There have been stories surrounding the Buckout Road area for decades…and in one case
as early as the late 1600s. Native American legend claimed that a Great White Deer
visited the area at during a full moon and would bring good fortune and success to the
person who saw it. Natives traveled from as far away as the Great Lakes in hopes of seeing
it. A native known as “Indian Dan” returned once a month from 1805 to 1866 to seek out the
Great White Deer (Reminds me of Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin). There is a newer
road in the Buckout Rd vicinity known as White Deer Lane.
as early as the late 1600s. Native American legend claimed that a Great White Deer
visited the area at during a full moon and would bring good fortune and success to the
person who saw it. Natives traveled from as far away as the Great Lakes in hopes of seeing
it. A native known as “Indian Dan” returned once a month from 1805 to 1866 to seek out the
Great White Deer (Reminds me of Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin). There is a newer
road in the Buckout Rd vicinity known as White Deer Lane.
Honk 3 Times And The Albinos Will Eat You
The story is that if you stop in front of a particular red house and beep the horn three times then flesh eating
albinos will attack you. As ridiculous as this sounds, people have sworn this has happened to them. The
chance of being an albino is about 1 in 17,000. When two carriers of the albinism gene have a child
together, that child has a 1 in 4 chance of receiving two albinism genes. Thus a family of albinos is unlikely
but possible. The chances of that same albino family however being cannibals is even more unlikely if not
absurd. In some tropical countries the chance of being albino is greatly increased due to the inbreeding
within tribes.
The story is that if you stop in front of a particular red house and beep the horn three times then flesh eating
albinos will attack you. As ridiculous as this sounds, people have sworn this has happened to them. The
chance of being an albino is about 1 in 17,000. When two carriers of the albinism gene have a child
together, that child has a 1 in 4 chance of receiving two albinism genes. Thus a family of albinos is unlikely
but possible. The chances of that same albino family however being cannibals is even more unlikely if not
absurd. In some tropical countries the chance of being albino is greatly increased due to the inbreeding
within tribes.
The Witches
For decades there has been a story about three women who were accused of being witches and
subsequently burned at the stake in the 1600s by locals in the area that is now Buckout Road. People
have said to have felt their presence and seen apparations in the Buckout woods. The story is that three
X’s were marked on the road where these three women were killed and if you drive over the X’s strange
things will happen to you. The place on Buckout Road where the three X’s were marked in spray paint
was on the crest of the hill that overlooked the Buckhout/Baldwin/Foster family cemetery. After the
construction on the road a few years back, the hill was leveled and the X’s were paved over and are no
longer there. To determine whether or not this event took place, let’s educate ourselves a bit on the
subject of burning witches. It was once commonly believed that a witch’s power could be nullified
by blooding her or by destroying her blood in a fire, hence the practice of burning at the stake. Just how
many were burned? I have read estimates ranging from 1-9 million women burned at the stake
throughout Europe. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII issued a bill declaring the reality of witches and
initiated the accusation, torture,and execution of “witches” all over Europe. All costs of investigation,
trial, and execution of witches were borne by the accused or her relatives, including per diems for
private detectives, torturers and tar. The members of the tribunal for each witch burned received a
bonus, and remaining property was divided between Church and State .The first Anglo settlers in North
America were the Puritans who arrived first in 1620. The Puritans murdered and stole land from Native
Americans. They burned at the stake – in public forums for all to see anyone whose beliefs
were different than there own; this included witches. When most people think of ‘witch trials’ they think of
Salem, Mass where 19 were executed duringthe witch hysteria of 1692. None were burned at the stake.
