Est. 1884 · St. Mary's Cathedral Rectory · Diocese of Ogdensburg History · 1947 Cathedral Fire
The Claire House began as the rectory of St. Mary's Cathedral in Ogdensburg, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg. The stone building on Franklin Street housed the cathedral's rector and priests for roughly 76 years. The most-repeated origin date is 1884, though at least one account gives 1844; sources agree on the rectory function and on the long line of clergy who lived there.
The original St. Mary's Cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1947. According to local accounts, relics and items from the cathedral were saved from the flames and moved into the rectory's basement for safekeeping, a detail that figures heavily in the building's later ghost stories. After the cathedral era, the property passed out of diocesan residential use.
Hal and Rachel Kench purchased the house in 2019 and began restoring it, hosting their first wedding on site and working to open it as a bed-and-breakfast and event space. During renovations they catalogued unusual finds, including an altar stone and shoes concealed inside the walls, an old folk practice. The Kenches market the property openly as haunted and book overnight stays through Airbnb. The house drew national attention when it was featured as the finale of a season of the Travel Channel's Ghost Hunters, in an episode the show titled around the Diocese of Ogdensburg.
Sources
- https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2023/10/21/the-claire-house-in-ogdensburg--the-home-of-haunted-memories
- https://www.wwnytv.com/2023/05/26/haunted-ogdensburg-home-featured-ghost-hunters/
- https://www.visitstlc.com/haunted-spots-in-st-lawrence-county/
- https://www.theclairehouse.com/
ApparitionsUnexplained noisesObjects moving
The best-known presence at the Claire House is identified as Bishop Conroy, described by the owners as the property's most prominent ghost and assigned his own suite. The historical Bishop Conroy is tied to the rectory's early decades, and a photograph the Kenches circulated shows a face in a window of the room they named for him. A second recurring figure appears in local tourism accounts as the Skeleton-Faced Lady, sometimes linked to a Mrs. Gardner, and the owners also describe a child spirit said to be territorial about the house.
The rectory's haunted reputation is bound up with its physical history. The owners report falling molding, unexplained water leaks, and dislodged shingles during renovation, and say repeated incidents led them to seal off one room. The relics moved into the basement after the 1947 cathedral fire, plus an altar stone and shoes found hidden in the walls, give the ghost stories specific anchors.
The property was featured as the finale of a season of the Travel Channel's Ghost Hunters, an episode built around the Diocese of Ogdensburg. The owners say the production gathered material on site. Today the Claire House operates as a working haunted bed-and-breakfast, with the ghost stories central to how it presents itself to overnight guests.
Notable Entities
Bishop ConroyThe Skeleton-Faced Lady
Media Appearances
- Ghost Hunters: Diocese of the Dead (TV, 2023)
