A run-down mansion in Upstate New York that has 11 bedrooms and has been compared to the “Amityville Horror House” has been sitting on the market for years without any takers. For those who are courageous enough to live in it, the price of the home was recently reduced to $US 495,000, which is equivalent to $660,000.
The house has been deserted for the past seven decades and sits on roughly seven acres of land on Carleton Island. It is located close to the border with Canada and has water views from three sides of the property.
In spite of the property’s tempting price tag, it is estimated that the property will require one million dollars’ worth of improvements in order to return it to its former grandeur. According to the listing, there is a stone foundation, but the upper stories are made of wood frame and are in a state of “deterioration.” Additionally, there are no bathrooms.
But even if there is a buyer with great pockets out there, there is still the creep-factor to contend with. This is something that Reddit users are quick to point out, describing the estate as a “devil mansion,” “haunted,” and “very frightening.”
The once-impressive estate, which served as a summer retreat for wealthy businessman William O. Wyckoff and was designed by architect William Miller, was constructed in 1894.
According to House & History, Wyckoff had made his millions by assisting the Remington Arms Company in developing their version of the newly invented typewriter.
In 1895, after only spending one night in the mansion, he sadly suffered a heart attack and died on the grounds. He had only been there for the previous night. This occurred only a few months after it was revealed that Wyckoff’s wife had also passed away from a heart attack.
After then, the home was handed down to their son, who remained in residence there until approximately 1927.
Read more about the haunted chapel and graveyard that has caused a bidding war in the UK here.
Soon after that, the country was engulfed in the Great Depression, and the family saw a significant portion of their wealth evaporate. They then sold the villa to General Electric, which assumed control of the property in the 1930s with the intention of using it as a company retreat; however, those plans were also scrapped due to the outbreak of the first World War.
According to the listing, at that point, contractors were given permission to enter the house and remove things such as doors and windows, so committing what is effectively a form of looting. In addition, the marble coating that covered the tower foundation was taken.
The weather was allowed to take its course on the house, which is why it is in the condition that it is in now.
The topic of the villa has been the subject of many subreddits on Reddit, and individuals have posted comments in which they make jokes about how terrifying it appears and also say that it is “only a fixer upper.”
“I’ll take it despite the fact that there are devils involved. Can’t be any worse than sharing a living space, “one user commented.
“It is sturdy and well-built. Unfortunately, they are strewn about the property and buried in various places! “someone else remarked.
A commenter on Reddit made the observation that the price was “still considerably lower than a 1 bedroom apartment in Sydney, Australia.”
The deteriorating property has been compared to the Dutch colonial house in Amityville, Massachusetts, that became famous as the “Horror House.”
The horrific events that took place there in Amityville, New York, in 1974 earned it the name “The Amityville Horror.”
When Robert DeFeo Jr. committed the murders of six members of his family while they were sleeping, including his parents, he was just 23 years old.
The crime shocked the entire nation, and the house remained empty until 1975, when its new owners, George and Kathy Lutz, moved in with their three children.
Soon after, people began reporting strange occurrences at the house, such as slime leaking from the walls, Kathy levitating, and a priest’s hands bleeding after he attempted to bless the home. The Lutzes quickly left the area, citing “demonic spirits” as their reason.
The true-life horror story served as the basis for a book that became a New York Times bestseller as well as a number of films produced in Hollywood.