In 1664, Setauket, NY resident Ralph Hall and his wife Mary were accused of witchcraft. In
1665 a trial was held which was the first witch trial in New York state. Oddly enough, the place on
Buckout Road where the three women were said to have been burned at the stake for witchcraft is where
Buckout Road turns into Hall Ave. Even more odd…a second woman who was tried in New York
state for witchcraft was named Katherine Harrison, who resided in the Towne Of Westchestre. However
both the Halls and Katherine Harrison were released. I have not been able to find any records pertaining
to this alleged urban legend.The Hanging Boyfriend at Albert Fish’s old house
A typical urban legend which has been rumored to have taken place in various other locations has been
linked to Buckout Road for years. This is the story of a guy and a girl who drove on the road on a rainy
night in the 1970s. The car battery died, so the boyfriend got out knocked on the nearest door for
assistance . Moments later, the girlfriend hears three thumps on the roof of the car. When she gets out to
investigate, she sees her boyfriend hanging from a tree .There used to be a tree in front of this house that
was tree that was weeping over which did complement this story, there is no police record of this event
ever taking place, no news report, nothing.
Another urban legend pertaining to this house is that serial killer Albert Fish once lived there. Though I
have been unable to prove this one either way, the current house owner claims it is not true, however
offered that John Barrymore once owned the house.
For decades there has been a story about three women who were accused of being witches and
subsequently burned at the stake in the 1600s by locals in the area that is now Buckout Road. People
have said to have felt their presence and seen apparations in the Buckout woods. The story is that three
X’s were marked on the road where these three women were killed and if you drive over the X’s strange
things will happen to you. The place on Buckout Road where the three X’s were marked in spray paint
was on the crest of the hill that overlooked the Buckhout/Baldwin/Foster family cemetery. After the
construction on the road a few years back, the hill was leveled and the X’s were paved over and are no
longer there. To determine whether or not this event took place, let’s educate ourselves a bit on the
subject of burning witches. It was once commonly believed that a witch’s power could be nullified
by blooding her or by destroying her blood in a fire, hence the practice of burning at the stake. Just how
many were burned? I have read estimates ranging from 1-9 million women burned at the stake
throughout Europe. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII issued a bill declaring the reality of witches and
initiated the accusation, torture,and execution of “witches” all over Europe. All costs of investigation,
trial, and execution of witches were borne by the accused or her relatives, including per diems for
private detectives, torturers and tar. The members of the tribunal for each witch burned received a
bonus, and remaining property was divided between Church and State .The first Anglo settlers in North
America were the Puritans who arrived first in 1620. The Puritans murdered and stole land from Native
Americans. They burned at the stake – in public forums for all to see anyone whose beliefs
were different than there own; this included witches. When most people think of ‘witch trials’ they think of
Salem, Mass where 19 were executed duringthe witch hysteria of 1692. None were burned at the stake.
In 1664, Setauket, NY resident Ralph Hall and his wife Mary were accused of witchcraft. In
1665 a trial was held which was the first witch trial in New York state. Oddly enough, the place on
Buckout Road where the three women were said to have been burned at the stake for witchcraft is where
Buckout Road turns into Hall Ave. Even more odd…a second woman who was tried in New York
state for witchcraft was named Katherine Harrison, who resided in the Towne Of Westchestre. However
both the Halls and Katherine Harrison were released. I have not been able to find any records pertaining
to this alleged urban legend.The Hanging Boyfriend at Albert Fish’s old house
A typical urban legend which has been rumored to have taken place in various other locations has been
linked to Buckout Road for years. This is the story of a guy and a girl who drove on the road on a rainy
night in the 1970s. The car battery died, so the boyfriend got out knocked on the nearest door for
assistance . Moments later, the girlfriend hears three thumps on the roof of the car. When she gets out to
investigate, she sees her boyfriend hanging from a tree .There used to be a tree in front of this house that
was tree that was weeping over which did complement this story, there is no police record of this event
ever taking place, no news report, nothing.
Another urban legend pertaining to this house is that serial killer Albert Fish once lived there. Though I
have been unable to prove this one either way, the current house owner claims it is not true, however
offered that John Barrymore once owned the house.
