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Reported phenomena — as catalogued
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A lakeside B&B on Skaneateles Lake across from the former Glen Haven Sanitarium, tied to the 1889 death of Lillian Dumont and the 'Glen Haven Screamer' legend.
7434 Fair Haven Rd, Homer, NY 13077
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
B&B room rates vary by season; restaurant and bar also open to the public.
Access
Limited Access
Historic four-story building; stairs required for upper floors
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1900 · Glen Haven Sanitarium Proximity · Prohibition-Era Speakeasy · Haunted History Trail of New York State
The Glen Haven Sanitarium opened in 1847 on the southern shore of Skaneateles Lake as a water-cure establishment, offering hydropathic treatments that were fashionable in the mid-nineteenth century. For decades it attracted guests seeking relief from ailments through the sanitarium's signature regimens. The facility burned in 1911, and the property across the lake developed independently.
The four-story structure that is now the Glen Haven Hotel traces its commercial use to the early 1900s, when it opened as a tearoom. During Prohibition it shifted to operating as a speakeasy — one of many roadhouses that leveraged Skaneateles Lake's relative remoteness. It then became a guest house and, over successive decades, a tavern and eventually the B&B, restaurant, and marina in operation today.
The hotel sits on Cortland County's share of the lake in a hamlet historically called Glen Haven. The sanitarium occupied the opposite shore in Cayuga County. The proximity of the two properties — and the history of sanitarium guests crossing between them — underpins the hotel's connection to the haunting accounts that have attached to it since at least the late twentieth century.
The property is a stop on the Haunted History Trail of New York State and has been documented in regional and statewide paranormal media. The hotel operates Wednesday through Sunday, with extended bar hours on weekends.
Sources
In August 1889, Lillian Dumont, a 22-year-old guest at the Glen Haven Sanitarium, went to her room in a cottage called Liberty Hall and died. Days later, another sanitarium guest, James C. Terry, drowned in Skaneateles Lake. The two deaths in quick succession attached a dark reputation to the lakefront that outlasted the sanitarium itself.
The haunting accounts associated with the current hotel center on Lillian Dumont. Staff members and paranormal investigators report that they have interacted with an entity that identified itself as Lillian through electronic voice phenomena (EVP). The Haunted History Trail of New York State documents this claim as part of its listing for the property.
Visitors and overnight guests report several recurring phenomena: children's footsteps audible in empty rooms, a sensation of someone sitting beside them, and the jukebox activating and selecting songs without human input. The most distinctive account is the 'Glen Haven Screamer' — a sound described as a scream emanating from the basement, heard by guests and staff with enough regularity to earn a local name.
The hotel does not advertise formal ghost tours or investigation packages, but staff discuss the property's history openly, and the overnight stay functions as the de facto paranormal experience.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Book a room in the historic four-story building on Skaneateles Lake, where staff and past guests have reported children's footsteps in empty hallways, an unpredictable jukebox, and the presence associated with Lillian Dumont. The hotel operates Wednesday through Sunday.
Dine or have a drink at the on-site restaurant and bar overlooking Skaneateles Lake. Ask staff about the property's history — employees have talked openly about their experiences with paranormal activity since the building's speakeasy era.
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