Sitting high on West Hill overlooking Waterville is one of the grandest and most haunted mansions in central New York, the Sanger Mansion.

The Sangerfield House, also known as Sanger mansion was built in 1906 by Col. William Carey Sanger Sr. who served in the 203rd Infantry during the Spanish American War later serving as a trustee at Hamilton College and a chancellor of the New York Chapter of Order Of The Acorn.

Originally, Sanger came to the Township of Sangerfield in 1892 and decided to make it his home building "The Maples" less than a mile northwest of the hilltop. Owning 240 acres of land and leasing the rights to more than 1,200 acres made his home an impressive sight.

In 1906 the contractor and 30-40 men began construction on Sanger Mansion using stone quarried from Oxford. The main building and north wing were used as servant's quarters containing between 30 and 40 rooms with views overlooking the valley. Sangerfield Mansion was designed so that the main entrance overlooked the village of Waterville while the terrace overlooked Madison.

After William Sanger became gravely ill he sold the mansion to a priest who was converted into a monastery in 1960. The mansion served as a monastery until the early 1970's when the history for the property begin to fade until in 1990 it was donated to Rainbow Camp. The mansion was up for sale until 2006 but thanks to community involvement the Sangerfield House has never fallen into disrepair.

People have long reported seeing the ghosts of monks wandering the house and grounds. The most recent caretaker reportedly witnessed a ghostly woman standing in one of the windows on the second floor. Several ghost hunting groups had the opportunity to investigate the mansion capturing ghostly voices in EVPs and strange photos.

The mansion has been a private residence since 2006 and it is noted that the current owner does not welcome trespassers or unauthorized adventurers. Anyone violating will be prosecuted and the owner has not had any recent experiences.

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