HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
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An 1865 Victorian equestrian estate in Gasport where racehorse trainer Curtis Root died of a horse injury in 1889—and where overnight guests now pay an extra $50 to investigate the house they're already sleeping in.
4049 Root Road, Gasport, NY 14067
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Room rates vary; additional $50 fee for overnight guests who want access to the full house for paranormal investigation. Private group ghost tours $320 for 5–10 people.
Access
Limited Access
Victorian mansion on rural equestrian grounds; multi-story with stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1865 · Newcomb family farmstead 1833–1850s · Victorian mansion built 1865 · Roots Trotting Park — quarter-mile horse racing track · Curtis Root death from horse injury March 1889 · Current owners began restoration 2017
The land at 4049 Root Road has a documented ownership history dating to 1833, when Silas Newcomb began acquiring the acreage. Albert Newcomb and his wife inherited the 275-acre property and occupied the house by 1850. The present Victorian mansion was constructed in 1865.
The Root family subsequently took ownership and became the estate's most prominent occupants. Curtis Root was a well-regarded thoroughbred horse trainer and breeder who operated Roots Trotting Park, a working quarter-mile racetrack on the field adjacent to the manor. His most notable horse was a trotter named Playboy. In March 1889, Curtis Root sustained an injury involving Playboy that proved fatal.
The estate passed through several owners following Root's death. The property had fallen into disrepair by the time Robert Mattison and his wife Heather Rease Mattison purchased it in 2017. The couple began an ongoing restoration, returning the manor toward its Victorian-era appearance. Heather Rease Mattison is a licensed psychic medium and has authored a book documenting the property's history and claimed paranormal activity.
The manor has been featured on the Travel Channel. It is situated on the Niagara Wine Trail in the rural countryside of the Town of Royalton.
Sources
Paranormal claims at Graestone Manor center on several recurring phenomena documented by the current owners and reported by guests since 2017. Multiple visitors have reported hearing men arguing in the basement and the front hall, though no source has been identified. A more unusual claim involves audible sounds of horse hooves and a carriage on the grounds outside—attributed by the current owners to the spirit of Curtis Root, whose quarter-mile racetrack once occupied the adjacent field.
The smell of cigar smoke appears in rooms where no one is smoking, and disembodied voices have been reported throughout the building. A female apparition has reportedly been photographed looking out of a second-floor window by people standing outside the manor.
The current owners, working with Heather Rease Mattison's background as a psychic medium, have identified what they describe as a vortex or portal area in the basement and a second one in an upstairs children's room, which they attribute to historical séances and Ouija board use on the property. Shadow masses have been reported by guests in both locations.
The estate hosts public paranormal investigations throughout the year, and overnight guests can pay an additional fee for after-hours access to the full manor for independent investigation.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Book a room and add the $50 paranormal investigation upgrade for after-hours access to the full manor, including unoccupied guest rooms and the grounds. Owners include a licensed psychic medium who has authored a book on the property.
Private group investigations for 5–10 people, 6–11 p.m. or 7 p.m.–midnight, priced at $320. Equipment provided; safety briefing included.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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