As with most places in the world, the Town of Highland has its share of ghost stories and myths that surround the area. The Native American tribes that lived in the area as long ago as 12,000 years believed spirits and creatures roamed the Hudson Valley. Washington Irving can be given credit for making the Hudson Valley and neighboring Catskills Mountains infamous with his stories The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. James Fenimore Cooper, John Burroughs, and Thomas Cole have all found a fascination in the Hudson River Valley, writing stories, poems, and creating masterpieces of art to pay homage to the mystery and beauty of the area. However, these stories and legends are only a piece of the larger folklore of the Hudson Valley; each county and town has its own story and its own tales to lay claim to.
My name is Gregory Bailey and I have lived in Highland most of my life. Slowly, I have come to learn about the local legends through research, personal experiences, or simple hearsay among the citizens of the area. These stories will not focus specifically on Highland itself, but instead have a few stories from the other regions in Ulster County, New York, ranging from as far north as Saugerties to as far south as Clintondale, the Shawangunks and Catskill mountains are both included in the list as well.
We live in a historical and cultural powerhouse in the Hudson Valley, and the residents from New York City to the youth of the Hudson in Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains should all know a part of the local history in New York. I have studied many old and hard to find books; however, Legends of the Shawangunks by Phillip Smith, The History of the Town of Lloyd V. I and II by Warren Sherwood, and Times and Tales of the Town of Lloyd by Mrs. Warren Beatrice Hasbrouck have all added to my list of local legends and are all books worth looking through when the interested reader has time. So, I ask that you open your mind to the world of the strange, sit back, and enjoy Legends and Fancies of Highland and Local Environs.