Jeff Tuthill

Sightings began in Amityville New York sometime after the Grand Sachem (Chief) Wyandanch granted the first deed of land to white settlers in 1658. Those settlers from Huntington named it West Neck South, which the settlers used as an abundant source of salt hay. It was a mere 14 years earlier that 120 Massapequa natives were slaughtered by the renowned Indian fighter from Salem, Massachusetts, John Underhill. This became known as the Great Indian Massacre on Long Island.

   The killing was initiated from a dispute that Sachem Takapausha of the Massapequans had with Dutch settlers for not being paid enough for land the settlers acquired. The Dutch settled the matter by hiring Capt. Underhill who led an invasion on the Indians, killing Takapausha and 119 of his people in a single day. The slaughtered Massapequans were buried in a mass grave in the land on what became West Neck South and later Amityville.

   It has been told that the specter haunting the area is the spirit of Takapausha, still angry with the settlers who killed him and his native people. Striking fear in any white person that encountered his vengeful ghost. The first sighting recorded in the Puritan Annuals was in the spring of 1670 outside of a local tap room owned by Silas Ketcham. His public house was called the Salt Hay Inn, named after the popular Oster Bay vegetation, used as animal fodder by the early settlers.

   Silas was wed to Magdalena Vonck, daughter of Peter Vonck who was part of the invasion on Takapausha and his people. In addition to the tap room, the Inn contained their residence and three guestrooms for visiting travelers. The first sighting was one April eve when Silas went to empty two buckets of dirty water at the rear of his Inn. As he exited the back door, he noticed the salt hay rustled violently as if a great gale had captured their stalks, yet there was no wind cutting the calm spring air.

   Suddenly, like a flame drawn from spark a shadowy, full-bodied apparition rose up before him. The specter groaned loudly than hissed; “Tak-a-pausha Ven-gence”. The shadow groaned again and vanished, shrinking into the salt hay as quickly as it appeared.

   Silas froze like a statue upon seeing Takapausha’s ghost and as it vanished, he dropped the buckets and ran back into his Inn. The Innkeeper bolted past the tap room and up the stairs to his residence. He grabbed Magdalena by the shoulders, still trembling from his encounter and excitedly announced; I’ve just seen it, my love! The ghost … Takapausha’s ghost! He’s real, the Damn Spirit Is Real!”

   “Dear husband.”, Magdalena replied, “What are you saying?”

   “Just now, I encountered the spirit of Takapausha! The fable is real and his ghost spoke of vengeance!”; Silas exclaimed.

   Neither Silas nor his wife ever mentioned his encounter with the angry spirit of the Indian Chief, and they never spoke of it again to anyone. Magdalena was with child six months later; however, the birth of their baby boy came premature. The child’s birth was horribly deformed, but by the grace of God and the displeasure of the Devil the demonic boy did not survive. Unfortunately, Magdalena also perished in the birthing process and Silas was left tragically alone with the Salt Hay Inn, believing that his sorrowful circumstance was due to Takapausha’s vengeance. Silas Ketcham eventually prospered with the Inn, remarried a woman from fine British stock and together they raised a family of two boys and three girls.

   Several years passed before there was another documented account of Takapausha’s haunting in West Neck South. That is not to say there weren’t any other peculiar, or darkly foreboding occurrences since the encounter of 1670.  There were many instances of oddly occurring hardships and tragedies passed by word of mouth in the Neck and some documented in the Puritan Annuals. Most of these attributed to Takapausha’s ghost and the slaughter of the 120 Massapequans at Ft. Neck. It was said that the earth at that site where the mass grave was made, always maintained a strange reddish color and no crop of salt hay would ever grow. Yet, surrounding that uniquely barren spot the land was fertile, and the crop was plentiful.

