The Mysterious Bailey Hall
Basic Information:

Hidden in the depths of the Katonah NY woods lies a secret. Bailey Hall; an insane asylum/school for the gifted that suffered numerous fires, arson, and vandalism from 1991 where it originally burned down and was forced to close till now where it resides encased by overgrown trees and silence. If you ask a nearby resident about said location, you’ll either be greeted with an “I don’t know what you’re talking about” or “Stop talking about that. Mind your own business and forget all about this place;” very intriguing indeed. A couple of years ago a girl went to the Katonah Chamber of Commerce asking about Bailey hall and was told to immediately stop her investigation and forget about ever knowing about it. Not a common answer from Commerce I’ll tell you that much.

If you search on the internet about said place, you’ll only be able to find a handful of websites, but each of them is all lacking data. Bailey Hall is a hush-hush kind of story where the people who do have the fortune of knowing about it, refuse to tell the people who don’t. Legend is it’s haunted, but we’re not counting the people who venture there at night and try to scare whoever’s already there.

If you’re lucky enough to find a brochure for the original school hidden in the rubble, you’ll notice that all of the faces are purposely blurred out, to keep identities hidden. You’ll even find an old Calendar from August 1991 in the main building which dates around the time the location had first burned.

Attempts were made at rebuilding the establishment, but numerous fires overtook the building continually, not cause by arson but by mysterious unexplained fires, so the remains of the building currently standing are the last attempt at making Bailey Hall stand.

So if you find yourself curious to view this amazing spot made secret from the residents of this quaint town, grab a map, locate New Street in Katonah NY and continue down until you’re greeted with a red gate and numerous No Trespassing signs. Once you’ve found them, you’ve arrived.


What you'll Find:

If you venture down a road named New Street in Katonah NY, you’ll be greeted with a very interested site at the end.

You’ll begin your journey at a red fenced off portion of the end of the road where trees frame this abandoned secret. ‘No Trespassing’ signs adorn the trees; warning all intruders to stay out, but to the mind of a curious teenager, that only beckons us more.


Following the forbidden trail, you’ll notice that all sounds of everyday life become distant if at all barely noticeable. Rather than the din of Westchester Suburbia life such as car horns, fire trucks, and screaming babies, you’ll find yourself encased by the sounds of twittering birds, wind blowing through the trees, and occasionally the croak of a frog or the gentle melody of a nearby cricket.

Heading forward you’ll see that there are 2 different roads you can take. Nature has taken over both, but only one you can still see the gray pavement, the over is encased with rich flora hiding the dark asphalt underneath. You’ll also notice a small 5 printed on an old wooden triangle sign showing the different numbers of homes on this road. If one were to follow the less visible trail, you would find along it a very rusted old truck littered with graffiti and the burnt down remains of the previous white buildings that stood many years ago, but were subject to vandalism and arson. All that would stand would be a rusted fire staircase and the stairs leading to a crumbled foundation and a large drop into the earth surrounded by rubble.

There are more numerous trails, but have now been taken over completely by the woods. I wouldn’t recommend taking them, unless you’re wearing boots. Chances are ticks are the new residents of that trail.

Passing by the large piles of the remains of a once luxurious asylum, you’ll find a deteriorating garage hiding in the woods. If you walk closer you’ll see that an orange basketball hoop is still attached to the top of the garage. Littered amongst the floor you’ll see a sink, a small table, a couple of chairs. You’ll find other remains of previous dwellers but no need to stay too long, you’ll find much more on your journey.

If you continue down that road, you’ll be able to find a small one room house with the door to the building lying on the floor. Inside you’ll see just a chair sitting in the middle. The roof has long since collapsed and you can see the wood construction of the house. A strange site is that all of the windows are all crooked, however I think the building was made that way. Unintentionally or intentionally, I don’t know, but I don’t see how it could become that over years of being vacant. Since it’s such a small house, you’ll find that there’s not that much to view. If you leave and continue on that trail you’ll find yourself at the main house.

This house is probably the most fascinating of all of what this campus has to offer. It has the most mystery. Across from the house you’ll find a truck lying in the woods and an air conditioner. The truck is filled with old newspapers, but I haven’t had a chance to check the dates. No one knows why it was abandoned there. All of the doors are either missing or lay around the house. The main door lies on the floor in the main room. The bottom of the staircase is missing. The staircase on the second floor leading to the top is hidden behind the wall which is literally right on the staircase banister. The walls to numerous rooms are missing. Wigs and shoes lie everywhere. The whole top floor suffers major fire damage. You can’t even access it anymore. The only ones who can are raccoons, rats and rabbits and some bugs. A rusted fire escape was the only way up, but the entrance is now blocked by a large mattress and other debris. Don’t worry, you’re not missing much.

You’ll find numerous graffiti around the house, some spookier than the others, such as the devil face on the bottom floor, the Nazi emblem on the bottom of the staircase, numerous “666”s and my favorite “Follow me/No Return” with arrows pointing upwards on the staircase on the 2nd floor that literally leads to nowhere. There are also a few quite humorous, such as “Peep Hole $5,” the infamous “Jinky” logo, the heart on the toilet, a Bart Simpson look alike saying “Smoke weed Everyday” and numerous others. There are more exciting things to find here. For example, when my friends Secret Society Ambrosia was here, the lobby on the first floor used to have a desk, with a book and pen and a chair for all visitors to inscribe their names and other comments in. It’s no longer there due to vandalisers, but I think the chair or desk may still be there. There’s a whole bunch of groovy and spooky stuff. I would tell you it all, but then there is no point on you checking it out for yourself.:P There’s also a broken above ground pool in the back that I didn’t even notice was there until my second trip there. You’ll find two red shoes saying “Will You” And “Wont You” written on the sides and a couple of other debris as well.

If you walk back towards the main house you will notice that you have now done a complete 360 on the Bailey Hall grounds, if you walk through the archway of trees, right outside this trail you’ll find the original entrance and the trail leading back towards the exit.





Tips for Visiting Bailey Hall:

Since Bailey Hall does have a No Trespassing sign, it is wise to be quiet while being on the grounds and be cautious of the police. The house right next to the entrance is home to a very bitchy neighbor and she will not hesitate to call the police on you if she spots you.

A note to all that plan to visit: DO NOT PARK IN FRONT or BY THE ENTRANCE!!! New St. is a very long street with more than enough room for parking. Yes, there is a hike involved but its better to park far away and be safe rather than park at the entrance and have the cops called on you. When you do plan to visit remember to be VERY cautious passing by that last house before the entrence. If she spots you, you’re in trouble, so continue with alert.

Do not go to Bailey Hall at night. This is when it becomes dangerous and prone to arson, vandalism and hauntings. If you’re carefree and looking for this, I’d advise against it. If something goes wrong here and you get hurt, the cops aren’t able to help you. Going to the police will ensure that you WILL GO TO JAIL. Bailey Hall is illegal to trespass. If caught in any way, you will be incarcerated. Bailey Hall is hard enough to see during the day because it’s shielded from the sun by trees. If you plan to visit remember to bring flashlights, there is NO power on campus and it is very dark.

BE VERY CAUTIOUS ON THE STAIRS AND FLOORS. This is an old building with major fire/building damages. They will collapse.