Ghost Stories of the Southern Tier: Sherwood Inn in Greene

So, are there any places in the Southern Tier that are truly haunted? I'm not sure, but there appears to be a plethora of stories that abound about places that seem to be just that. I asked on Facebook for my 'Friends' to write to me about places that they know, or heard of, that were haunted.  And what I found was, that you would be hard pressed to find ANYONE who didn't have at least ONE Ghost story, about a Greater Binghamton spookatorium.

Many of us feel that haunted places exist. You get that chill along your spine, the feeling of dread, and sudden drop in temperature are all physical signs that you experience in a haunted locale. However, how do places become this way? Let's look deeper...

In Things That Go Bump in The Night, (1959) Louis C. Jones,  gives 5 reasons. 1) To Re-enact their own deaths. 2) To complete unfinished business. 3) To re-engage in what their normal pursuits were when they were alive. 4) To protest or punish. 5) And finally to warn, console, inform, guard or reward the living.
I have to admit, I have only read a small portion of Louis C. Jones' book, but I am now even more excited about visiting Cooperstown, NY, where some of the spooky tales  originated.  There are other story's too, of a woman who haunts the octagon house in Walton, The True Relation of the Apparition of one Mrs. Veal from the Utica area, and the Quaker Lady of Troy, just to name a few.
In doing research for this five piece oogity-boogity, I found that many places tend to naturally draw ghosts simply because of what they are and what naturally happens in those places, meaning that prisons, hotels, and of course cemeteries are favorite haunting areas for the departed who have not fully moved on. Yet, some of the most common places that are haunted may not have such a specific story or might be just a seemingly random house.

In working on this story, I met a wonderful woman I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth (Libby) Tucker, author of the Haunted Southern Tier, (Haunted America) and available at Amazon.com. The Binghamton University Professor told me that it is in her experiences, that found that ghosts prime motivations for haunting are to complete unfinished business, and to console relatives and loved ones. Many of the local stories I will be sharing with you, come from Elizabeth's book, her stories and your stories as written and sent to me.... like this one.... told to me by many, and as a segment of 'Unsolved Mysteries." on TV......   Boohhhahhhaaahahaha.....
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I am originally from central NY.  In Jan 1999 I got married in the basement of The Sherwood Inn, Greene NY. The hotel was shut down to the public during this time. On my 1yr anniversary, my husband and I returned to the hotel. The restaurant and bar were shut down and even the owners were away on vacation. The only people there were me, my husband and the desk clerk. The only thing we were advised of was not to go onto the balcony.

My husband was across the room cutting some wedding cake while I sat on the bed (brass with porcelain knobs), watching Forensic Files. Suddenly I felt the bed quiver. I took notice but ignored it.

A few moments later the bed rocked (I was alone), and one of the porcelain knobs went flying across the room toward my husband. Shaken a bit, we finally settled in. As we tried going to sleep we began hearing laughter of what seemed like a dozen people. Heard doors opening and closing. It sounded like a party. I got up, opened our room door and looked down the hallway. No one was there. With the door closed the commotion continued. Upon going out later, I said to the clerk, "I thought the Inn was closed to the public and that we were the only ones here" He responded..."You are, its just us".................

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There are various instances where paranormal researchers have found that spirits don’t haunt their homes but a public place or hotel. It has been told that employees of a hotel or pub tend to haunt their workplace.  It could be that these souls don’t know where to go after death and like to be attached to the place where they spent most of their life.

Coming up tomorrow, a haunted house in Newark Valley,  and NYS Route 17's 'The Devils Elbow and the Woman in White.'

When witches go riding, and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,‘tis near Halloween.
~Author Unknown