*This post was sponsored by Rochester Candlelight Ghost Walks. Everything written in this post is explained to the best of my knowledge and from what I heard (and remember) from our tour. Some information may be false and otherwise untrue.*
One October Friday evening, Shane and I decided to take a stroll on one of Rochester’s haunting candlelight ghost walks around Mount Hope Cemetery. My great grandparents on my Mother’s side are buried here. Little did I know, so are many historical ghostly figures such as Susan B. Anthony, Col. Nathaniel Rochester, and Frederick Douglass.
Mount Hope Cemetery has roughly 350,000 people buried which is more than those living within the city limits. We had fun hearing a few tales that we’d like to share with you. If you like what you hear, check out Rochester’s Candlelight Ghost Walks and don’t forget to check out the blog post of our previous ghost tour of Seabreeze by clicking here: Ghost Stories of Seabreeze
The ghost tour started at the corner of Mount Hope and Reservoir Avenue. At the start of our walk, we learned a little history about the yellow house near the corner with no front door. This house was built long ago before Reservoir Avenue existed, so it’s entry door is on the left side facing the house. It also has an overhang on it’s right side that was used for horse carriages. This beautiful house has some haunting tales.
As with many households back then, they had servants. Due to the fact they didn’t want to see their servants working, they created passageways through parts of the house so the servants could pass through without being seen. One day, a more modern day servant was walking through one of the passageways and saw a servant a ways down the hall that was wearing an early 1900’s servant outfit. Not really thinking about it, she continued walking towards the servant. Once she got closer, the servant stepped to the side so the other could pass and disappeared into the wall.
Another haunting story about this house is that many people have reported to hear horses “neighing”. You don’t really see horses strolling down the streets of Rochester anymore, so it’s highly unlikely that there would be horses outside. This beautiful yellow house has now been turned into apartments. Every now and then you will see an apartment for rent. So, if you want to live in a haunted house, keep an eye out for the next available opening!
Our next stop on the stroll toured Warner Castle and the Sunken Garden. This is one of my favorite places in the area that Shane and I found when we first moved here 2 years ago. You can explore the property around the castle and the Sunken Garden anytime. I do believe they do tours of the castle inside from time to time as I don’t believe anyone lives there.
The tour continued to the castle’s gatehouse at the end of the long driveway, which is across from the Mount Hope cemetery. Here is where we were told another ghost story that we found interesting. This was actually a more personal story about the tour guides experience getting stuck in the cemetery when she was a young girl.
She’s always loved ghosts, so one night, she decided to take a stroll through the Mount Hope Cemetery to see what she could find. The gates were closed after dark, of course, but she found a hole in the fence where she was able to climb through. After spending some time in there, she decided to go home. However, she couldn’t find the hole in the fence where she got in. So, she continued walking. Eventually, she called the grounds keeper and it was going to be a few hours before he could get to her. She sat down to wait when all of a sudden she saw a jogger coming her way. At this point, it was probably almost dawn when it wasn’t odd to see early morning joggers. She tried to get his attention, but he just ran past her and ignored her. She decided to run after him and as she almost got to him, it looked as though he ran through a tree. She looked on the other side of the tree, and there was another hole – a way out! Needless to say, if you are ever walking in Mount Hope Cemetery and you happen to see a jogger, if they say hello back – you’re good. If they continue to run and not acknowledge you, then perhaps they are a ghost!
As our tour was coming to an end, we continued walking along the edge of the cemetery hearing a few more ghost stories when we got to the entrance way. In front of the gates of the cemetery was local author, Ralph Esposito who told us the story of Jack the Ripper. This was news to us as we had no idea Jack the Ripper was in fact buried in Rochester, NY. He’s not buried in Mount Hope cemetery, but in Holy Sepulchre near Kodak Park. His story is interesting nonetheless. Jack the Ripper killed 5 women (those that were recorded, we’re sure there were more) in England. Each of them were prostitutes and he always kept an organ or two as a souvenir. Come to find out, his ex wife who left him for another man used to be a prostitute from England, so we are led to believe the killings was his revenge.
To end the tour, we played with divining rods. These rods are typically used to detect water, but they can also be used to communicate with the dead. Ask a question, and the rods will move in the direction of a “yes” or a “no”. Of course, I asked if Gigi (my great grandmother) was here, and the rods moved to show “yes”. Whether or not you believe in this sort of thing, it’s still neat to entertain the idea of them. I always knew Gigi would have fun haunting the living.
If you’re looking to spend a fun night learning local history and hearing ghost stories, we highly recommend Rochester Candlelight Ghost Walks. In addition to their ghost walks, they do ghost dinners, ghost hunts, and private party seances and tarot readings. Whether or not you like ghost stories, tours like these are so fun to learn the local history you otherwise wouldn’t hear.
Thanks for reading! Comment below and tell us your favorite ghost story from your local area.
