Belhurst Castle

The Haunting

The Belhurst has a colorful past of love affairs, embezzling funds, even death. 

Locals have called the three buildings on the property the "haunted houses." Throughout history, the buildings changed hands many times, some turning old and dilapidated - with their broken windows and strange towers sparking stories of underground passages and hidden treasures. But are they truly haunted? One such house, the Hermitage, saw its owner die of blood poisoning after falling and breaking his leg. Another crumbling house was torn down in the spring of 1888, in preparation for the Belhurst Castle. Over the four years that it took to construct the four-story mansion, one man fell from the tower and died, and another went insane while assembling the roof.  

But Belhurst's most well-known ghost is Isabella (whom Belhurst's spa and salon is named after), the beautiful opera singer often seen dressed in white. According to local stories, Isabella fled with her forbidden lover, Spanish Don, to America, where they built a house with a secret tunnel. When the authorities came looking for them, they tried to escape through the underground passage to their awaiting boat, only for the tunnel to collapse on Isabella. To this day, the white lady is said to walk the shores of Seneca Lake, grieving her lost lover. She has been seen standing at night in the middle of the front lawn or as an apparition flying in through windows. 

Staff have witnessed many haunted activities - from showers turning on and off in guest rooms, to bottles and glasses flying around the bar, even coming in to see tablecloths tied to the chandeliers. Guests report hearing the sound of a soft lullaby being sung in the middle of the night, or the sound of children playing and screaming in the room next to them - most commonly reported by pregnant women. Others hear the sound of furniture being moved above them, coming from the room that once housed the roulette wheel and gambling tables when Belhurst was a speakeasy and gambling casino. 

Who will you see when you spend the night? Will it be Isabella - or perhaps Dick O'Brien, an old caretaker that passed away in 1972? Guests still see him walking up the stairs or sitting in his favorite chair. Check into Belhurst Castle and find out for yourself. 

Contact:

4069 West Lake Road
Geneva, NY 14456
P: 315-781-0201