Buckout Road in Westchester, New York, has long been entrenched in folklore and urban legends, with tales of witches, albinos, Revolutionary war ghosts and even cannibals dominating its narrative. It’s known as one of the most haunted places in New York State. However, it’s essential to discern fact from fiction and respect the essence of these stories as urban legends. While these tales serve to tantalize the curious and the fearless, they often distort reality.

1. The Albino Colony: One popular legend tells of an albino colony residing near or around Buckout Road. These albinos are said to be hostile, and some stories even take it a step further, telling tales of them being cannibals preying on anyone who dares to trespass their territory. These stories, circulated over decades, have been fueled by social prejudice and fear of the unknown. There’s no actual evidence to support any existence of such a colony or its supposed cannibalistic behavior.

2. The Witches: Another legend is tied to witchcraft. Three witches were purportedly burned at the stake on Buckout Road in the 17th century, and their ghosts are said to haunt the area. Some say that if you honk your car horn three times in front of the “witches” house, they will come out. Again, this is primarily urban folklore and doesn’t have historical records to back up the claims.

3. A number of these stories involve soldiers from the Revolutionary War. One of the most famous tales involves the ghosts of British Redcoats who were allegedly executed on Buckout Road during the Revolutionary War. It is said that on some moonlit nights, their spectral figures can still be seen, marching down the road in formation, supposedly continuing their eternal patrol. Reports characterize these spectral soldiers as glowing in a phantom light, their faces hardened in an everlasting state of resolve.

4. Another story is that of the spectral Headless Horseman, which seems to be inspired by or tangled with Washington Irving’s famous “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” also set in Westchester County. Some say the figure is that of a Hessian trooper who lost his head to a cannonball in the Revolutionary War, who now roams around Buckout Road in search of his lost head.

5. The road was also the topic of a 2017 horror movie, which further cemented its status as a place of macabre interest, but it’s important to remember these stories are just that—stories.

A summary from IMDB describes “The Curse of Buckout Road” as such, “A college class project on creation and destruction of modern myth, turns terrifying when a trio of young people come to realize the urban legends surrounding the famed Buckout Road may, in fact, be REAL.”

Always remember to treat neighborhoods and the people living there with respect. Curiosity about local legends is natural, but one must bear in mind that spreading unfounded tales can lead to fear, misunderstanding, stigmatization, and potential harm.