The Spooky History Behind Huntington’s Haunted Places

By Chris Mellides         

cmellides@longislandergroup.com

The Town of Huntington has its share of suspected sightings of ghostly apparitions and tales of physical manifestations of the deceased.

Huntington resident and author Kerriann Flanagan Brosky has written seven books on the subject of Long Island’s haunted places, which also bring to light the rich and sometimes overlooked history of Long Island.

“It’s not about the blood and gore and these stories like Sweet Hollow Road and [the Amityville Horror]; it’s more of the legend part of our culture of what we talk about on Long Island.”

Her latest book, “Historic Haunts of Long Island,” finds Brosky turning her attention to the subject of ghosts and legends from the Gold Coast to Montauk Point. A sizeable chunk of her book focuses on the North Shore, where towns like Huntington, Melville, and Cold Spring Harbor are featured.

Here are a few tales to share with others this Halloween weekend. 

David Conklin House

2 High St., Huntington

Constructed in 1750, The David Conklin House, located at 2 High St. in Huntington, is said to be the home of the spirits of the deceased Conklin kin. 

The David Conklin House, owned by the Huntington Historical Society, was originally constructed in 1750 by Thomas Conklin and is said to contain the spirits of Conklin’s kin.

During the Revolutionary War, in 1777, the landmark’s name bearer, David Conklin, was captured by the British and held captive for assisting the rebels.

It’s not clear if Conklin died in the home, but the house saw many deaths and births throughout the years.

Since then, the home’s occupants have described feeling something or somebody touching them, while also hearing noises and footsteps that seemed out of the ordinary.

Volunteers at the Conklin House, which has since been converted into a museum, have expressed uneasiness and feeling as though there were a presence behind them, according to local author Kerriann Flanagan Brosky, who has written many books on the subject of Long Island hauntings.

“One of the previous homeowners had a feeling that she was being watched and followed,” said Brosky, who interviewed the homeowner back in 2005. “Back in those days people were born and they died in the same house, it [supernatural occurrences] could just be a result of a lot of leftover energy.”

Mount Misery & Sweet

Hollow Road

West Hills

An overpass on Sweet Hollow Road and its neighboring woods marks the area where sightings of ghosts and the supernatural have been recorded as legend tells. Photo by Jaclyn Gallucci

From sightings of a phantom cop missing a portion of his skull, to a glowing, ghostly apparition known as the Lady in White, this winding stretch of road through the woods in West Hills is home to several myths and legends bordering on the freighting and macabre.

One legend claims that during the 18th or 19th century, a hospital in the area was burned to the ground, with some patients and hospital staff unable to escape the blazing inferno alive.

Today, their burning spirits are said to be seen fleeing from the grounds, with loud shrieking accompanying them.

No matter the myth or legend, Mount Misery and Sweet Hollow Road is still a spooky road, especially at night, and continues to be a popular destination for thrill seekers and those hoping to experience the supernatural.

Fiorello Dolce Bakery

57 Wall St., Huntington

Opened nine years ago, Fiorello Dolce bakery, located at 57 Wall St. in Huntington, was once the site of housing for the poor and is said to be visited by spirits and the deceased family members of its staff. 

While serving Huntington village almond croissants, French doughnuts and freshly prepared tiramisu for the past nine years, Fiorello Bakery is also known for dishing out large helpings of the supernatural.

In the 1900s, the surrounding area was home to row houses that provided housing for the community’s poor population.

Through the help of a medium, owner Gerard Fioravanti said he discovered that a spirit belonging to a man identified only as “Eddie” roams the shop, along with 12 other entities.

“Eddie was just a high-school kid caught in a drug deal gone wrong,” Fioravanti said. “The medium couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, because of all the gurgling from his stab wounds.”

Fioravanti has checked and double checked overnight footage from the shop’s security cameras and showed a recording on his cellphone containing footage of “orbs” or spirits hovering in the frame. “There are old souls stuck here,” he said.

But that’s not all. Over the years Fioravanti says that oven doors have opened by themselves, utensils have fallen to the ground and recently, the store’s point of sale system, an iPad, would turn on by itself and play music from iTunes.

“I’ve always been a believer, but have never experienced this before,” said Fioravanti. “It’s definitely a weird feeling, but it’s both comforting and odd.”

The Shops at Suite Pieces

1038 New York Ave.,

Huntington Station

A mural believed to have been painted between 1914 and the 1920s in the basement of Huntington Station’s Suite Pieces depicts a man hanging while two other men point and laugh. The original artist of this mural remains unknown. 

As early as 1867, trains began arriving at Huntington Station, and hotels soon began sprouting up to accommodate travelers.

During this time, it was rumored that chauffeurs would drink in the basement of the Venice Hotel, the site of what is now Suite Pieces, antique store.

The old walls of the basement contain disturbing murals, believed to have been painted between 1914 and the 1920s by the chauffeurs themselves, once they’d fill up on whiskey.

One mural contains a depiction of several devils carrying a coffin, while a demonic pig watches them, and another shows a man hanging from a noose, while two other men appear to be laughing.

After first starting as a hotel, the location later incorporated a restaurant and bar before converting to an antique shop in the late 1970s. It changed ownership before landing with current owner, Amanda Peppard.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories, and it kind of freaked me out at first,” said Peppard. “I’m a scaredy-cat, but I’ve never been scared in this building.”

Not everyone thinks so.

One employee claims that he was closing the store one day and heard some shuffling down the staircase, but when he went to investigate the noises, no one was there.

Others have reported hearing footsteps, too. Along with the faint smell of women’s perfume, but Peppard maintains that Suite Pieces is a safe shop.

“We’re a shop people cometo customize their homes with collectibles, antiques and fine art,” said Peppard. “And I think the spirits were happy with this transformation.”

The Gourmet Whaler

111 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor

The Gourmet Whaler was once owned by a French culinary student Lillian Feldman whose ghost is said to still reside in the shop among Feldman’s old belongings, including her prized stove.

Before it was dubbed the Gourmet Whaler, this Main Street eatery was once owned by a student of Cordon Bleu culinary school named Lillian Feldman.

Feldman left the French culinary institute and settled in Cold Spring Harbor during the late 1940s or early 1950s and opened the gourmet food store in 1953.

Everything Feldman prepared was made from scratch and baked using her prized stove, which the chef left behind, along with some of her other belongings, after selling the business sometime in the 1960s.

Throughout the years, owners of the business claim that Feldman’s ghost still resides in the store. Reports of the oven clanging, and doors slamming are troubling accounts handed down from owner to owner at the eatery.

One of its current owners, Denise Chin, who moved into the location with her business partner Shawn Leonard in April, says there were times when she had goose bumps and the hairs on her neck would stand up.

Nowadays, that initial fear she had when hearing strange noises shortly after purchasing the business has subsided.

“I don’t feel the way now that I used to,” said Chin. “In the first couple of months I was worried, and it was like I felt a presence.”

Now, Chin and her partner make sure that their guests are well-fed, and that Feldman’s belongings are always kept clean. Just for good measure