Boothe Memorial Park

Labeled "the oldest homestead in America," Boothe Memorial Park sits on a foundation dating to 1663 and features unusual architecture including a mini windmill, clock tower, lighthouse, and a building with no windows or doors. The Boothe brothers were heavily interested in spiritualism.

Richard Boothe laid the foundation for his farmhouse in 1663, making this 32-acre estate along the Housatonic River one of Connecticut's oldest continuously occupied properties. For over 360 years, twelve generations of Boothes lived, died, and left their mark on this land—but it was the final two brothers who transformed the homestead into something altogether strange.

David Beach Boothe (1867-1949) and Stephen Nichols Boothe (1869-1948) were born on the property just after the Civil War and never left. They grew wealthy through insurance and real estate, but their true passion was building. Starting in 1929, the eccentric brothers launched an ambitious construction program that would produce over twenty architecturally unique structures: a miniature lighthouse miles from the sea, a 44-sided blacksmith shop built simply to outdo Henry Ford's replica, a clock tower whose Westminster chimes so confused the neighbors' chickens that the brothers vowed to "never give the town the time of day" again.

Most notably, the Boothes were deeply interested in spiritualism and world religions. They built shrines throughout the property and hosted Easter sunrise services that drew over 4,000 attendees from diverse faiths by 1938—until criticism from religious groups forced them to discontinue the gatherings. Their 1933-1934 Technocratic Cathedral, built from solid California redwood without a single nail, stands as a monument to their unconventional beliefs. Some speculate their spiritual practices opened doorways that remain ajar to this day.

Paranormal investigator John Zaffis, known as the "Godfather of the Paranormal" and nephew of Ed and Lorraine Warren, has extensively documented the homestead's supernatural activity. During his investigations, Zaffis captured a photograph of a coffee pot levitating off the old wood stove. His colleague Mike Roberge was touched by unseen hands in an upstairs bedroom and again in the outside flower bed.

The Civil War Room on the second floor has become so notorious that park officials now keep a chair by the door for fainting visitors. A first-grade student once complained of sudden chills in the room on a 90-degree day. An elderly woman fainted upon entering. Others have walked into the room and immediately fled to the hallway, unable to articulate why they had to escape. Staff members describe a pervasive feeling of dread that settles over certain visitors without warning.

Multiple witnesses have observed "the presence of what I believe to be Old Man Boothe"—the spirit of either David or Stephen—walking through the house and ascending the stairs. One longtime neighbor reported seeing the silhouette of a woman standing at an upstairs window, "as visible as you or I," though the building was empty. In Mrs. Boothe's bedroom, a staff member working alone distinctly heard a woman's voice from upstairs. She called out hello from the staircase. No one answered.

The adjacent Boothe Cemetery, where the brothers now rest among their ancestors dating back to the original 1663 settler, generates its own disturbing reports. Visitors on Halloween have experienced sudden temperature drops, the sensation of breath on the back of their neck, and overwhelming feelings of impending doom that forced them to flee. Photographers have captured orbs and mist in their images—and some claim the spirits followed them home, as orbs appeared in every photograph they took for the rest of the evening.

Ghost Storm, a Norwalk-based paranormal research team led by Nick Grossman, has investigated the property for nearly a decade. During one session, investigators stood on a structure resembling a witches' altar when "an entity zoomed right past his head"—captured on video. The team has recorded Class A EVPs, documented orbs, and witnessed unexplained power surges. A grandfather clock that hasn't worked in years has been heard chiming on its own. An antique telephone, long disconnected, has been heard ringing.

Even the organ house adds to the unsettling atmosphere. One wedding guest from 1989 described hearing the instrument play Wagner's "Here Comes the Bride" during the ceremony—though whether played by human or spectral hands, they never confirmed.

The Boothe brothers bequeathed their entire estate to Stratford upon their deaths in the late 1940s, requesting it become a free public park. Perhaps they knew their creation could never truly be abandoned. Boothe Memorial Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, ensuring the eccentric legacy—and whatever spirits remain—will be preserved for generations to come.