Upstate New York is loaded with a creepy, abandoned places. Some are off-limits, others beg exploration, and a few are even trying to make their comeback. Regardless, they all have great stories behind them. Here are 19 abandoned ghosts from the past. Do you have any to add to the list?

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Cory Seamer via flickr

Pines Hotel (South Fallsburg)

Once a glittering, popular Borscht-belt resort in the Catskills. The Pines was one of the many hotels in the mountains that welcomed guests from all over the northeast and treated them to luxury rooms, family-style dining and top name Hollywood entertainment like Robert Goulet, Sammy Davis Jr, Jerry Lewis and Buddy Hackett. The Pines closed in 1998.

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Jeff Goulding

Bannerman Castle (Hudson River)

This faded gem sits in the middle of the Hudson River on a 6-acre island. Bannerman Castle is actually an abandoned military surplus storage facility. Built by Francis Bannerman VI in 1901, at one point his castle held 30,000,000 units of military weaponry. A smaller castle was built on this island, named Pollepel Island, which he used as a part-time residence. Guided visits to the castle are through the Bannerman Castle Trust Company. The ruins are unstable and not to be ventured upon alone. Millions of people have seen this castle as they travel the busy Amtrak route from Albany to New York City, which runs just a quarter mile from the castle.

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rssloan via flickr

Wonder Bread Factory (Buffalo)

A giant, unmistakable slice of Americana in Buffalo. This factory, built in 1923 and abandoned many years ago, still carries the iconic WONDER BREAD signage across the top. Of course, you will have to use your imagination, since a few of the letters are now gone. Lots of broken windows and crumbling white bricks. They once employed hundreds here in the 180,000 square foot factory. Some in the Buffalo East Side neighborhood swear you can still smell them baking bread inside! Take notice of the asbestos warning signs along the fenced in property.

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Sébastien Barré via flickr

Albany Cold Storage (Albany)

Located in the plumiest of plum spots in downtown Albany, with high visibility from thousands of passing vehicles on busy I-787 each day, there she sits in all her splendor. Albany's biggest eyesore. A gigantic, block of graffiti-covered white cement. Ugly doesn't even begin to describe this 500,000 square foot, 11 story monstrosity. Once used as a cold storage facility, but empty for decades. It sold recently, but renovation plans have run into some roadblocks. Nobody will mourn the leveling of this visual intrusion on our capital's landscape.

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colinLmiller via flickr

Fort Crown Point (Crown Point)

The British began building this stone fort along the western shore of Lake Champlain in 1759. As the gateway to New England in the east, and to New York's Lake George in the west, this was a long disputed military location. The fort never saw a confrontation and the military outpost was abandoned in 1780. Since then it has withered and died over more than 200 years. Today, large stone walls and foundations can be seen of what was, at the time of its construction, the largest earthen fortress built in the United States. It is located near the bridge to Vermont as well as the stunning Crown Point lighthouse.

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Saratoga Homestead Asylum (Barkersville, NY)

This sprawling 50,000 square foot facility (now private property) was a tuberculosis sanatorium that took in patients from 1914 to 1960. Some people have reported that many of the hospital's items were left behind when it was abandoned, including beds, furniture and medical equipment. The house is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of former deceased patients. The Environmental Protection Agency finished a $1-million dollar cleanup of hazardous hospital waste here in 2016. The property is posted and authorities police the area frequently.

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Masonic Temple (Binghamton)

A once beautiful and dramatic building, the temple at Main and Murray Streets had been abandoned for many years. Buyers came and went with no results. As recently as this year (2018) the complex was reported to be sold for a new venture. The 5-story temple was built in 1922 and is distinctive for its six tall Grecian columns on the exterior and echoes of its Art Deco grandeur in some of the larger rooms.

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Missile Silos (Plattsburgh)

During the Cold War, Plattsburgh Air Force Base was chosen as a command center for 12 scattered Atlas rockets throughout the Adirondacks. Today the abandoned missile silos are an odd and scary reminder of the Cold War. Although some of the sites have been sealed and closed, others were re-purposed into more "peaceful" venues such as public places, breweries and even private homes.

