Delve into Albany's mysterious past! What eerie figures once walked the city's streets? What twisted tales have played out in the region? And who still makes spectral visits to the county? Scroll through this blog to uncover tales of Albany's famous phantoms and notable eerie figures. Plan your Albany visit this October around these strange tales. Visit attractions or attend special tours linked below each story in connection to the tale!

Eva Tanguay

The Timeless Vaudeville Performer of Cohoes Music Hall

 

 

 

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A post shared by The Cohoes Music Hall (@thecohoesmusichall)

In 1968, when the City of Cohoes restored and reopened the historic 19th-century Cohoes Music Hall, untouched for over 60 years, they did not expect to uncover the ghost of a beloved performer from an era almost forgotten.

Eva Tanguay, the "Queen of Vaudeville" was a major star of her time. At 12 years old, she dazzled audiences at Cohoes Music Hall, returning several times throughout the years before finding Broadway and national fame. She passed away in Hollywood at 68, but the rumor of the region is that Tanguay's performing days were far from over. 

Known for strange occurrences, the Hall experiences disappearing costumes, self-operating lights, and misty figures in the seats. Many believe Tanguay to be behind these acts, making herself known through EVP recordings and sightings.

Questions may linger if the phantom theater-goer is really Tanguay. Despite national fame, she may have had unfinished business with former lover, Danny Cosgro, who went on to become the Cohoes Mayor. Reportedly, the two had a blossoming romance which reached a tumultuous end before she left for Broadway.  The two would reunite for dinner during Tanguay's returns to Cohoes. Tanguay married three times while Cosgro remained single. Perhaps she returned to rekindle their connection and to help bring life back into the old Hall.

Want to see the haunted music hall for yourself? Click below for more details on the venue's upcoming events and performances! 

Jack "Legs" Diamond

A Notorious Gangster's Final Night in Albany

Known for being deviously quick, able to outrun all law enforcement, and for a while seemingly bulletproof, Jack "Legs" Diamond was an infamous Prohibition-era bootlegger and well-known gangster in the region. Accused of many dark crimes, he was a man of many enemies with few friends he didn’t double-cross.

Despite facing dozens of arrests throughout his criminal career, Diamond habitually evaded justice, often getting acquitted. In December 1931, he was acquitted once more on charges of kidnapping and assault, but his luck was about to run out. On a night of rambunctious celebration in Albany, his enemies finally caught up.

Diamond partied that night at the Rain-Bo Room. A fashionable 1920's nightclub in the still standing Kenmore Hotel, known for famous visitors like Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington. After a night of revelry, he stumbled to a boarding house at 67 Dove Street. The end of the road for Diamond was quick. He fell asleep, and assassins entered the room and shot him.

While some speculate that the assassination may be related to a botched narcotics deal in Europe the year before his death, the true circumstances surrounding Diamond's murder and the identity of those who killed him have been left unsolved.

Visit local spots related to the tale of Jack "Legs" Diamond with our blog below! 

Abraham Lincoln's Phantom Funeral Train

Following the first presidential assassination in our nation's history, Abraham Lincoln's body was taken to various locations by train, retracing the route of his inauguration. This journey included a stop at the original New York State Capitol Building, where he lay in state before being transported to his final resting place in his home of Ilinois. But according to some 19th-century reports, the travels of Lincoln's funeral train may be an endless journey. On the anniversary of his death, a few railroad workers claimed to see a train, draped in black, silently barreling toward Albany in the middle of the night. The workers reported that their pocket watches lost a full eight minutes as it passed. Even more peculiar, this train was not on track for continued trips; the funeral car that carried Lincoln's body was destroyed in a fire in 1911.

Want to learn of more eerie tales and haunting stories from the New York State Capitol? Attend a Capitol Hauntings tour this October!

The Poisoning of Queen Titania

In 1904, Albany organized an enchanting All-Hallow E'en Carnival. Decorations and festivities transformed the city into a magical wonderland. The day’s affairs began with an elegant coronation atop the Capitol steps, where Elsie Marie Smith was crowned Halloween Festival Queen Titania. Smith was granted an intricately decorated throne and gown, a royal court and Prince Charming, a crowd of up to 50,000 people, grand applause, streamers, a chorus, and an immense gold key to the city. That evening, she rode in a parade float adorned in an impressive array of flowers. All seemed enamored by their Queen Titania— all except for one. 

In an eerie series of events, the All-Hallow E'en celebration became a doomed affair. A second festival in 1905 descended into chaos and the tradition was canceled. That following December, Miss Smith herself almost met a tragic end. 

On Christmas morning 1905, Miss Smith received a disturbing gift from an unknown sender. She opened the mail to reveal a box of chocolates oozing a sickly green color. She turned the box over to a druggist who declared the candy to contain enough paris green (a highly toxic substance used in Victorian ages as a pigment) and other toxins to kill Smith's entire family. 

