TLDR
The Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing has burned down twice since 1882 and hosts at least four distinct ghosts: a man called Walter who materializes in elevators, a 1950s boy who throws golf balls at players, an 1880s couple who replay their grand entrance, and a woman in white who walked straight through a prep cook (who quit on the spot).
The Full Story
A prep cook at Mr. Brown's restaurant inside the Sagamore Resort looked up and saw a tall woman walking toward him. She had flowing sandy blonde hair and wore a long white evening gown. She spoke to him. Then she walked straight through his body and vanished. The cook quit his job immediately and never came back.
The Sagamore sits on Green Island in Bolton Landing, overlooking Lake George in the Adirondacks. It first opened in 1882. Fire destroyed it in 1893. They rebuilt. Fire destroyed it again in 1914. They rebuilt again. The current building dates to the early 1920s, and TODAY named it one of the top 10 most haunted hotels in the country.
The woman in white at Mr. Brown's is one of several spirits. The most frequently spotted is a portly man the staff call Walter. He shows up in the elevators. One employee stepped into what appeared to be an empty car and physically bumped into someone who wasn't visible. Walter materialized a moment later, looked at the employee, and faded out.
In the fine dining restaurant (now called the Trillium), a couple in 1880s-era clothing descends from the second floor, takes a seat in the reception area, and disappears. Staff have watched this happen multiple times. The pair are thought to be among the hotel's original guests from its first incarnation.
Out on the golf course, a boy runs around laughing, throwing golf balls at players and messing with golf carts. His backstory is the saddest of the bunch. In the early 1950s, a local kid made pocket money chasing stray golf balls and reselling them to the pro shop. One day he ran into the road after a ball and was hit by a car. He died. Golfers still report balls appearing from nowhere, and the sound of a child laughing when nobody's around.
Inside the dining rooms, silverware moves across tables on its own. Guests report sudden temperature drops sharp enough to make them grab for a jacket in the middle of dinner.
What makes the Sagamore interesting is the variety. Each ghost has a different personality and a different era. Walter is confused and solid enough to bump into. The 1880s couple is formal and silent, replaying the same entrance. The woman in white is direct enough to speak to a stranger before walking through him. The golf course boy is playful, still chasing balls decades after his death.
The hotel doesn't hide any of this. It's a luxury resort with 83 rooms, 54 suites, a spa, multiple restaurants, and a full golf course on the shores of Lake George. The setting is beautiful. The ghosts are just part of the package.
Some locals claim the hotel sits on Native American burial grounds, which would predate the hauntings by centuries. There's no archaeological evidence for that, but the claim has circulated in Bolton Landing for generations.
Norman Wolgin restored the Sagamore after it nearly closed in the early 1980s. The ghosts, apparently, survived the renovation just fine.
Researched from 5 verified sources. How we research.
