The White Lady is said to roam East Durand Park in the Rochester NY area. Pete and I have decided its most likely an urban legend that grew over the years however stories must have some truth to them so this is why we chose to visit this place. The white lady's castle was once a hotel over looking the beach which sits up on the hill approaching it alone is enough to scare you as you walk up over 20 sets of curved stone stairs. The area is very pretty but it also is a heavy spot for for partying, drinking, Ect. This is the ideal place to take that special somebody and watch the sunset I sure know I would love to do that someday if I met that special somebody. What remains on the property is half of a foundation which at one time was a hotel but to this day its still called a castle because that is what it looked like. Cobblestones and high walls which now was cleaned up by most likely the park and town. All that remains is the front wall which has been painted probably now used as a scenic point in the park. What remains mysterious is that the barn and the hotel did catch fire which were said to be very far apart. It is quite possible that the white lady was murdered in her own home. Police reports suggest that there is some truth to the story. I have read numerous reports about a banshee type of ghost that swoops down screaming at particularly men in general. Cops have seen her at night not just near the castle foundation but other various parts of the park and the white lady's daughter also has been seen weeping and crying. Often it makes you wonder if she killed her daughters boyfriend then committed suicide killing the daughter these are just theories. It is said that the white lady was abused by her husband killed him because the city of Rochester did nothing of it and when her daughter grew older and found a bf that is when the BF and Daughter were never found again. Below is a little more on the story. Our first visit there we snapped a few orbs nothing serious there seems to be rather a sadness I feel here rather then something harmful or angry something so sad that it remains quietly watching the kids abuse the grounds where the castle once stood.

Copyright By

Rick-AngelOfThyNight

More Photos Coming Soon!!!!

The White Lady's Castle

Just outside of Rochester, NY is Charlotte Beach. This is awesome for us residents, because if you've ever gone to Rochester in the winter, you know how cold it can be. Somewhere along Charlotte Beach, far back and to the east, is a grassy knoll which is separated from the rest of the beach. In that grassy knoll are the remnants of a "castle" that once stood proudly, but is now partially in ruin. This is where the so-called "White Lady" lived.

The White Lady, whose name was Eelissa (said Elisa), was a woman who lived all alone in the large castle with her one and only daughter. She had had 2 sons, but they had somehow gotten out of the picture when the daughter was very young. She loved her daughter very, very much, and she raised her to be suspicious of men, because her husband had beaten her, and then mysteriously disappeared. It is assumed that Eelissa had murdered her husband because she had filed an abuse report against him, and the town of Rochester did nothing about it. They lived in bliss until one day, when the daughter was 15, she brought home a boyfriend. She had had boyfriends, but this was the first one she trusted enough to bring home to her mother. However, the second her mother laid eyes on the young man, she didn't trust him and she got into a huge argument with the daughter and boyfriend. The daughter grabbed the boyfriend by the hand and stormed out of the house

To this day, teens and young adults go to the White Lady's Castle in search of the ghost of Eelissa, the daughter, or the boyfriend. Many have claimed to see a female, dressed completely in white, floating above the ground, toes only grazing the grass. Others have claimed to see the face of the daughter in a window of the house, a tear rolling down her cheek. And yet others have claimed to see the fire of that fateful night, licking the night sky as it blazed from the barn. One more curious fact about this place, the end of the house which is away from the barn is the section which is falling down today. This is odd, because you would assume the nearer end would have some damage from fire, but it is still perfectly preserved.

So, if you are ever in Rochester, NY, feel free to have yourself a visit to the White Lady's Castle. You never know when she might come and visit.

Submitted by: Dark Trista

Subj: Re: White Lady of Rochester NY  
Date: 7/31/2004 11:48:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time 
From: jyates@frontiernet.net  
To: AngelOfThyNight@aol.com  

Rick,
Here Goes and this can all be proven.

1st- The park is Durand Eastman Park, not East Durand park.  It is located no where near Ontario Beach.  DEP is on the east side of the Genesee River and Ontario Beach is located in Charlotte on the west side of the river. Some 8 to 10 mile from each other.   Charlotte is nothing more a small section of Rochester.  I've never heard of any stories relating the White Lady to Charlotte (Dark Trista's version)

2nd- The "Castle" is not a castle and never was.  The structure you see is a break wall and parapet that was built during the First World War.  There was a canon placed there for defense of the shore line.  There were fears that there could be some aggression on the area coming from Canada.  It, of course, never happened.  If you go to the Rochester Public Library Site and go into the Photo section, enter Durand Eastman into the search box you find several photos of  Wall being built with such people as George Eastman and Mr. Durand for whom the park was named and financed by.  The only building that ever sat there was a picnic pavilion.  The wall was never a foundation. (See Attached Photo)

3rd- There is no record of any teen named Elissa ever being killed or dieing there.  This was confirmed by the Rochester and Irondaquit Police Depts.  In fact there was never a none rape/date related death there.  

There is at least three different stories about the White Lady.  Unfortunately none are true....   There are a great many stories about areas in Rochester that are less easy to explain than this one.  I myself and several others who have studied the White Lady believe that this is nothing more than a tale put together to keep the teens of the area from attending the "Submarine Races" on the other side of the street.

You're more than welcome to check me out.  I'm afraid many were taken in by the romance of the story.  I hope this will help.

John