Seymour Place

The Haunting

Beautiful artistic pieces line the walls of Seymour Place but it is the haunting happenings that raise visitors' eyebrows.

The building, named Seymour Place in 2010 in memory of a local couple and longtime benefactors of the center, was built by Hezekiah Eldredge in 1831 as the Bank of Genesee. In 1886, the bank sold the building to the Batavia Club, a fraternal men's club, who occupied the space until 2000. During that time, the club added a dining room, bar, and commercial kitchen, suffered a fire to the kitchen wing which required a re-build, and was listed on the National Registry of Historic Buildings.

The Batavia Club donated the building to the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council in 2002. During renovations, the basement's original dirt floors were exposed as well as a safe from the Bank of Genesee that remains unopened. Today, Seymour Place is used by GO ART! for art exhibits, workshops, lectures, art camps, as well as for meetings and social events.

With spooky sights, smells, and sounds, the building is home to a few different spirits. The first is a 6'2" man dressed in 1860s clothing who likes to frequent the bar area. Sometimes he is even seen surrounded by a ghostly group of other men. One guest once saw the impression on a bar stool as if someone was sitting in it, and smelled the distinct odor of cigar smoke. Recorded audio in this area has picked up the sound of a man clearing his throat, someone saying "peek-a-boo," and a man clearly saying "and you as well" in response to the investigator wishing the presence a good night. Up on the second floor, a white shadow crossing from one room to another has been seen on two separate occasions by two different individuals. Most recently, a medium has felt the energy of a little girl in a room to the left of the bar area.

Contact:

201 East Main Street
Batavia, NY 14020
P: 585-343-9313