The Ackley House in Nyack, New York, will go down in history for being the first legally haunted home
Share and Follow

THE troublesome sale of a beautiful mansion in upstate New York has earned a place in history after the state’s Supreme Court ruled it was legally haunted.

Former resident Helen Ackley was sued by a real estate investor after she sold the property without discussing her poltergeist problem.

The Ackley House in Nyack, New York, will go down in history for being the first legally haunted home

The Ackley House in Nyack, New York, will go down in history for being the first legally haunted homeCredit: Google Maps
The 1989 sale of the property made its way to the state's Supreme Court after the potential buyer found out about a slew of paranormal experiences

The 1989 sale of the property made its way to the state’s Supreme Court after the potential buyer found out about a slew of paranormal experiencesCredit: Nyack Housing Authority

Located in beautiful Nyack, an hour north of New York City, the Ackley House is a massive 15-bedroom mansion with an enviable location right on the Hudson River.

At first glance, the 19th-century home is a dream property with a rich history of celebrities and the ultra-wealthy passing through the stylish halls.

But behind the original hardwood floors and Revolutionary War-era crown molding is a dark history.

Former owner Helen Ackley, who lived there from the 1960s to the 1980s, publicly discussed having multiple brushes with paranormal activity while she and her husband raised their children.

In 1970, she published a piece in Reader’s Digest where she described seeing disembodied moccasined feet moving on their own, and a man in Colonial garb standing in a doorway, among other experiences.

Her daughter, who was in high school at the time, said she was constantly awakened by something shaking her bed but could get back to sleep after she kindly asked the room to leave her alone, House Beautiful reports.

Despite the constant brushes with ghosts, Ackley and her family lived happily and felt friendly toward the 19th-century spirits, she later revealed in the essay.

In 1989, Ackley put the property on the market and eventually started selling it to Wall Street bond trader Jeffrey Stambovsky.

During the sale process, she allegedly failed to mention her invisible friends who lived within the walls.

Stambovsky found out about the alleged ghosts and sued Ackley in a bombshell legal move that would make national headlines.

The issue was eventually brought to New York’s Supreme Court, which sided with the buyer, thus declaring the home legally haunted.

The court decreed that all owners would have to reveal the tales of paranormal activity before a sale could be finalized.

Since the historic ruling, the Ackley mansion has regularly exchanged hands, despite similar homes normally staying off the market for generations.

One broker who represented the sale of the property twice said he always had an eerie feeling in the basement of the home and even experienced a supernatural event himself.

In 2012, he was walking around the house and turning the lights on before a client came for a showing, he wrote in a blog post.

After screwing in the last lightbulb, he walked in with the potential buyers and found it had burst and a small fire started.

A lampshade caught fire before he was able to put everything out.

In the 1990s, filmmaker Adam Brooks, who co-wrote Practical Magic, moved in for what would be a 20-year stint.

He never reported having a ghostly experience.

Soon after Brooks left, singer and songwriter Ingrid Michaelson scooped it off the market and lived there from 2012 to 2015 before listing the property for $1.9 million.

Despite her short stay, she said she loved the home and had no negative experiences.

“I absolutely adored living at One LaVeta,” Michaelson said, per the New York Post.

“It’s a magical home. It’s a memorable home.

“It’s a home where people gather, it draws you in and comforts you. And the view is unbeatable.”

Today, the home is owned by Jewish rapper and reggae singer Matisyahu.

The property has exchanged hands many times since it was deemed officially haunted

The property has exchanged hands many times since it was deemed officially hauntedCredit: Google Maps
Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Russian government minister sacked by Putin amid Kremlin chaos ‘is found DEAD hours later’ in latest mystery ‘suicide’

RUSSIA’S former transport minister has reportedly been found dead just hours after…

Horrifying moment cabin is swept away in deadly Texas floods as horrified onlookers yell ‘there’s so many people in it’

THIS is the terrifying moment a cabin was swept away during the…

Summers: No economist 'without a strong political agenda' says Trump bill good for economy 

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers railed against President Trump’s massive tax and…

Trump rages against Musk over third party, megabill opposition: 'TRAIN WRECK'

President Trump on Sunday issued a lengthy Truth Social post attacking former…

Ted Cruz faces criticism for vacationing in Greece while Texas experiences severe floods, acknowledges mistake.

Senator Ted Cruz was once again caught vacationing as a crisis struck…

What we know about victims of devastating Texas floods

(AP/KXAN) — A beloved director of Texas summer camp for girls. An…

Beauty influencer left ‘disfigured’ after she was tied up, doused with bleach and ‘raped’ by gunmen in horror burglary

A WOMAN was left “disfigured” after three men allegedly broke into her…

DHS Accuses Mainstream Media of Purposefully False Reporting on Events Before Catastrophic Texas Flood

They blame everything from DOGE to cuts to the National Weather Service…