There are all kinds of lists out there which name the top ten most haunted cities in the United States. These include Savannah, Georgia; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Salem, Massachusetts; New Orleans; San Antonio, Texas; St. Augustine, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago; San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. Why is Long Island, New York not on this list?
After having investigated more than sixty haunted locales on Long Island, I truly believe Long Island is worthy of at least being included on the top ten list of most haunted places.
We have a rich and intriguing history here on Long Island which includes a prominent Native American past and the American Revolutionary War, amongst other things. How many people on Long Island, let alone in the country, know about the Indian massacres which occurred here, or the famous Battle of Long Island and the Culper Spy Ring? The Battle of Long Island was the first official battle following the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Culper Spy Ring was a group of ordinary people who got together and changed history because of the information they were able to provide to General George Washington regarding the British and their plans for attack. With this much history, there is bound to be spirits and energy which remain.
Much of our history has also been preserved on Long Island's North Shore, where Gold Coast Mansions are still scattered along the shoreline, or on the east end where the North and South Forks are a host to numerous historic homes and buildings. The fact of the matter remains that everywhere we go is haunted. Spirits are with us everywhere and all the time. They're not necessarily ghosts. There is a difference. Ghosts are usually place centered, where spirits come and go and may help us on our own journey. They may even be people we loved and knew. In either case, communication with the afterlife abounds on Long Island. Researching, investigation, and writing Ghosts of Long Island has convinced me
of that, so of course I'd like to give credit where credit is due. Long Island is one of the most haunted places in the United States.
If I had to compile my own list of the top ten most haunted towns on Long Island, here's what I'd come up with. At number one, I'd have to say it's Stony Brook which features such haunted locales as The Country House Restaurant, the old Grist Mill and painter William Sydney Mount's house. Coming in at second and third would be the old whaling town of Cold Spring Harbor, and St. James with its haunted General Store, old schoolhouse and Deepwell's Mansion. From there the list includes Strong's Neck, Huntington, Montauk, Glen Cove, Oyster Bay, Southampton and Cutchogue. Chapter after chapter in both my ghost books mention these extraordinary places where paranormal activity has taken place.
Do you live or know of another haunted town on Long Island that you think could make this list? If so, tell us about your experience.
Kerriann Flanagan Brosky is the author of Ghosts of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal and Ghosts of Long Island II; More Stories of the Paranormal, both
available on Amazon in hardcover and e-format. www.ghostsoflongisland.com
