Letchworth Village – A Spooky Halloween Photoshoot

Have you ever gone scouting for locations for a Halloween photoshoot? I am always looking for spooky trees, abandoned buildings, and spooky corners in the woods. Not only do they make great backdrops for a photoshoot, they also are a great place to visit to get into the spooky Halloween mood. This year, for a happy Halloween and Hike-O-Ween we decided to explore the abandoned Letchworth Village in Rockland County, NY.

Re-Imagining Halloween in 2020

We have had to make so many adjustments in 2020 in order to accommodate for social distancing and help protect everyone’s health. That’s why I was so excited when Samantha from @keepingthemwild approached me with the idea of hiking in costumes. This is a fun alternative or addition to a traditional Halloween!

Hike-O-Ween was Born

Hiking in costumes is such a fun idea. Getting dressed up and going to play in the woods sounds like a perfect day to me! However, I had already started making costumes for the boys and they weren’t the best to really hike in so I wanted somewhere that would have some wider paths for easy walking. We decided to go explore the abandoned grounds at Letchworth Village in Rockland County.

What is Letchworth Village?

This village was a residential institutions for physically and mentally disabled from newborn to elderly. Letchworth Village was described as a “state institution for the segregation of the epileptic and feeble-minded” and was designed to be a more humane alternative to high-rise asylums. Of course, it didn’t end up being a very humane place for residents at all.

It first opened in 1911 and grew to include over 130 buildings spread over 2000+ acres of land. In these buildings, children were used for the first human trials of the polo vaccine. There were rumors of improper care and abuse of residents dating back to the 1920s. Even the staff suffered abuse at the hands of coworkers. It was permanently closed in 1996 and the structures have fallen into disrepair.

Halloween Photoshoot at Letchworth Village

Letchworth Village was the perfect spot for some Halloween fun. You can walk around most of the grounds but going inside the buildings is prohibited. Not that I would want to go inside. It was creepy enough from the pathways! There are vines growing over the buildings and many have started to collapse in on themselves.

Many of the buildings are covered in graffiti, which is a shame, but at least of of it added to the haunted feeling you get. One door was slightly smashed and spray painted above it was “open up”. Kind of looked like something was trying to claw it’s way out!

Maybe it was one of my monsters?

We went on a foggy, rainy day, which added to the Halloween spirit of the place. It is definitely a place that we will return to for future Halloween celebrations. I might even do some costumed mini sessions there next year! Plan lots of time for your visit since there is so much detail to explore and take in. Don’t get too scared, the monsters there aren’t really that mean, even if they can look a little fierce.

The ghouls we released however, those you might want to watch out for! My monsters weren’t afraid, as long as they were close to the Queen of Halloween.

Do you like finding spooky spots around Halloween? Let me know some of your favorites!

Follow us on Instagram for more life adventures at Califf Life Creations and photography at Califf Photography Creations!

More Photos of Monsters at Letchworth Village

I couldn’t choose just a few pictures so I decided to share a gallery of the entire Halloween shoot at Letchworth Village. It was a great spot for Halloween fun and I’m looking forward to returning in future years.