The White Lady
“A common story going around at the time was about the ‘White Lady’. Supposedly,
this was the ghost of Mary Buckhout, who had allegedly hanged herself from a tree in
the woods up there someplace, and now haunted the area in the form of an all white
apparition. I had one friend who actually lived on Buckout Road. She swore that her
father on several occasions had seen the French doors leading to an outside porch
that faced the woods fly open on their own, even though they had been locked. He
would then see a whitish looking apparition of a woman float past him. She also
claimed to have seen several occurrences of apparent grave robbery in the Buckhout
family cemetery, which was right on Buckout Road. Her house was almost right
across the street from it. On several occasions, she claimed to have seen dug up
graves, and various things left scattered around the dug up area” –
1977 White Plains High School graduate who did not want to use his name
“A common story going around at the time was about the ‘White Lady’. Supposedly,
this was the ghost of Mary Buckhout, who had allegedly hanged herself from a tree in
the woods up there someplace, and now haunted the area in the form of an all white
apparition. I had one friend who actually lived on Buckout Road. She swore that her
father on several occasions had seen the French doors leading to an outside porch
that faced the woods fly open on their own, even though they had been locked. He
would then see a whitish looking apparition of a woman float past him. She also
claimed to have seen several occurrences of apparent grave robbery in the Buckhout
family cemetery, which was right on Buckout Road. Her house was almost right
across the street from it. On several occasions, she claimed to have seen dug up
graves, and various things left scattered around the dug up area” –
1977 White Plains High School graduate who did not want to use his name
Mary’s Lantern
Another Buckout Rd urban legend that has survived for decades is about Mary’s
Lantern. Basically there’s a statue of Mary on someone’s front lawn and the
legend was that if the statue was illuminated then it was safe to precede and if the
statue was not lit thenthere was potential danger ahead. People have also wrote to me
claiming that the statue had bullet holes in it, which is not true. I have also been
informed of an urban legend pertaining to a demonic doll in someone’s attic with a
story that goes if you stare into the doll’s eyes then you become possessed.
Another Buckout Rd urban legend that has survived for decades is about Mary’s
Lantern. Basically there’s a statue of Mary on someone’s front lawn and the
legend was that if the statue was illuminated then it was safe to precede and if the
statue was not lit thenthere was potential danger ahead. People have also wrote to me
claiming that the statue had bullet holes in it, which is not true. I have also been
informed of an urban legend pertaining to a demonic doll in someone’s attic with a
story that goes if you stare into the doll’s eyes then you become possessed.
Haunted Mansion, slaughter houses, …
Buckhout Mansion
To the best of my knowledge this was the estate where John Buckhout once lived. The site included
the main house, a farm house, and several ‘slaughter houses in the nearby area. I randomly met a
guy named Pete in 2002 who told me his father owned Buckhout Mansion and was using it as an
office for his fuel company. Pete had described the inside of the mansion as “creepy” and I was
denied entrance when asked if I could visit the mansion with a camera. Pete also told me of an
experience regarding him in the attic of the mansion and finding neckties “from another century” on
the door knobs and that “a lot of murders happened in the house”. He also told that a night
watchman at the estate had some strange experiences so I went there one night with several friends
to speak to the guy. He told me he knew nothing and referred me to a “very good web site about the
area”; my site. The mansion used to be located off of Buckout Rd behind a locked gate. Behind the
gate was a path which led to several abandoned slaughterhouses and a farm house. I have stopped
on the road in front of the particular location on several occasions and heard unusual banging and
chopping noises. Frequently photographs of the mansion would come out with visible orbs (solid
sphere balls which are believed to be a form of a spirit). The mansion was torn down in 2003. Since
then a new house is up in its place; the last house at the end of (new road) Old Carriage House Road,
off of Buckout Road.
There was another story I had first heard about ten years ago regarding a babysitter who was working
at a mansion on Buckout Road and began receiving strange phone calls. Upon calling the police,
she was notified the calls were coming from inside the house, and the children she was sitting for
were murdered. Oddly enough, this was the plot of the 1979 film When A Stranger Calls.
