News - The Ghosts of Saratoga

Winfield's company Haunted History Ghost Walks, Inc. along with the Saratoga County Arts Council have joined forces to convey these seldom told stories of myth and intrigue through a series of “ghost walks,” in which Winfield takes patrons to locations throughout the city to share the eerie tales.

Winfield said ghost walks originated approximately 30 years ago in London and although there are ghost walks offered in most historic cities what sets his apart from others is the incorporation of serious subjects like history, architecture, mythology and folklore.

“We try to look for the interesting patterns in history, architecture, folklore and paranormal psychology because the patterns are really just as interesting as the attempt to validate the stories,” he said.

These patterns also have a lot to do with what makes a city like Saratoga Springs such a hot bed for paranormal activity. Winfield said there are styles of architecture that tend to get a lot of ghost stories and Saratoga Springs is very rich in those styles.

“We love the architecture, the streets, the parks, but we don't tell anyone that they are going to see a ghost. In my opinion it's a little bit ridiculous to expect that we will…Science would believe in ghosts if it was that easy,” he said

Winfield said another aspect that makes Saratoga Springs unique in terms of paranormal activity is that it is notorious for the number of famous people who have come back as ghosts - a list that possibly includes Madam Jumel, Hattie Grey, Lena Spencer and John Morrissey, to name a few.

Winfield said the purpose of the ghost walks are not to prove that there are actual ghosts at any of the locations, but to tell the stories that had been shared with him by credible witnesses.

“Ghosts and ghost stories don't hurt anyone,” he said. “There is no danger in living in a haunted building and I would never want to make anybody believe that they are in any danger going into the haunted sites. Do you think I would be there if it were dangerous?”

Winfield has also started hosting haunted pub crawls, which much like the ghost walks entail him bringing people to famous establishments in the city like Gaffney's, Hattie's and the Old Bryan Inn for story telling and socialization. The pub crawls have become so popular that he has started limiting the number of open spots on the tour to 50.

The ghost walks are also very popular and attendance can range from a handful of people to around 200, Winfield said. The mile-long tour takes around 90 minutes to complete and is offered on Fridays in August and September and Saturdays beginning in October.

“Saratoga Springs is a great place to do a ghost walk because of the geology, architecture and human traditions associated with it,” he said. “There are an awful lot of people who love

Saratoga Springs and there are a lot of emotions that go along with the city and usually when you find such traditions in a community you often will discover very rich sets of ghost stories as well.”

To learn more about Mason Winfield and his ghost walks, visit: www.masonwinfield.com/.