HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Built circa 1845 for a Smithtown founder's descendant, later home to a New York City mayor; county workers and cleaning staff describe a male figure in period clothing who appears in the empty rooms.
497 Route 25A, St. James, NY 11780
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Grounds generally free. Seasonal Deepwells Haunted Mansion attraction (October) charges admission; check deepwellshauntedmansion.com for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Historic estate with lawn and garden areas; interior access limited; uneven surfaces near outbuildings
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1845 · Built by a descendant of Smithtown founder Richard 'Bull' Smith · Home of William J. Gaynor, 95th Mayor of New York City (1910–1913) · Suffolk County Parks historic site with active community programming
Joel L.G. Smith built the Deepwells Farm mansion around 1845 on what was then rural Long Island, naming the property for two 125-foot-deep brick wells that supplied water to the estate. Smith was a descendant of Richard 'Bull' Smith, the 17th-century English settler who founded Smithtown and whose descendants shaped much of western Suffolk County's early development.
The mansion was renovated in 1924 into its current Greek Revival form, gaining the columned facade, servant's wing, water tower, and cupola that define the building today. By the early 20th century the estate had passed to William Jay Gaynor, a former New York Supreme Court Justice who served as the 95th Mayor of New York City from 1910 until his death in September 1913. Gaynor was shot in the throat by a discharged city employee in August 1910 while boarding a ship in Hoboken; he recovered and completed most of his term before dying suddenly on a transatlantic liner. Deepwells was his Long Island retreat during his mayoral years.
Suffolk County Parks eventually acquired the property. Today the grounds function as a historic site open to visitors, with the house mostly empty though considerably restored. The Deepwells Farm Historical Society runs community events and craft fairs at the estate year-round, and every October produces the Deepwells Haunted Mansion — a fundraiser that has grown into one of Suffolk County's most popular seasonal attractions. Proceeds fund free community programming at the site throughout the rest of the year.
Sources
The haunting claims at Deepwells concentrate on interior sightings rather than atmospheric impressions. A county worker assigned to the property made the most direct statement on record: after spending time in the building, she said flatly that she was not alone, pinpointing the third floor. A separate cleaning employee described encountering a male apparition in period clothing — attire consistent with the mid-to-late-19th century — moving through rooms on more than one occasion.
The accounts from staff are notable precisely because they come from people with routine access to the building, not one-time visitors. Several staff members have expressed reluctance to be inside the structure after dark.
The Long Island Paranormal Investigators consider Deepwells a significant site; the mansion has long attracted mediums and psychic researchers who conduct EVP sessions and ghost hunts in the building's empty rooms. Local tradition has called it 'the scariest house in all of St. James' at various points in its recent history.
The property's sequential ownership by a founder's-lineage family, a murdered-and-recovering mayor, and then an institutional entity that left the house largely unfurnished creates the kind of layered history that tends to generate persistent haunting folklore on Long Island.
Notable Entities
Where this legend is told
The Suffolk County Parks historic site is accessible during daylight hours. The Greek Revival mansion, formal gardens, servant's wing, water tower, and cupola can be viewed from the grounds. Interior access is limited outside scheduled events.
Every October the Deepwells Farm Historical Society produces the Deepwells Haunted Mansion — a multi-room haunted attraction across the mansion's 15+ rooms. Proceeds support free community programming at the site throughout the year. The event has run for over a decade and is a major Suffolk County Halloween destination.
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