House declared ‘legally haunted' is up for sale

1890 Nyack, New York, home listed for $1.9M

Image by pasja1000 from Pixabay.

Believe what you want, but when the Supreme Court rules that a house is legally haunted, anyone’s ears would likely perk up.

That house, built in 1890, is now for sale, but there’s quite a story behind it. In fact, the reason the Supreme Court had to weigh in was due to an ordeal that came up during the execution of a contract on the home in the 1980s.

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And though the beautiful 4,628-square-foot home is on the market now — for a cool $1.9 million — one of the requirements in selling the home is disclosing that it is haunted.

Helen Ackley, who lived in the Nyack, New York, home from the 1960s through the 1980s, claimed for years that ghosts would interact with her family on a regular basis. She was convinced there were spirits there from the Revolutionary War, according to People.

Her daughter often woke up to feel her bed being shaken, Ackley said in a 1977 article in Reader’s Digest. 

There became a stigma around the property, known as the “Ghost House,” and when Ackley went to sell the home in the late ‘80s, she was sued by Jeffrey Stambovsky, who had gone under contract to buy the home. Stambovsky said Ackley neglected to inform him of the paranormal presence.

Stambovsky won the suit and was allowed to back out of the contract, and that was when the home officially became legally haunted.

Though Ackley was adamant about ghosts living in the home, other people who have lived there since, including some famous figures, have reported having good experiences inside the house.

The realtor of the home now, Blake Weber, told People she’s represented the past three owners of the home, none of whom reported seeing anything ghostly.

“It’s a fun backstory to this gorgeous home, (but) if there’s anything I’ve felt, it is the warmth and creative spirit that exists in this beautiful home,” Weber said. “I’ve never experienced anything that would lead me to feel it’s haunted.”

In case you’re wondering, you wouldn’t look at the home and assume it might be haunted. In fact, is looks quite inviting and beautiful.

[Click here to view the listing]

It is located on the Hudson River Waterfront and includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms, arched doorways, stained-glass windows, a two-car garage with a workshop, sunroom and a saltwater pool overlooking the river. And it might come with a few ghosts. 🤷‍♀️


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About the Author:

Dawn Jorgenson, Graham Media Group Branded Content Managing Editor, began working with the group in April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.