   In the summer of 1700, the eldest son of Silas and Goody Ketcham, brother John was declared a witch being possessed by an evil spirit. John who had just turned 21 was accused of hexing a patron of the Salt Hay Inn for refusing to pay for the ale he drank one evening. John not only hexed the man, but his entire family. Soon after the incident the patron, Josiah Stanborough lost his entire farm to a mysterious fire. John was tried for witchery and the cause of the Stanborough Family disaster. However, before the verdict of the Puritan court and hopefully a witch’s confession, John simply disappeared from his confinement and into the night, never to be seen again. Many of the Puritan’s living at West Neck South were convinced that the evil possession of John Ketcham was that of Sachem Takapausha and it was likely that the angry Indian Chief’s spirit stole the body and soul of poor John.

   More incidents of Takapausha’s vengeance were spoken of as the Revolutionary War bled onto Long Island and even when General Washington set battle plans that included skirmishes around the Neck. In the aftermath of the fight for freedom against the British, the first US administration was established in New York City. Subsequently, Washington, Madison and Jefferson toured Long Island. Thomas Jefferson made a visit in 1791 and encountered the Unkechaug [Patchogue] Indian Nation to transcribe their language with English translation. Jefferson stayed at the Salt Hay Inn as a stopover for his final destination.  

   He was noted by his peers in the Continental Congress of being a man of the written — not spoken — word. So, Jefferson of course documented his experience in West Neck South and his overnight stay at the Salt Hay Inn.

   “We arrived late day at the Inn of the West Neck South area of the Huntington township staying true to the most coastal path eastward. The center of the Unkechaug Indians was approximated as one-half day journey from this point. The accommodations at the Salt Hay Inn seemed sparse and aged, yet adequate. A descent supper of pork loin, potato and corn was provided with ample spirits had after the meal. The tavern was crowded by patrons. They spouted accolades for defeating the British and cheered for the establishment of Continental Congress.

   As I was preparing to retire for the night an elderly fellow called Wilhelm Floyd told the tale of the slaughter of the 120 Massapequans, including their Chief Takapausha. The Indian massacre took place over one hundred years past, not far from this spot. He warned that the land was cursed – haunted, and I shall not dally long at this place. After his foreboding I hastily exited to my room, lit candles and prepared for bed. Sleep came with much difficulty, lying awake most of the evening, hearing creeks of floorboards and perceived groans from candlelit shadows. At dawn I rose, washed and departed for my destination giving a miss to breakfast. I had no intention to idle any longer at Salt Hay Inn on the Neck!”

     Huntington West Neck South’s name changed to Amityville around 1846 with the establishment of the village Post Office. Supposedly the village moniker was first suggested by mill owner Samuel Ireland to name the town for his boat, the Amity. The village of Amityville was formally incorporated on March 3, 1894. With incorporation of the village came many changes. The village grew in population, the Salt Hay Inn was lost, replaced by a large hotel to accommodate a newfound upcropping of tourism to the area.

   A local news weekly began in the following year, the Amity Record which reported on and printed events, useful information, mishaps, strange occurrences and crimes in Amityville. The first reporting of the Amityville curse in the Record was printed on June 6, 1898, in the following article:

Strange Occurrence at Coastal Hotel

   The famous Ridgemont Hotel on our coast suffered a bizarre circumstance over the weekend last.  The Ridgemont stands approximately where the old Salt Hay Inn once resided and is managed by Stanley Merrick. According to Mr. Merrick, a few bizarre circumstances and some ghost sightings have happened at the hotel since the grand opening in the summer of 96. However, none of the past episodes compared to the outright horrific incident of last Saturday. One of the Guest, Harvey Williams checked into the hotel on Friday for a weekend of boating on the bay.

   Saturday morning and afternoon was uneventful all guests, including Mr. Williams enjoyed the summer activities on Oyster Bay. In the evening after dinner Mr. Williams burst from his room and as if possessed charged down the stairway in his nightclothes, wielding a meat clever. With bulging eyes and a mad dog drool he swung the clever at anyone in his vicinity, shouting; “Vengeance … Vengeance…”

   “Guest, patrons and employees were wounded, some severely before Mr. Williams was subdued. The police were contacted and took the crazed guest away and incarcerated him at Louden Hall for the insane. Mr. Williams still resides at Louden Hall under restraint, and it is hoped he can be questioned when he calms down. Someone dozen people have had their injuries treated at the hospital and fortunately there were no fatalities resulting from this gruesome occurrence.”

