Come Look For Spooky Spirits At The Rogers Mansion

During the month of October, the Southampton History Museum’s Rogers Mansion will be taken over by the spooky spirits of Halloween. Explore exhibits and learn about Southampton’s past, but be on the lookout for ghouls and ghosts of previous residents. Was that noise a creaky old floorboard or the footsteps of Captain Albert Rogers getting ready to leave on a whaling trip? You’ll have to stop in to find out.

The history of the Rogers Mansion began in 1648 when it was a one room farmhouse built by the pioneering William Rogers family. Hundreds of Roger family descendants were born, raised and died on the property. Their spirits are encouraged to participate in this month-long transformation from historic house museum into a haunted house for people of all ages.

Spooky hours are Wednesdays to Saturdays, October 2 to November 2, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 (free for members and children).

"Visitors will experience the unknown, see the unbelievable and hear the impossible,” said museum director Tom Edmonds. “Everyone in the family will have a great time and never forget what they think they saw."

Speaking of spooky, on Saturday, October 26, from 7 p.m. to midnight, both the Rogers Mansion and the Southampton History Museum’s Thomas Halsey House will be offering one-hour tours with a paranormal investigation of either house — or if you prefer, tour both in one night.

Reservations are required and guests will be asked to arrive 15 minutes before their start time to receive a brief orientation of what will go on during their investigation. Then they will head into the buildings with members of the Long Island Paranormal Investigators (LIPI).

That night, there will be a tech station set up where participants can chat with members of LIPI about the equipment they use, the theories behind their use, and review some of group’s past findings. Light refreshments will also be available as well as Tarot card readings.

Admission is $60 per person ($50 for museum members and past participants). To purchase, call 631-283-2494 ext. 500 or email Southampton History Museum’s director of education (and ghosts) Connor Flanagan. Rogers Mansion is at 17 Meeting House Lane, and the Thomas Halsey House is at 249 South Main Street.