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Catskill Game Farm (Catskill)

Catskill Game Farm was one of the most enchanting, popular animal game farms in the East until it was closed for good on Columbus Day in 2006. Thousands of families visited the venue over its 73-year run to feed the bears, ride the historic 1951 Herschel merry-go-round, and take the train ride through the park. At closing, a two-day auction of the hundreds of animals brought in $6,000 for a rhino, $825 for a pygmy donkey and $2,300 for a pair of East African crowned cranes (among others). There is talk of bringing this venerable Baby Boom memory back to life.

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awagenha via flickr

Jackson Sanatorium (Dansville)

For 135 years, this magnificent health spa was a major draw to the village of Dansville. Its life ran from 1883 to 1971. Known locally as "The Castle on the Hill," the health resort was founded by Caleb Jackson, who believed in a regimen of fresh air, healthy exercise and a rigid diet of unprocessed grains. Jackson is famous for inventing America's first cold breakfast cereal, Granula. A later owner was Bernarr McFadden. He bought the deteriorating "castle," renovated it and brought some celebrity status to it. He was one of the country's leading proponents of bodybuilding and was a wealthy publisher and socialite. Celebrity friends would come to his "hospital" often just for the parties and to enjoy the sumptuous surroundings, including a rooftop dance floor. It has been empty and falling down for decades. "No trespassing" signs warn of the danger of tramping around one of Upstate's great and legendary abandoned old places.

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Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.com

Beech-Nut Factory (Canajoharie)

For many years, this sprawling white manufacturing plant with the tall red letters reading BEECH-NUT was a landmark along the New York State Thruway. Now, this aging abandoned baby food plant is slowing crumbling under its own weight. Bartlett Arkell, the founder of Beech-Nut, opened the doors to his state-of-the art plant over a century ago, but the company left town several years ago. Beech-Nut is credited with inventing the first vacuum-sealed jar. Today, all of the scrap metal and the machinery have been salvaged and sold. It is estimated that the clean-up, restoration or demolishing of this once-historic 850,000-square-foot building will run into the millions of dollars. Beech-Nut is now located in the nearby town of Florida in a new facility.

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Seth Wenig | AP Photo

Grossinger's Resort (Liberty)

During the heyday of the Borscht Belt, this was the place to be and the place to be seen. Founded by "The Catskill's Innkeeper," Jennie Grossinger, the hotel was famed for attracting celebrities from the world of entertainment, politics and sports. It was lavish, garish and expensive and served 150,000 guests a year at its peak. It was the first resort to make and use artificial snow and gained tabloid attention by hosting the wedding of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds in 1955. Although there is no trespassing allowed today, Grossinger's is a remarkable, if ghostly elegant, old abandoned relic. The diving board is still hanging over the pool, wall phones are still attached to the lobby walls, and there are even some original beds in a few of the hotel rooms. By the way, the No Trespassing signs are strictly enforced.

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Brett Fitzgerald via flickr

Lyon Mountain Mine (Dannemora)

This ghost mine in the Adirondacks holds a fascinating footnote in history. At one time, it produced what many called "the finest iron ore in the world" and employed hundreds of immigrants who came to the Adirondacks right off the boats at Ellis Island. The mine also had the deepest iron ore shafts in the country, some 3,500-feet deep. Some of the cables that hold up the Golden Gate, Brooklyn and George Washington bridges came from this mine. Several companies owned the mine over the years, with Republic Steel, which bought it in the 1930s, being one of the last. The mine closed in 1967. Several of the huge brick buildings still stand, now abandoned and empty, just relics reminding visitors of the time when Lyon Mountain was a boomtown Adirondack village.

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tenbroecktriangle via flickr

St. Joseph's Church (Albany)

This church is one of Albany's most beautiful neighborhood churches. Its tall spire is the exclamation point that signals the historic Ten Broeck Triangle neighborhood just outside of the downtown district. Abandoned might not be the right word for this church, which was built in 1860, but it is certainly looking for a brighter day ahead. The church closed in 1994 when the parish size dwindled, making it no longer feasible to operate. Private owners have optioned it (and failed), many public forums have discussed it, and eventually it fell into the safeguard of the Historic Albany Foundation, then back to the city, then back again. Efforts are underway to keep the structure stable with an eye to an uncertain future. Costly repairs and renovations may make that impossible. I have been in this church. It is hauntingly beautiful, quite sad, and a beautiful and sentimental addition to one of our Capital City's most historic areas. I wish St. Joseph's Church good luck!

