Williams
House was built in the 1820s. It is the home of Henry Williams, a farmer and
carpenter. Different things have been experience by staff members at the
restoration. Sometimes footsteps are heard or movement of furniture upstairs. A
cleaning lady picked up a small toy teacup and heard a voice say, “Please put
down my teacup.” One staff member was talking to visitors by the front door.
She noticed a frame on top of the fireplace, but when she turned around, the
frame was next to the doorway in the sitting room.
Interpreters
are responsible for taking care of the house they are assigned to. One was
scolded for leaving the iron in the parlor, but she insisted she did not put it
there. There is also a window that refused to stay open for an interpreter working
in the kitchen. It seems something at the House doesn’t appreciate doors and
windows being propped open. A staff member told of a story how she had to cook
a turkey for Thanksgiving in the kitchen. She tried to prop the kitchen door
open to get a breeze. She braced it with a long pole and sat down. She barely
got settled in when the pole hit her on the head.
A staff
member was doing spinning work and kept hearing noises coming from upstairs.
She thought it was another staff member, but saw her across the way. She went
over to the other staff member and they searched the house. When they reached
an upstairs room, they found a chest full of fabric that had come open. Fabric
was strewn all over the room.
One hot
afternoon, two interpreters were working the Williams House, and opened a
window to let in the breeze, which is often quite nice there. They went back to
their sewing, which is their charge at Old Bethpage, when they heard the window
slam shut. One opened it again, this time propping it up with a stick, which is
typically used to lock the windows, by jamming it into the top of the window.
They left the room, only to hear the window shut again. Coming back into the
room, they found the stick lain on the sewing table. A third time they opened
the window, once again propped it open and once again left the room. The window
slammed closed again, and this time the stick was found far from the house in
the garden, by a child visiting the park.
A woman
working said she saw a man walking up and down the hallway – the same man that
was in a photo in the house. He was not
dressed up in the picture, but looked like he had been walking in the
fields. Everyone else in the photo was
dressed more formally. One day in
February, she was cleaning and the maintenance man came down from
upstairs. She was telling him some
stories and showing pictures. A recorder
was on at the time. When she held the
picture, a voice said, “Oh Johnny, handsome, O John,” in a mocking
fashion. Boxes also have moved to
different spots upstairs. One time the
faucet sounded like it was running and when they went to turn it off, it had
already stopped. A different voice has
said to girls who volunteer, “Get out!”
Sources:
Carter,
Nance. "Old Bethpage Village Restoration is haunted."
Thetripwitch.com. January 10, 2017. http://thetripwitch.com/old-bethpage-village-restoration-is-haunted/.
Gothiccurios,
et al. “The Ghosts of Old Bethpage Village Restoration.” A Gothic Cabinet of Curiosities and Mysteries, 28 Sept. 2017,
www.gothichorrorstories.com/new-york/the-ghosts-of-old-bethpage-village-restoration/.
Leita,
John. Long Island Oddities: Curious
Locales, Unusual Occurrences, and Unlikely Urban Adventures. The History
Press, 2013
