Horror House in Haverstraw

The following story was written by Jeanine Eldredge Van Leuven when she was a young girl…

As I look back over my childhood days, I remember listening to Grandmother Eldredge's stories of her parents and grandparents and the hardships they went through. Grandmother's tales of the past were always exciting and sometimes mysterious, especially the story about Julia Ann Jinks Druce and John Druce, my great-great-great-grandparents.

Julia Ann Jinks, an intelligent and refined young lady, lived in Staffordshire, England with her parents. Missionaries had visited their home and had converted the family to "Mormonism." When Julia Ann met John Druce, a non-Mormon, they attended many church meetings together and soon John also became a strong believer of the Latter Day Saint Church.

After their marriage, the Druces had a great desire to come to America where they could be closer to the Latter Day Saints. John sailed to America first to make preparations for his family and to purchase a new home. Not long after John had left, Julia Ann had a dream. In the dream she visualized an old rambling house with many rooms located near a large river and a grove of trees. Julia Ann had no idea that the house she had seen in her dream was to be their new home in America.

Late 1800's photograph of Haverstraw NY

John was quite excited about the new home he had waiting for his family in Haverstraw, New York, and upon their arrival in about 1848, he took them directly to the old mansion. He explained the exciting history connected with the old house and how it had been occupied by the soldiers during the Revolutionary War. How surprised Julia Ann must have been when she saw their new home. There it was, the large mysterious house with the many rooms. The same house she had seen in her dream and this was to be their new home.

The Druces were soon settled in America and became very active in the Church. They enjoyed being nearer the Saints and aiding Elders who labored as missionaries in that part of the country. Julia Ann was quite pleased with their home, as it was considered to be quite elegant with all the spiral staircases the many rooms, and the long winding halls. However, it was not long after their settlement when the Druces noticed strange noises in their house. Some nights the shuffling of feet could be heard echoing through the house, the rocking chair would often rock, and even small cries and shouts broke the night silence. Surely, evil and unrestful spirits dwell in this house thought Julia Ann and John. However, we have nothing to fear, the spirit of the Lord is with us, therefore, no harm can come to us or our children.

John was employed with the Garnerville Print Works and financially he and his family were able to live quite comfortably. Workers at the print factory were always delighted when John would invite them to his home for a social gathering. During one occasion when a non-LDS group of people were meeting in the home, they entertained themselves by placing a table in the middle of the room and raising it from the floor with their hands laying flat on the tabletop. Just then John appeared in the room. Knowing he would disapprove of their entertainment, they quickly backed away from the table. The table continued to suspend in the air and a quiet silence fell over the group. Suddenly, John began to laugh. His behavior shocked the people and in a strange way seemed to anger the table. It began to dance and dance. The louder John laughed, the harder the table danced. It pounded the floor harder and harder until only wood and the remains of the battered table lay on the floor. No more was said, and the people quickly left the house.


__________________________________________________


Could this be the house that John and Julia Druce lived in before gathering with the saints to Utah?

"HOUSE BY THE RAILROAD" by Edward Hopper (1925)

Edward Hopper (1882-1967), the best known realist painter of the inter-war period, often featured Second Empire houses in the unnervingly silent space of his paintings. In the most famous of these, “The House by the Railroad” (1925), a sort of determined representation shades into fantasy. The low perspective and railroad tracks in the foreground – with their cannotation of movement – create an uncanny sense of inertia about the dwelling. Hopper’s model for the painting was the Garner Mansion (1825) at 18 Railroad Avenue in West Haverstraw, New York. “The House by the Railroad” is said to have influenced the design of the house in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960) and the Addams Family comic strip; and so the Garner Mansion may be said to be the archetype of the modern haunted house icon.

Here is a photograph of the restored Garner Mansion today:


Here are the Hollywood house supposedly based on the design of the Garner Mansion:

Famous shot from the movie "Psycho"

"Addams Family" cartoon by Charles Addams

Scene from The Simpsons episode

The Garner Mansion was likely NOT the same house lived in by John and Julia Druce in 1860 because it was built in the early to mid 1800's and the Druce history refers to their house as a "revolutionary war" mansion. However, it is certain that the two mansions co-existed together in the little village of Haverstraw and bear some uncanny similarities...

_______________________________________________

History of the Village of West Haverstraw

The Village of West Haverstraw was incorporated on March 29, 1883. At the time of its incorporation the Village had 1,602 residents. Dr. Frank Green in his "History of Rockland County" described the boundaries of the Village in this quaint manner: "The boundaries of the Village are: South, by the Village of Haverstraw and the Ramapo Road to its junction with a road that leads south to John Springsteen's; West, by a line running from this junction to the Stony Point line, near the New Jersey and New York Railroad; on the North from the Stony Point boundary eastwardly to the road leading north from Benson's Corner and by a line which continues the course of the said boundary to a point on the Minisceongo Creek north of the Farley house on the lands of the Haverstraw Clay and Brick Company; and on the East by a line running southerly from the above point to the north line of Haverstraw."

The references to the railroad and the brick yard in the description indicate that West Haverstraw had a meaningful industrial and business history prior to its incorporation.

As early as the 18th century grist mills were built along the Minisceongo Creek. In 1828 John Glass constructed a calico printing factory in what would become the hamlet of Garnerville in the Village. Glass was killed when a boiler exploded on a steamboat which was taking his first shipment to the city. The business was taken over by James and Thomas Garner in 1838 and they built the Garnerville Print Works into an important industry that gave Garnerville its name and livelihood, The factory buildings that were begun in the 1840's and many of the homes built for the workers still exist today. There is evidence that it is the oldest industrial complex still in use. Today the factory buildings, known collectively as the Garnerville Arts and Industrial Center, contain a variety of small businesses as well as studios for artists and sculptors.

In 1830 Elisha Peck brought the machinery from England for a rolling mill. The firm produced sheet iron, wire, screws as well as sulphuric acid and other chemicals. Later cannonballs and armament were manufactured for the Union army. The area became known as Samsondale after the ship Samson, on which Peck returned from England.

In 1873 the New York and New Jersey Railroad ran from Jersey City through Mt. Ivy, Thiells, and West Haverstraw at Benson's Corner in the Village. The line was extended to Haverstraw Village in 1887. The West Shore Railroad opened to travel in 1883. The West Haverstraw Railroad Station was the finest on the line and included a well-known restaurant. It was destroyed by fire in the early 20th century.

The brick industry was the area's greatest business. In the late 19th century and early 20th centuries brickyards extended along the Hudson River from Haverstraw Village to Grassy Point.

Among present day businesses is Martino's Meat Market on Railroad Avenue which has been in operation since 1913 and is still owned and operated by the Martino Family.

The residents of West Haverstraw can be proud of living in a village with such a remarkable history.

Contributed by Thomas F.X. Casey, Historian of Rockland County