Buckhout Mansion
To the best of my knowledge this was the estate where John Buckhout once lived. The site included
the main house, a farm house, and several ‘slaughter houses in the nearby area. I randomly met a
guy named Pete in 2002 who told me his father owned Buckhout Mansion and was using it as an
office for his fuel company. Pete had described the inside of the mansion as “creepy” and I was
denied entrance when asked if I could visit the mansion with a camera. Pete also told me of an
experience regarding him in the attic of the mansion and finding neckties “from another century” on
the door knobs and that “a lot of murders happened in the house”. He also told that a night
watchman at the estate had some strange experiences so I went there one night with several friends
to speak to the guy. He told me he knew nothing and referred me to a “very good web site about the
area”; my site. The mansion used to be located off of Buckout Rd behind a locked gate. Behind the
gate was a path which led to several abandoned slaughterhouses and a farm house. I have stopped
on the road in front of the particular location on several occasions and heard unusual banging and
chopping noises. Frequently photographs of the mansion would come out with visible orbs (solid
sphere balls which are believed to be a form of a spirit). The mansion was torn down in 2003. Since
then a new house is up in its place; the last house at the end of (new road) Old Carriage House Road,
off of Buckout Road.
There was another story I had first heard about ten years ago regarding a babysitter who was working
at a mansion on Buckout Road and began receiving strange phone calls. Upon calling the police,
she was notified the calls were coming from inside the house, and the children she was sitting for
were murdered. Oddly enough, this was the plot of the 1979 film When A Stranger Calls.
The Leatherman
People have also wrote to me with claims of seeing the apparition of The
Leatherman near Pop’s Cave on Buckout Rd. If you’re not familiar with Leatherman,
think angry looking guy clad in leather. Pop’s Cave was used during the
Revolutionary War to store ammunition and it was the reported hangout for “The
Leatherman” when he roamed through the area in the 1880s. Jules Bourgalay was
born in France and fell in love with a woman named Margarette Larson who’s family
owned a leather business there. Mr Larson was against his daughter dating Jules,
so Jules agreed to work for him for one year free of charge to prove himself worthy. If
after one year of free labor Mr Larson did not gain approval of Jules, then he would
leave. A year later, Jules left France and headed to the US by boat. He became
known as “The Leatherman” (yes the same “Leatherman” the Pearl Jam song is
about) and was first sighted in CT in 1862. He was a wandering hobo who
frequented the Buckout woods before passing in March 1889, in Mount Pleasant, N.
Y., after cancer ate away his mouth and jaw. The coroner’s report indicated he was
50 to 55 years old. The Leatherman was said to a bone comb and rosary wherever
he went and also frequented a cave in the near by Saw Mill River Woods. Rumors
still continue to circulate that Bourglay buried money in one of these two locations
and some have claimed that they have been confronted by either Leatherman’s
ghost or a Leatherman double
People have also wrote to me with claims of seeing the apparition of The
Leatherman near Pop’s Cave on Buckout Rd. If you’re not familiar with Leatherman,
think angry looking guy clad in leather. Pop’s Cave was used during the
Revolutionary War to store ammunition and it was the reported hangout for “The
Leatherman” when he roamed through the area in the 1880s. Jules Bourgalay was
born in France and fell in love with a woman named Margarette Larson who’s family
owned a leather business there. Mr Larson was against his daughter dating Jules,
so Jules agreed to work for him for one year free of charge to prove himself worthy. If
after one year of free labor Mr Larson did not gain approval of Jules, then he would
leave. A year later, Jules left France and headed to the US by boat. He became
known as “The Leatherman” (yes the same “Leatherman” the Pearl Jam song is
about) and was first sighted in CT in 1862. He was a wandering hobo who
frequented the Buckout woods before passing in March 1889, in Mount Pleasant, N.
Y., after cancer ate away his mouth and jaw. The coroner’s report indicated he was
50 to 55 years old. The Leatherman was said to a bone comb and rosary wherever
he went and also frequented a cave in the near by Saw Mill River Woods. Rumors
still continue to circulate that Bourglay buried money in one of these two locations
and some have claimed that they have been confronted by either Leatherman’s
ghost or a Leatherman double