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NedraI via flickr

Charlestown USA Outlet Mall (Utica)

This old, abandoned, former mill site was once one of the first shopping centers to locate in the Mohawk Valley. At its peak, it had more than 50 businesses. It started out in 1902 as the home of Savage Arms, one of the major suppliers of military weapons to the U.S. Army. The company employed thousands. The outlet mall also housed two restaurants (one with an outdoor deck) and an OTB betting parlor. The mall closed in 1991.

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Steve via flickr

Craig-E-Claire Castle (Roscoe)

A Gothic castle, all boarded up on the outskirts of Roscoe. Creepy. Was built by a millionaire in the early 1880s. It takes its name from the small Scottish village where the millionaire's wife came from. It was eventually bought by the local Mason chapter who used it as a lodge, meeting house and retreat. They abandoned it a bit later, and it sits decaying in the woods still today. The structure (known as Dundas Castle to many locals, after one of the many owners) is boarded up but easily accessible. You will see enormous stone walls, towers, archer's windows, tall curved gateways and more. Until it was recently boarded up, locals could find their way inside and climb the stairs to the top of the third floor. This led to vandalism, graffiti-covered walls and the eventual closing of it to the public. Still, it is a magnificent structure to see.

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Carol via flickr

NYS Inebriate Asylum (Binghamton)

Construction on this massive Gothic facility began in 1858. Its elaborate exterior was made of local limestone and brick. It stands four stories tall and inside are exquisite details like stained-glass windows, a mahogany double staircase and a private chapel. Although it is owned by the NYS Office of Mental Health, the building has long been abandoned after it closed in 1993. It was the first facility in the United States intended solely for the treatment of alcoholism. It later was used as the NYS Asylum for the Chronic Insane and then finally as a psychiatric hospital.

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Andy via flickr

Red Apple Rest (Tuxedo)

At one time, in the pre-New York State Thruway era, the Red Apple Rest was the busiest restaurant along busy Route 17, the main road leading from Upstate to New York City. The restaurant opened in 1931 and was a favorite for families, students, businessmen and motor coaches. Meals were served "cafeteria style," and the restaurant was known for its alluring billboards, which seemed to count down every mile to the eatery ("Ten Miles to Go!" or "Four Miles to a Great Meal at the Red Apple Rest!"). It was also a favorite with entertainers performing late-night shows at the Borscht Belt nightclubs. They made a lot of French fries here, reportedly using as much as four tons of potatoes in a single week in July. The restaurant was open 24/7/365, and by 1965 said it had served its one-millionth meal. A giant red apple sculpture was situated on the roof. It closed in 2006 and has remained an abandoned, dilapidated and condemned eyesore ever since.

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Gary Walts | Syracuse.com

Tahawus (Town of Newcomb, Essex County)

The Adirondacks once was home to many theme parks. Back in the day, when it was known as "Vacationland," the region hosted several fun parks which carried names like Storytown, U.S.A., and Frontier Town. Although they are gone, there is one real ghost town still located in the heart of the Adirondacks. What began as a company town called Adirondac (owned by the Adirondack Iron Works Company) slowly went from bust to boom to bust. The Tahawus Tract was a wide area where mining was done. At its peak (1840s), several hundred lived in the town, which featured 16 homes, a school, a general store and the first bank situated in the Adirondacks, which was opened here to cash company checks. In about 1860, the mine was closed and the area became abandoned. Later, the location was used for a private hunting and fishing camp. Today, many remnants of buildings, blast furnaces and stone structures can still be seen. Theodore Roosevelt was on a hunting trip to Tahawus Club in 1901 when he first got word that President McKinley was dying and he then proceeded to race down from the mountain top and on to Buffalo to be with him. The ghostly remains of this storied, abandoned place are a popular destination for snoopers. Visitors should be warned: The buildings are fascinating to look at but are dangerously in poor condition.

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Gary Walts | Syracuse.com

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Now that you've seen abandoned places in Upstate NY, how about moving on to weird?

Weird Upstate: 13 unique roadside attractions you'll want to see