In 2008, TIME magazine listed this Amityville home as one of the top 10 most haunted places. (Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images )
The story referred to as the "Amityville Horror" has given people chills for years and, unlike other scary stories, has connections to actual happenings – a horrific crime that occurred in a house in Amityville, New York, on Long Island. In the mid-1970s, a family of people moved into the house where a multiple murder occurred a year before. A novel and film were based on the family’s reports of paranormal activity encountered there. The truthfulness of the claims is still questioned, but there’s no doubt that many remain frightened by the story and curious about the house, haunted or not. There are no other sites in Amityville thought to be haunted, but there are some spooky spots nearby.
The Amityville Horror House
Don't bother putting an address for this house in your GPS, because you won't find it. After the book and film were released, many people tried to visit and get into the house. Local authorities changed the original address so it wouldn't be so easy to find. Though you can't visit the house, you can certainly head to Ocean Avenue in Amityville to identify the waterfront home and perhaps snap a few photos or look for ghosts in the window. Just be sure not to disturb the neighbors.
Edgewood State Hospital
Nine miles from Amityville is where the Edgewood State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, once stood. One of four mental hospitals built in Long Island in the mid-1900s, Edgewood was eventually demolished. People who hike in this area report hearing screams around the Edgewood Oak Brush Plains Preserve and make claims about seeing misty figures and feeling a cold wind blowing through their bodies when they stand at the old site of Building 102.
Jayne's Hill, Mount Misery and Sweet Hollow Road
Jayne's Hill is the highest point on Long Island, located in West Hills County Park in Huntington, about nine miles north of Amityville. Walt Whitman was born near this hill and used to climb to the top as a child. His poem "Starting from Paumanok" was based on Jayne's Hill. Some who believe the poet's spirit remains in the area have reported seeing his ghost at the peak of the hill and tell of hearing a voice singing songs through the forest.
Mount Misery is located at the crest of Jayne's Hill. This area, and the road leading up to it, Sweet Hollow Road, are said to be the site of strange activity. Supposedly, even Native Americans considered the area cursed.
Some claim that, in the early 1900s, a hospital stood on the grounds from which a woman known only as "Mary" repeatedly fled – even setting fire to the hospital. Visitors seek her grave and claim to hear screams, thought by some to be the otherworldly voices of fire victims.
References
Resources
- "The Amityville Horror"; Jay Anson; 1977
- "The Amityville Horror Conspiracy"; Stephen Kaplan; 1995
Writer Bio
Hana LaRock is a freelance content writer from New York, currently living in Mexico. She has spent the last five years traveling the world and living abroad and has lived in South Korea and Israel. Hana has been writing about her travel experiences for several years and has been published in print magazines like Travel Ideas and Ensemble Vacations, as well as websites such as Tour Amigo, The Culture Trip, REI, and Orbitz. Hana has been to nearly 30 countries and counting. Through her experiences, she has learned to navigate the challenges that can come with visiting other countries and cultures. To learn more, visit her website at www.hanalarockwriting.com.