    Many residents of Amityville lived there in fear fully believing that the Indian curse and hauntings were real. Yet over time that fear subsided and by the early 20th century it was mostly gone. Through the 20s life was good in the village with tourism at its high point, until the crash of 29 when the entire nation suffered the outcome of the Bull Market demise.  Most of the hotels closed during the depression including the Ridgemont and the people of Amityville struggled to survive with no jobs and barely enough to eat.

    The Village Fathers initiated a revitalization effort in the Friendly Village by the Bay, scraped together funds and free labor through donations for building projects. In 1935 one such project was a small park and pavilion at the corner of Merrick Road and Cedar Shore Road, the original site of Ft. Neck and the mass grave of the Massapequans. The park construction was halted when the remains of 28 bodies were unearthed in the excavation, and suddenly all the fears of the Indian curse returned with a vengeance.

   The last evidence of the Amityville Indian curse occurred in the Autumn of 1974, 1.5 miles from the mass grave site at 112 Ocean Avenue. This bayside Dutch Colonial-style home received the notorious title of Amityville Horror House after a 23-year-old man slaughtered his parents, and his four younger siblings as they lay in their sleep. This shocking and horrific deed was summarized in a newspaper article.

   In the early morning hours of November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial house situated in a suburban neighborhood in Amityville, on the south shore of Long Island, New York. He was convicted of second-degree murder in November 1975 and sentenced to six terms of 25 years to life in prison.

   Butch (Ron’s nickname) took his stashed 35-caliber Marlin rifle fatally shooting Ronald DeFeo Sr. and his mother, Louise DeFeo as they slept during the early hours of November 13, 1974.  Butch continued his murderous spree by stepping stealthily into the bedrooms where his siblings were sleeping and murdered 18-year-old Dawn, 13-year-old Allison, 12-year-old Marc, and 9-year-old John Matthew with the same weapon. He calmy picked up the spent shells, showered and dressed, dropping the evidence including his rifle down a nearby storm drain, and went to work as if nothing unusual happened.

   Ron DeFeo Junior’s unsuccessful defense relied on an insanity plea, where Butch claimed he was transformed by demonic possession and heard voices commanding him to kill his family. However, the verdict of the Suffolk County Court found him guilty of six murders and Butch would spend the rest of his life in prison. In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz and their three children moved into the DeFeo house. After 28 days, the Lutzes fled the house, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there.

   Subsequently, the book, “THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, A True Story” written by Jay Anson was published in 1977. A series of films followed the bestselling fiction, which put Amityville back on the list of places to visit and see the infamous house. The Friendly Village by the Bay became less friendly and shunned all publicity regarding the Amityville house. They even denied all films about the supposed possessed house to be filmed there, starting with the first released movie in 1979 and the 25 that followed. However, the last film made in 2020, “Amityville Island” must have changed the scenario slightly as the village resides on Long Island and is not an island unto itself.

   In spite of the downplay Amityville professed in regard to the multiple murders that led to supposed demonic possession of the house on Ocean Avenue, some residents still believed in the old Indian curse. Those of that mind are certain that the 23-year-old who slew his entire family in the early hours of that fateful November day in 74 must have been possessed by the angry spirit of Chief Takapausha. Documented testimonials of ghostly occurrences demonstrates that spirit hauntings and evil possessions do exist and doubtless such has been the case in Amityville for more than 300 years.

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The Spirit Technologists

   Jessy Trask a stout, middle-aged widower, bald and big hearted, led a team of three others claiming to be ghost hunters. His bright, azure eyes highlighted his pale complexion indicating some Nordic ancestry. Jessy and his crew called themselves Spirit Technologists since they used hi tech gizmos like a Spirit Box, EMF Detectors, EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) Recorders, REM (Radiating Electro Magneticity) Pods, thermal cameras and two SLS cameras, custom made for ghost hunting. Jessy’s team consisted of another man named Bertram “Bert” Stone and two women, Trudy Williams and Gloria Brown.

