The Haunting of the Ackley House: America’s First “Legally Haunted” Home



Tucked along the Hudson River in Nyack, New York, sits a grand Victorian façade at 1 LaVeta Place, infamous not only for its 18-room beauty, but as the site of one of the most bizarre court rulings in U.S. history. It became the first home in America to be legally declared haunted, thanks to the landmark case Stambovsky v. Ackley (1991), commonly dubbed the “Ghostbusters Ruling.”



A Spooky Legacy

In the early 1960s, Helen and George Ackley purchased the neglected Victorian, recently converted from a boarding house. Claiming a trio of spirits resided within: Sir George and Lady Margaret, a Revolutionary War-era couple, and a separate naval lieutenant—they described them as benign, even playful. Paranormal anecdotes from Helen included:

• Footsteps, voices, slamming doors, and beds shaking to wake the children
• A grinning apparition nodding approval during a living-room painting session
• Mysterious gifts: silver sugar tongs for a daughter's shower, tiny rings left on staircases

Despite these eerie incidents, Helen insisted the ghosts were friendly and even appeared in a 1977 Reader’s Digest piece titled “Our Haunted House on the Hudson,” helping cement the home’s supernatural reputation.

The Ghostbusters Ruling

When a young couple, Jeffrey and Patrice Stambovsky, agreed to buy the house in 1990, they were unaware of its ghostly reputation. After an initial deposit of $32,500, they backed out, alleging the seller failed to disclose the hauntings. The case escalated, eventually reaching the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, in 1991.

In a memorable ruling, the court decided: “As a matter of law, the house is haunted.”

The reasoning? Since the Ackleys actively promoted and profited from its haunted reputation via media features and public tours, they were obligated to inform prospective buyers. The Stambovskys were granted a full refund and released from the contract. Today, this quirky case is widely studied in law school property and contract courses.

Tales from (and After) the Ackleys

A few later tenants echoed paranormal whispers:

• Mark Kavanagh, briefly engaged to a later resident, reported an apparition leaning on the bed one moonlit night before slipping away
• A local paranormal team later contacted Helen and claimed to contact Sir George & Lady Margaret, though historical proof of their existence remains elusive

However, following the 1991 case, none of the subsequent four owners (including musician Ingrid Michaelson) have publicly reported any paranormal activity.

Folklore Meets the Law

The Ackley House sits at a crossroads of ghost story and legal precedent. It reveals how folklore can evolve into a legally stigmatized condition—not in spite of logic, but through it. Sellers today, especially in New York and other states with "stigmatized property" laws—must disclose intangible issues like paranormal reputations.

Community Reflections

On Reddit, ghost-hunters and curious onlookers shared:

“That’s the Ackley House” — confirming the lore's identity
“It is often called the ‘Ghostbuster Case.’ … ‘Who you gonna call?’”

These echoes underscore how the Ackley saga endures in popular culture and meme-worthy legal trivia.

Final Thoughts

The Ackley House reminds us that stories, no matter how spectral, can carry real-world consequences. Whether or not Sir George still whispers in the halls, the home continues to hold a unique place in American legal folklore. Its story endures as both a spectral legend and a cautionary tale about the power of narrative and disclosure.