It doesn’t need to be Halloween for things to get creepy - especially around Buffalo! With our area’s rich history, it’s no wonder certain spirits like sticking around. If you’re a sucker for a good ghost story and love the thrill and chills they bring, check out these six haunted places in Buffalo.
1. Shea's Performing Arts Center
Here’s a Buffalo 2-for-1! Catch a show and a ghost sighting in one night. Shea’s was opened in 1926 by Michael Shea. When he died in 1936, it was rumored that his spirit stuck around. Mr. Shea’s ghost has been said to enjoy the renovations of his beloved theater, and he still watches shows from his own seat!
2. Grand Island Holiday Inn
What’s scarier than a little girl ghost holding teddy bears or dolls? Nothing. The Grand Island Holiday Inn is said to have been built over a building that had once caught fire and cost a little girl, Tanya, her life. Many guests have stated they’ve seen and felt her spirit while staying at the hotel. She sets off alarms, lies next to guests on their beds, and throws items. I wonder if those "perks" are listed on the accommodations?
3. Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park
Besides being the only inland naval park in the United States, this venue is also said to be home to the ghosts of the five Sullivan brothers. USS The Sullivans is a fletcher-class destroyer that was used during WWII. All five brothers were aboard the destroyer and killed during the Battle of Guadalcanal – the largest loss of any military family during the war. George, the eldest, is said to have died last after he went searching and trying to save his four younger brothers. It is also rumored that the ship is most haunted on any Friday the 13th.
4. Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane ("Richardson Olmsted Complex")
It’s no wonder that spirits still roam the halls of this abandoned psychiatric ward. When the Asylum opened in the 1800’s, medical treatments were cruel and painful - we’re talking lobotomies and sterilization. Visitors to the asylum are said to feel anxious and fearful as if they were patients themselves. As for figures seen? Pictures have captured orbs and shadows have been seen running through halls. If you're a real glutton for punishment, you can book a stay at the Complex this spring, as they re-open the facilities as "Hotel Henry."
5. Lancaster Opera House
There seems to be a theme with WWII and Buffalo ghosts! The Lancaster Opera House was built in 1897 and served as a town hall and opera house. During the 1930’s and the Great Depression, food was handed out in the hall to the needy. During WWII, the building was used as a base to fold parachutes for the war. Today, the venue is used as a performing arts and community center – and a home for several reported ghosts. Figures are said to stand in the windows and watch people pass by.
6. Buffalo Central Terminal
In 1929, Buffalo Central Terminal opened and was a popular hub for travel in New York and along the Great Lakes. The state-of-the-art art-deco building was massive, featuring a 225 feet concourse, and was meant to accommodate 3,200 passengers an hour. By 1980, the building was entirely shut down – everything from the trains to the office building. Today, the station is known around the paranormal world and has even been featured on a Sci Fi’s Ghost Tours Halloween live tour. While no one is quite sure who roams the massive abandoned building, those who have been allowed in say they feel a presence and see orbs. Whoever they are, we know they can make any grown man in Buffalo shout!
Have you experienced a haunting in Buffalo? Share your spooky stories with us!
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