Over a century later, the identity of the mysterious figure intent on Smith's demise remains unknown. But this was not the first strange correspondence Smith had received. Smith said she did not know who may have done it but that she suspected another young girl. For months, the former Halloween Queen had received anonymous letters promising her harm if she did not reject the advances of Clayton D. McKinley, the man who acted as Prince Charming on her Court.

In 2023, Discover Albany resurrected the All-Hallow E'en Festival. Now in it's second year, the modern-day festival features a month-long series of Halloween events around Albany County. For more information, be sure to click on the page below! 

"Murder at Cherry Hill"

Join the Walk-Through Experience this October! 

Historic Cherry Hill is a 200-year-old home built in 1787 for the Dutch Van Rensselaer family. Among the home's countless stories is one of an infamous murder. In 1827, Elise Lansing-Whipple met and fell in love with Jesse Strang. But there was only one problem. Elise was already married to a man by the name of John Whipple. The married couple lived as boarders at Cherry Hill. So, in order to be together, Elise and Jesse conspired to get rid of John Whipple for good.

Elise secured a position for Jesse as a hired hand at the historic home, giving him easy access to Whipple. One night in May, the couple's plan came to fruition when Jesse shot John Whipple through the window of Cherry Hill.

Though they believed this murder would allow their love to thrive, the doomed affair quickly came to an end. The murder resulted in two sensational trials during which Jesse was found guilty and Elise was not. Jesse was sentenced to hanging at Gallow's Hill where Empire State Plaza stands today. This was the final public hanging to ever take place in Albany.

Every October, Historic Cherry Hill hosts the popular Murder at Cherry Hill Tour. Learn the full story and retrace the events of the infamous evening. 

The Rathbones of Albany

The Cursed Couple Who Witnessed the Lincoln Assassination

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Friends of the Albany Rural Cemetery (@friendsofalbanyrural)

Lincoln's death is a well-documented chapter in US history, but a lesser-known story connected to that night surrounds Henry and Clara Rathbone. The two were wealthy socialites of Albany, who's lives became inextricably tied to tragedy shortly thereafter. 

Clara's close friendship with the First Lady led to the Rathbones receiving an invitation to Ford's Theatre. The only couple to accept, they sat with the Lincolns in their ill-fated private box.  During the third act, when John Wilkes Booth entered the scene and shot Lincoln, Henry accosted him. Henry sustained a stab wound that stained Clara's dress. The couple witnessed Lincoln's passing in person the next morning. 

After returning to Albany, the Rathbones tried to move on. They started a family and Henry's wound slowly healed. But the events of that night would haunt them for life. Henry's mental health deteriorated; he blamed himself for not protecting the President and suffered from hallucinations. Clara would also find herself visited by visions of the former president. She preserved her blood-stained gown in the closet of the couple's Loudonville summer home. But legend says that on the anniversary of Lincoln's death, a rocking chair in the same room as the dress began to rock on its own, and Clara could hear Lincoln's low-laughter. In response, Clara ordered to have the entire closet sealed over with bricks.  

After a move to Germany for their children's education, the Rathbones story took another tragic turn. On Christmas Eve 1883, Henry attacked his wife and then himself in an act mimicking the Lincoln assassination. This led to Clara's death and Henry was deemed insane. The children returned to the US to live with relatives. In 1911, the eldest son had Clara's dress burned, claiming it only brought a curse to the family.

While the Rathbones are buried in Germany, their life in Albany is evidenced by the grave of Clara's father, Ira Harris, at the Albany Rural Cemetery.

Charles Fort

Albany Born Creator of Supernatural Worlds

When it came to conspiracy theories, unexplained phenomena, and the world of the supernatural, no one in the early 20th century quite changed the game like Albany-born author, Charles Fort.  His most famous work "The Book of the Damned" (1919) explores UFO sightings, the existence of cryptids, and other strange anolamies. Other works speculated that Martians are ruling the Earth. Though his writings became many an inspiration for science-fiction writers, Fort did not present his findings as fiction at all, which earned him titles such as "a quagmire of pseudo-science" by the New York Times. But in the century since, Fort's influence continues to prevail. His ideology inspired the international organization: Fortean Society, a cult-like following of conspiracy theorists. Fort is laid to rest at Albany Rural Cemetery. 

Learn more about Charles Fort and other eerie tales during a Dark Side of Center Square tour hosted by Historic Albany Foundation this October! Stay tuned for dates and details. 

​Visit albanyhalloween.com for more events and updates! Be sure to follow the All-Hallow E’en Festival on Instagram @albanyhalloween.

*This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP1752 awarded to the City of Albany, New York, by the U.S. Department of Treasury.