Looking for a scare? Hit the Haunted History Trail of New York State
by: Kaley Lynch Posted: Nov 10, 2021 / 05:59 PM EST / Updated: Nov 10, 2021 / 06:07 PM EST
GASPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) – Graestone Manor in Gasport (4049 Root Rd, Gasport) is a bed and breakfast located in a beautifully restored, Victorian-era mansion with lots of history behind it. The house, owned by Heather and Robert Mattison, is somewhat of a “time capsule”, with many of the original features from its 1865 build – including ceiling medallions, pocket doors, and the original wood. By many accounts, it seems to have retained some of its original residents as well.
“We’ve had quite a bit of activity here – everything from footsteps, phantom voices, mimicking our voices – we’ve seen full-body apparitions, shadow people,” Heather Mattison explained. “People have been touched and scratched, we’ve had unexplained explosions come out of the basement.”
Graestone Manor is one of many stops on the Haunted History Trail of New York State.
The trail has about 90 stops across New York State, including hotels, restaurants, museums, wineries, and theaters.
All of the stops on the trail operate as everyday businesses, Kelly Rapone, tourism marketing director for Genesee County, said.
“We’re really just presenting a new way to visit and experience those locations,” she added.
The trail formed in 2013, when Rapone reached out to some of her counterparts in other counties throughout the state to see if they had spooky attractions. Genesee County is home to Rolling Hills Asylum, which attracts paranormal enthusiasts and the curious year round.
“By September of that year, we had 12 counties on board,” she recalled.
The Haunted History Trail puts out brochures every year featuring the attractions on the route, and their website has all the information you need to plan your trip – or stay – in one place.
Mattison says they have guests at Graestone who have worked their way across the state visiting the trail.
“The Haunted History Trail of New York is amazing – it’s one of the only ones in the country,” Mattison said.
With close proximity to Becker Farms and the Erie Canal Trail, the B&B sees plenty of guests who are just looking for a good night’s sleep, too.
“Sometimes they do have experiences as well,” Mattison said. “That morning, they wake up for breakfast and say, “okay, tell me about the paranormal stuff’.”
Mattison is a psychic medium and conducts readings out of the space. They also rent out the B&B for parties, showers, group ghost hunts, and more, and have ghost detecting equipment available to use.
Graestone Manor has also been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Most Terrifying Places’, and has been visited by some high-profile paranormal groups.
Find more information here.
Kaley Lynch is a digital reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2017. See more of her work here.
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