in-running-for-best-haunted-hotel-in-us/
This news article highlights Belhurst Castle’s nomination in USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice contest for haunted hotels, emphasizing the castle’s local reputation as a haunted destination. It provides contemporary context on how the castle is perceived today, especially in terms of its paranormal notoriety and tourism appeal.
2. Christine Smyczynski. Then and Now: Belhurst Castle.
https://www.christinesmyczynski.com/belhurst-castle.html
This detailed blog post offers a historical overview of Belhurst Castle’s origins, architectural features, and notable owners. It also includes personal reflections and photos that juxtapose past and present, contributing to a visual and narrative understanding of the castle’s evolution.
3. Democrat and Chronicle. Colorful characters made Belhurst Castle legendary. (2016, December 1).
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sponsor-story/belhurst-castle/2016/12/01/belhurst/94737934/
This article explores the vibrant personalities associated with Belhurst Castle, including William Henry Bucke and Carrie Harron, weaving local lore with documented history. It helps frame the human stories that fuel the castle’s mystique and reputed hauntings.
4. Haunted History Trail of New York State.
https://hauntedhistorytrail.com/explore/belhurst-castle
This website entry situates Belhurst Castle within the larger context of New York’s haunted locations. It summarizes key ghost stories and paranormal events linked to the castle, making it useful for understanding regional folklore and the castle’s place in haunted tourism.
5. Hauntings of the Finger Lakes. NYGhosts.com
https://nyghosts.com/hauntings-of-the-finger-lakes/
This resource details hauntings throughout the Finger Lakes region, including Belhurst Castle, and highlights various paranormal accounts and festivals in the area. It offers broader cultural context about the local fascination with ghost lore beyond the castle itself.
6. The Belhurst Story by David J. Sakmyster.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1bobVQfPX1MC&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&dq=belhurst+castle&ots=Xxjmd7Gxhq&sig=R0caC65l9AiZoWPAkOa7RPEWZnE#v=onepage&q=belhurst%20castle&f=false
This comprehensive book provides an in-depth historical account of Belhurst Castle, focusing on its owners, construction, and the legends surrounding it. Sakmyster’s research is a primary source for detailed narratives, especially on the castle’s early inhabitants and the Lady in White ghost story.
7. The Ghostly Legend that Inspired THE CAVANAUGH HOUSE and BURIED SECRETS. Elizabeth Meyette. (2016, July)
https://www.elizabethmeyette.com/2016/07/the-ghostly-legend-that-inspired-the-cavanaugh-house-and-buried-secrets.html
Author Elizabeth Meyette recounts her research into the legend of Isabella Robinson, the Lady in White of Belhurst Castle. Her blog post ties folklore to personal storytelling and creative inspiration, providing insights into how ghost stories influence popular culture and literature.
8. The Haunted Belhurst Castle, Geneva, NY. HauntedRooms.com
https://www.hauntedrooms.com/new-york/haunted-places/haunted-hotels/belhurst-castle
This site collects reports and legends of hauntings at Belhurst Castle, detailing ghost sightings, paranormal phenomena, and guest experiences. It serves as a practical guide for those interested in visiting or learning about the castle’s ghost stories.
9. The Stoned Witches Hour Podcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmAsah5q8dA
This podcast episode shares listener-submitted paranormal encounters at Belhurst Castle, including unexplained sounds and apparitions. It offers a modern, crowd-sourced perspective on the castle’s ongoing reputation for supernatural activity.
10. History of Belhurst Castle. Belhurst.com
https://www.belhurst.com/history/
The official website’s history section provides a curated, factual timeline of Belhurst Castle’s construction, ownership, and architectural significance. While less focused on paranormal aspects, it offers authoritative background information directly from the current proprietors.