Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainAn 1884 building with a documented history of scandal, disappearance, and death is now a working chocolate factory on the New York Haunted History Trail — where staff report chocolate flying off shelves and three recurring apparitions.
3235 State Route 28, North Creek, NY 12853
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Factory store free to browse. Haunted Factory Chocolate Sessions: $37.45–$40 per person. Private paranormal investigations: $300 for up to 6 people.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor retail space; accessible. The 1884 building has stairs to upper floors.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1884 · Built 1884; site of multiple deaths and a disappearance over its history · Single family occupied 1947–2013 · Barkeater Chocolates operating since 2013 · Official New York State Haunted History Trail stop
The structure at 3235 State Route 28 in North Creek was built in 1884 as a family home. The building's early history involved at least one occupant who attracted local suspicion — accounts describe a first owner whose behavior was considered questionable, though specific charges or documented incidents are unclear. What the building's century-plus history does contain, according to multiple sources: deaths, at least one disappearance, and a documented car accident involving a child.
One family occupied the building from 1947 until 2013 across multiple generations. Over that period, at least two elderly residents — described as a couple — died in the home. A boy connected to the property died in what is described as a suspicious car accident. The name William or Bill repeatedly surfaced during paranormal investigations of the building, suggesting a connection to someone who lived or died there, though the specific identity has not been confirmed in available sources.
Barkeater Chocolates moved into the building in 2013, making gourmet chocolate products in the Adirondack tradition. The company was founded by Deb and Jim Morris in 2008 and had been operating elsewhere before relocating. Since opening, nearly every employee has reported unexplained activity. Two formal paranormal investigations produced what investigators described as "interesting information." New York State's Haunted History Trail designated the building as an official stop, placing it among the state's documented paranormal sites.
Sources
The paranormal claims at Barkeater Chocolates are distinctive in their specificity and their mundane operational character — they are not just visitor experiences but things that keep happening to people who work there.
The most frequently reported phenomena are auditory: footsteps and the sound of someone moving upstairs when the building is empty. A 2015 construction crew working on the building heard voices and footsteps coming from the floor above them, stopped work, checked, and found no one in the building. Staff have taped the thermostat in place because the temperature in the building changes repeatedly and no mechanical explanation has been found.
The smoke alarm behavior is the most operationally strange element in the accounts: specific visitors trigger activations upon arrival, and the alarm quiets when they leave. This pattern has been consistent enough that staff mention it as a recurring feature rather than an isolated incident. Chocolate has been observed flying from shelves onto customers.
Three apparitions have been described consistently enough to be treated as separate presences in the building's interpretation. A boy — connected in some accounts to the suspicious car accident in the property's history — is seen running through the store. A male figure is reported in the basement, apparently engaged in some kind of work. A woman's voice comes through in muffled tones; she is reported but not clearly seen. The name William or Bill has come up in multiple independent paranormal investigations of the building.
Two formal investigations have been conducted at the site. Both produced evidence the investigators found significant, though specific findings have not been fully published.
Notable Entities
Free drop-in access to the retail store where Barkeater Chocolates sells its gourmet products. The store is an official New York Haunted History Trail stop; interpretive materials about the building's paranormal history are available.
90-minute guided experience combining chocolate-making with the building's paranormal history. Includes access to paranormal investigation tools. Runs February through November; $37.45–$40 per person. Book through the Barkeater Chocolates website.
After-hours private investigation of the building for groups of up to 6. Available after 5 PM. $300 per group. Contact via barkeaterchocolates.com.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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