MONTGOMERY COUNTY ADDS GHOSTLY SITES TO NEW YORK’S HAUNTED HISTORY TRAIL
Fonda’s Old County Courthouse and Amsterdam’s Widow Susan Road Join Dozens of Other Paranormal Sites
(FONDA, NY) – History – and ghosts –
surround us in Montgomery County and now two historic sites with an other-worldly connection are being highlighted through the state’s “I Love NY” tourism program.
The historic Old County Courthouse, located in Fonda, and Widow Susan Road, located in Amsterdam, have now been added to the “Haunted History Trail of New York State,” which seeks to encourage visitors to explore over 90 creepy, spooky and downright haunted locations.
“Montgomery County has rich historic roots. From our indigenous population to the American Revolution and Erie Canal, our communities have been home to countless notable events,” Montgomery County Executive Matthew L. Ossenfort said.
“Every year thousands of visitors come to our community to see our historic sites and learn about our nation’s history. Expanding the notoriety for these sites and promoting unique sites like the Old County Courthouse and Widow Susan Road to people who have interest in supernatural activity can only help us build interest in our County and bring revenue into other local businesses,” Ossenfort said.
The Old County Courthouse, Widow Susan Road, and other haunted sites along the “Haunted History Trail” can be found at https://hauntedhistorytrail.com/.
“Many locally have heard about the hauntings on Widow Susan Road and at the Old County Courthouse.
These stories are often thrilling and intriguing. Now, people from across New York and beyond – the paranormal enthusiasts and the history buffs – will all have an opportunity to find intrigue and maybe even a ghost, here in Montgomery County,” said Montgomery County Historian Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar.
The Old County Courthouse
Built in 1836, numerous historic events have occurred at the Old County Courthouse, including trials for murder (and subsequent executions) and a libel case involving noted author James Fenimore Cooper. According to witnesses and local reports, paranormal activity at the Old County Courthouse ranges from books falling from library shelves and mysterious voices and footsteps heard when no one else is in the building, to sightings of a woman in a blue Victorian period dress who vanishes into thin air.
Widow Susan Road
Widow Susan Road runs from Chapman Drive to NYS Route 67. According to local lore, a woman named Susan along with her husband, Harmanus DeGraff, and several children lived at their farm at the bottom of the Road. After her husband’s passing in 1848, Susan and her children continued to live at the farm until she moved to Michigan, where she passed in 1892. According to legend and local witnesses, Widow Susan’s ghost has been seen in an old-fashioned white dress, crying and traveling up and down Widow Susan Road. Although Susan’s ghost has been seen all along the road, witness reports indicate she is most often seen around St. Michael’s Cemetery, Saint Casmir’s Cemetery, and Saint Nicholas’s Cemetery, with many believing that she is looking for the grave of her husband, whose burial location is unknown.
