North Country Haunted Houses

By Chris LaRose

With Halloween fast approaching some Plattsburgh residents can't help but think about how some of the most bizarre, haunted places in the North Country are right here in town. From the souls still left walking the halls of the old Barracks on the Air Force Base to the ghosts of the Delord family that continue to reside in the Kent Delord House, Plattsburgh is just oozing with the paranormal. "The North Country has so many stories to tell," says Randy Lucia, leader of the Lake City Paranormal Society, a Plattsburgh-based group that has investigated many of the local hot spots, "It isn't surprising that there are so many haunted places around here."

So just what are the most haunted places in and around our little town? From the well known to the urban legends, the following list, based on the investigations of Lucia and his team, as well as the "word around town," is sure to make the ghostbuster in us all come creeping to the surface.

The Barracks

Location: Old Air Force Base, Plattsburgh, NY

What's so creepy about the Barracks? It was home to many who served in both the army and the air force, as well as the place a great deal of them lost their life. People who have been inside the building claim it is one of the scariest places they have ever been. "I went inside when I was younger," said Noelle Tedford, a Plattsburgh state student who grew up in the area, "and you can literally hear footsteps on the floors above you. The place had really bad vibes." Lucia agrees, saying he and his team have taken photos of multiple orbs (little balls of energy that appear in photographs, belived to be the energy of an individual who has passed on) around the perimeter of the Barracks. "We got some definite visuals," he said.

Lake Path Cemetary

Location: Old Air Force Base, Plattsburgh, NY

Another one of the haunted areas on the old Air Force Base, Lake Path Cemetary is the burial place of soldiers from as far back as the Battle of Plattsburgh, making it extremely prone to paranormal activity. When the Lake City Paranormal Society investigated the cemetary they encountered what Lucia describes as "a quick moving light." "I was standing at the edge of the cemetary," he said, "and I noticed this light moving from one side of a tree to the other, almost poking it's head around the tree at me." Whether true or not, locals certainly know to avoid the cemetary after dark.

The Base Gym

Location: Old Air Force Base, Plattsburgh, NY

You might not expect a local gym to be a breeding ground for the paranormal, the Base Gym is said to be extremely haunted. "No one knows exactly what the story is about the place," said Lucia, "but multiple workers claim to hear the weights in the backroom lifting and slamming back down when the gym is closed." As eerie as it sounds, many people who work out in the gym claim to have experiences as well. "A few years ago when I would go to the base gym," said Leslie Wallace, a resident of Plattsburgh, "I would be in the shower and I would hear the locker room door just swing open and closed by itself."

The Kent Delord House

Location: 17 Cumberland Avenue, Plattsburgh, NY

Though Lucia and his team have never investigated the Kent Delord House, it is almost general knowledge around town that the residence is haunted. "I believe the story is that it is the ghosts of the entire Delord family," said Lillian Delisle, a local who has visited the Kent Delord House on tours, "but many people have said they've had experiences in the house." Though you can only enter the house on paid, guided tours, people have reported seeing ghostly images in the upstairs windows of the house, as well as in the backyard.

Cherry Hill

Location: Standish, NY

Although it's not directly in Plattsburgh, the creepy tale of a man murdering his entire family in the house and burying them under the front steps has plagued Cherry Hill for decades now. Lake City Paranormal Society has never formally investigated the house and Lucia believes the tale to be "just an urban legend." However, both Tedford and Wallace have heard the story of Cherry Hill and believe it to be true. "I've had friends drive out there to get video of the place," said Tedford, "and all of their cars died in front of the house... It isn't a place I'd mess around with."

Photo Credit: Chris LaRose