Est. 1805 · Federal-era Burr Estate · Gothic Revival Renovation · New York State Haunted History Trail · Cazenovia Lake Heritage
The building at 5 Albany Street in Cazenovia dates to approximately 1805, constructed on the property of William Burr, a prosperous local merchant. Historical accounts indicate that around 1872, members of the Burr family renovated the Federal structure in the Gothic Revival style, adding asymmetrically arranged gables and decorative porches that changed the exterior profile considerably.
Adam 'Scotty' Brown, his wife Eva, and their two sons first opened a summer-only restaurant in 1946 at a farmhouse in Borodino, New York, overlooking Skaneateles Lake. In 1950 the family relocated to the Cazenovia property, taking on the Burr estate grounds beside Cazenovia Lake. The venue's name shifted by one letter — from Burr to the Scottish-inflected Brae Loch — and the Browns established a Scottish theme that persists today through the inn's design, its menu, and its annual celebration of Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Scotty Brown authored a memoir titled 'A Man's A Man For A That,' available in the inn's gift shop. The Brown family's connection to the property lasted for decades; the inn has been in continuous operation since 1950 and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2021. It currently operates as a hotel, restaurant, and wedding venue on the Cazenovia Lake shore.
The building's 200-year-plus history spans the Federal-era Burr merchant family, the Victorian-era Gothic Revival renovation, the mid-century Scottish reinterpretation, and the current operation — a span that provides some context for the range of figures guests have reported since the inn became widely known on the paranormal circuit.
Sources
- https://www.braelochinn.com/history
- https://hauntedhistorytrail.com/explore/the-brae-loch-inn
- https://cnycentral.com/news/local/haunted-cny-ghosts-sightings-at-historic-cazenovia-inn
- https://wandercuse.com/meet-the-spirits-of-the-brae-loch-inn-in-cazenovia/
ApparitionsPhantom voicesObject movementPhantom touchOrbs
The most-documented figure at the Brae Loch Inn is a gentleman in a white shirt and kilt. Staff recognized the outfit description — brown-yellow-green tartan, mismatched socks, penny loafers — as corresponding to the cremation clothing of Scotty Brown's stepfather, whose ashes were kept at the cash register at his own request 'to keep an eye on the money.' The kilted man has been reported by multiple guests who had no prior knowledge of this detail.
A second figure, a girl in a long blue dress, has been reported by guests in the entryway area, where she is described as approaching to offer directions to their rooms. A third phenomenon involves a Victorian-dressed couple seen walking through walls near the curved staircase at the base of the main dining room — a doorway that, according to the inn's own records, has been nailed shut since the 1950s.
The restaurant area generates a different category of reports. Guests and staff describe chairs being bumped and shoulders touched when no one is adjacent, and multiple accounts document a child's voice saying 'Mama' and 'I'm cold' in the dining space. The inn has been listed on the New York State Haunted History Trail and has appeared in local television reporting as part of CNYCentral's ongoing haunted Central New York series.
No paranormal package or ghost tour is currently listed; ask the inn for the latest.
Notable Entities
Kilted man (identified with former co-owner's stepfather)Girl in blue dressVictorian couple
Media Appearances
- Haunted CNY: Ghost Sightings at Historic Cazenovia Inn (Television / News, 2018)
Where this legend is told
