Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 22, 2015 15:50:54 GMT -5
Haunted Onondaga County
A haunted tavern, a spectral bride and a phantom funeral train are just some of the local horror stories featured in the recently released Haunted Onondaga County. Author Neil MacMillan takes readers through a few dozen stories and legends of haunted places in the county. Four such stories lurk along the edges of the Cayuga County area in Skaneateles, Jordan, Elbridge and Marcellus.
MacMillan, of Syracuse, is a military veteran and a Civil War re-enactor with an educational background from Empire State College. Haunted Onondaga County is part of the Haunted America series released by Arcadia Publishing and The History Press. With the work, MacMillan reviewed historical records and newspaper archives, among other sources, to compile a guide to local spooks.
Thirteen Curves. A long stretch of Cedarvale Road in Marcellus is a treacherous collection of zigzagging turns that twist between thick trees and along a winding creek. These are the "Thirteen Curves," which serve as the scene of a grisly vehicle accident that may, or may not, have happened in the 1930s. As per MacMillan's work, a newlywed couple was reportedly driving along the curves when their vehicle flipped over, flinging the pair in separate directions. They died apart and according to the story, "The Bride of Thirteen Curves" has been seen on the road during the month of October. Others claim she is seen on Friday the 13th or at Halloween. A newspaper account of the accident could not be located. MacMillan also pointed to a local article that indicates a woman and her daughter fabricated the tale to scare some teenagers. "We just don't know," he said of the tale's truthfulness. "'Thirteen Curves' – I doubt it, but I don't know. I wasn't able to find any reference that it took place."
Skaneateles Shooting Star. Whereas "Thirteen Curves" fails to generate factual evidence, the story of a spectral plane crashing into Skaneateles Lake is based in history. Haunted Onondaga County details the tale of a World War II-era training jet crashing into Skaneateles Lake in April 1956. The plane was Lt. Gordon Simonds of Geddes, according to MacMillan. Ever since the incident, folk have reported seeing and hearing a spectral plane crash into the lake during the month of April. MacMillan said there are some leery fishermen who avoid that area of the lake altogether because of the superstition. The plane is said to have flown into the lake about a quarter-mile from the village, though the author could not pinpoint from which direction. "The incident did happen. It's not something someone pulled out of nowhere," MacMillan said. "Sometimes the obscure ones are the ones more likely to be true."
The Wayside Inn. Today, the Wayside Inn is an Irish pub on Route 5 in Elbridge. The pub's website, however, embraces its rumored haunted roots from the 1900s, which dates back to when staffers and patrons reported visits from ghosts. The noted apparitions are a traveler who suffered a heart attack at the inn and a Revolutionary War veteran that haunts the second floor. The Wayside website forewarns patrons of the paranormal activity with anecdotes, including reports of "touches," "pokes" and "cold" spots. "They don't shy away from the story," MacMillan said.
Lincoln's Funeral Train. After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, his funeral train passed through Syracuse and central New York on its way to his resting place in Springfield, Illinois. Though the train did reach its destination, MacMillan said reports sprang up of a ghostly, dark train traveling in a thick black fog through Syracuse and Jordan on April 26. Lincoln's train traversed tracks that have since disappeared over time, but MacMillan said people can still look for the train on April 26. Haunted Onondaga County details the particulars, such as when and where. "I would like to believe the funeral train came through, but I haven't seen it," he said. "It's a possibility."
Source: Greg Mason, The Auburn Citizen, September 18, 2015.