Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2007 by V.T. Dacquino
All rights reserved
Cover image:Statue of Sybil Ludington at Lake Gleneida. Courtesy of Putnam County
Historians Office.
First published 2007; Second printing 2009; Third printing 2010; Fourth printing 2011
e-book edition 2012
ISBN 978.1.61423.322.0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dacquino, V. T. (Vincent T.).
Hauntings of the Hudson River valley : an investigative journey / V.T. Dacquino.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
print edition ISBN-13: 978-1-59629-242-0 (alk. paper)
1. Ghosts--Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.) 2. Haunted places--Hudson River Valley
(N.Y. and N.J.) I. Title.
BF1472.U6D33 2007
133.1097473--dc22
2007029679
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
The Hanging of George Denny
INTRODUCTION
On the thirteenth day of November, in 1843, eighteen-year-old George Denny was indicted for brutally shotgunning a beloved eighty-year-old resident of Philipstown, New York. According to court records, Denny lured Abraham Wanzer outside of his cabin around ten oclock at night and shot the octogenarian in cold blood. Denny was taken into custody and tried twice in the same county courthouse. He was sentenced to hang. On the day before the hanging, wagons began to roll into town. Four thousand people came to watch.
INVESTIGATION AT THE INN
On one of my visits to the Smalley Inn to investigate reported ghost sightings, I sat with Anthony Porto Sr., the innkeeper and proprietor of the popular Carmel eatery.
Postcard of Putnam County Courthouse. Courtesy of Betty Behr.
My name is Vin Dacquino. Im a history investigator and writer, I said, and pulled out a copy of Sybil Ludington: The Call to Arms.
Oh, youre here about the ghosts?
I smiled and tried not to seem overly excited. I had heard about the ghosts more than once. My own daughter came running into the house one night with a picture she had taken there. We passed it around the kitchen and were all convinced that something was in the picture that shouldnt have been there.
I hear there are rumors about ghosts in your restaurant, I said.
Oh, theyre more than rumors. Did you see any of the articles in the papers? K104 radio station did a whole radio show segment on us. Did you see the chapter in Linda Zimmermans book?
Linda Zimmerman?
The paranormal, he said. She was here with all of her equipment and everything. You arent a ghost hunter, right?
No, I said. Im more of a history investigator. Do you know who any of these ghosts are? Maybe I can find out why they are haunting you.
I already know who some of them are and I know why they come here. Its in Lindas book, but I can tell you the whole story if you want to know.
His story was amazing. It covered everything from teen suicide to real gravestones being used as Halloween decorations. When he started talking about the guy who was hanged across the street here, I sat up straighter. I had heard of the hanging of George Denny, but knew few of the details.
This one group, he said, comes in here with their equipment. You know, cameras and recorders, and the last time they were here, they could hear the rope creaking.
Do you think it was George Dennys ghost?
I dont know. You could talk to them about it. Theyre coming again on Thursday night.
On Thursday night I was sitting at the bar waiting patiently. I had a beer to relax and checked my watch. It was twenty minutes past seven oclock. They had been due at seven. I considered getting a second beer, but I wanted to be sure that any spirits I was going to see were not coming from my glass. At 7:30, I asked the barkeep if Anthony was coming in and she said she didnt think so. I told her that I was waiting for someone he said would be here. She called him on his cell phone. He told her plans had been changed; the paranormal would be there with her team at ten oclock on Saturday morning instead. I was invited to come if I wanted to. The restaurant would be closed and I could enter with them through the back door.
I went home disappointed. On Saturday, I slipped into jeans, grabbed a tape recorder and notebook and went to the restaurant, not expecting to meet anyone there.
I pulled up in the back parking lot at about 9:50 a.m. Four people were unloading a station wagon and I parked several spaces away from them. Behind the car, a man with a white plastic bag was standing away from the group and I moseyed on over to him.
Hi, Im Vinny Dacquino, I said.
Buddy Banks, the man answered. He shook my hand but didnt say anything about why he was there. The name Buddy Banks rang a bell with me. One of the historians had said, There is a guy you should look up. He is a psychic photographer and he goes on some of the investigations. Hes a little eccentric and likes to work alone, but youll want him with you when you go on investigations. His name is Buddy Banks.
The four people from the car unloaded more boxes and recorders and began loading things under their arms and onto their shoulders. I walked over to a woman who appeared to be the team leader.
Hi, Im Vinny Dacquino, I said. Tony mentioned that you were going to be here this morning. Im working on a book called Hauntings of the Hudson River Valley. Do you mind if I sort of tag along during your investigation? I handed her one of my cards. She reached into her pocket and handed me one of her cards while she spoke.
Hi, Vin. Im Kathy, she said. No problem. She looked up at the stairway leading from the parking lot to the back door of the restaurant. I think we can go in now.
After a lot of getting ready and plugging in of equipment, they started chatting; I introduced myself to the team members who had just entered. They had no problem with my asking for their names and contact numbers. My tape recorder was plugged into the wall because I had been forewarned that ghosts zap energy. I didnt want my batteries dying in the middle of this investigation.
Business card for the Katonah Paranormal Research and Investigation Team.
Portrait of James J. Smalley. Courtesy of the author.
Kathy was talking with several team members and explaining that the Smalley Inn basement was divided into two separate parts, each with a staircase of its own. The front part was a sort of party room being prepared for remodeling. The rear portion was where most of the ghost sightings had been. It contained a meat locker, a workbench, some storage space and a liquor room.
