Stories of hautings still linger in Brockport

The following appeared in the July 26, 1888 edition of The Brockport Republic: "Yesterday a Brockport man lost his life in an accident behind the Normal School building. Two men were replacing boards over a cistern. The cistern was 8-10 feet wide and almost as deep. One of the men stepped on a board and it gave way under him. He disappeared immediately under the water. His partner could not get him and it took about 10 minutes to retrieve the body with the aid of a hook."

Legend has it that he still haunts the area and there are those who say strange things happen inside Hartwell Hall as well - bright flashes of light appearing and disappearing in hallways, doors slamming when there's no one around, and custodians feeling as though they are being watched by unseen eyes. I've been told of other sightings and feelings since I told the story. Sounds to me as though there might be more than one ghost in the area.

Jacqueline Morris
Brockport Village Historian

Note: Shortly before Halloween, Morris was asked to relate the Hartwell haunting story to a television reporter. After the story aired, she received other ghost reports.