   Bert brought the money. An Ivy league college grad from a family of means, many means as his parents lavished upon their only son funds for anything he desired since his birth. Naturally, Bert grew up from a spoiled child to a very spoiled young man with finely groomed, auburn hair and neatly trimmed moustache and beard. His stature trim and muscular with fairly good-looking features including a beautifully tanned complexion. The kind of man with a physique that most women desired and of course Bert realized as much contributing to his conceit and overly pampered nature. He was a rich boy with a gorgeous exterior and unattractive interior. A typical upper-class snob with his current hobby of joining and financing the Spirit Technologist.

   Approximately the same age as Jessy, Gloria carried herself gracefully, despite her overweight body bordering on obesity, still … quite agile and quick to react. Her face was round with cherub cheeks, brown eyes and short cropped jet-black hair. In contrast, Trudy was in her twenties, petite, shapely, thin yet short in stature. Blonde hair in a ponytail with striking green eyes that appeared to turn blue when light stuck them just so.

   The Spirit Technologist Team had a website administered by Jessy and funded by Bert, along with purchasing all the ghost hunting hi-tech tools. Bert also paid for internet advertising and filming their events as Jessy hoped to attract a cable station or tv network for another ghost hunting show broadcast with the twist of their tech savvy team. Per Jessy’s suggestion they hired a professional film crew to shoot their field assignments, as few as they were. The first use of a film crew in the field was a deserted mansion in Nashua, New Hampshire.

   An abandoned Georgian Mansion dating back to colonial times stood in an exclusive neighborhood of Nashua. Very difficult real estate to sell with the declared haunting. Surrounding neighbors shunned the old place pretending that placement in their pristine community was not a reality. This made securing the site for spirit search depressingly difficult as the neighbors vehemently objected to any publicity directed at the haunted colonial. Yet, the Realty Co. relented allowing the team and film crew access to the old Georgian as long as they were discreet in their investigation.

   Jessy and his team arrived at the haunted mansion along with the film crew late in the afternoon. They were setup in the house by dusk after sampling the 2nd, 1st floors and basement with EMF Detectors. Two hotspots were determined from the scan of the house, the Master Bedroom on the 2nd floor and the fruit cellar in the basement. Tragedies must’ve occurred in both locations long ago in the distant past as the Georgian style mansion was constructed in the 18th Century per the Realtor. They believed the grand house was erected in 1779 for the Arkham family. Two family members died horribly in the mansion and subsequent buyers of the estate in later years abandoned the place due to horrific sounds and bizarre occurrences caused by invisible forces.

   These shadowy tales intrigued Jessy Trask and his fellow spirit technologists, which is why they implored the Realtor to allow them to stay overnight. The Spirit Box, a REM pod and EVP recorder was setup in the Master Bedroom with Bert and Trudy watching that room, while Jessy and Gloria watched over the fruit cellar in the basement utilizing another REM pod and EVP recorder in that subterranean space. SLS cameras were set up in both spaces and thermal cameras were strategically placed throughout the mansion in stairways, hallways and other rooms. Dinner breaks were taken separately by the two teams and each team of two would take turns investigating other parts of the mansion with EMF detectors.

   Late into the night both teams became bored with very little paranormal activity occurring in either hotspot and the film crew remained on-call, biding their time in the dining hall. To break the boredom in the Master Bedroom, Bert began flirting with Trudy.

   “Old houses like this hold many secrets dealing with romantic interludes, jealousy and even passion turned to rage. It all makes me a bit horny. You know Trudy, I’d really like to get into your pants.”

   “Oh Bertie,” Trudy sarcastically quipped, “And why is that … did you poop in yours?”

   Undeterred, Bert continued his unwanted flirtation; “No, really, why don’t we go out on a date when this is over? I have a secret too. Can you keep a secret?”

   Trudy shrugged and answered; “Whatever.”

   Bert whispered; “Promise not to tell the others, but I don’t believe in ghosts.”

   Before Trudy could respond, high pitched alarms sounded from the REM pod and the LEDs glowed brightly for both temperature and energy spikes. The bedroom suddenly felt cold, very cold and the Spirit Box shrieked with static then fell silent.

   Until a low, raspy voice echoed; “Neither Do We …