The Legend of the White Lady’s Castle
by Paige McKenna
Rochester, NY, is home to many urban legends, but one that may be the most famous is the tale of the White Lady’s Castle in Durand Eastman Park. Overlooking the vast expanse of Lake Ontario, the park’s peaceful beauty hides a far more eerie story, one that has fascinated locals and visitors alike for generations.
The legend begins with a mother and her daughter, who once lived on the land that is now Durand Eastman Park. On a fateful night, the daughter went for a stroll along the lakefront and vanished without a trace. Some say she ran away with a lover, but others believe a far darker fate befell her—murder, perhaps, at the hands of the very man she trusted.
Heartbroken and consumed by grief, the mother never stopped searching for her lost daughter. Day after day, she wandered the lakeside, calling out for her child, hoping to bring her home. She became convinced that her daughter hadn’t just vanished but had been stolen from her by a suitor. In her desperation, the woman’s heart hardened into a deep, bitter rage.
Illustration by Megan Chase
Her story doesn’t end there, however. The woman died, her search tragically unfinished. But locals believe her spirit remains and haunts the area to this day, still searching for her daughter. The shimmering figure of a woman dressed in white has been spotted wandering the ruins of what is said to be her former home—now referred to as the White Lady’s Castle. She is often accompanied by two ghostly white hounds.
The White Lady, still consumed by grief and rage, is said to harbor a particular disdain for men and is especially vigilant against the park’s romantic encounters while showing a protective side towards women. Visitors to Durand Eastman Park have reported sightings of the White Lady’s ghost, sometimes appearing as a ghastly figure over the lake, other times walking along the roadside.
The ruins of "the White Lady's Castle"
But what most people call the White Lady’s Castle isn’t a castle at all. The crumbling stone wall in Durand Eastman Park was once part of the Three Lakes Pavilion, a wooden structure built in the early 1900s, nestled in the middle of a Spanish fort-style stone wall. It was a popular gathering place, with scenic views of the lake and a perfect spot for social events. Unfortunately, the pavilion fell into ruin during the Great Depression. According to Jenni Lynn of Rochester Candlelight Ghost Tours, the structure was further damaged when kids set fire to it in the mid-1900s, leaving only the remains of the stone wall that visitors see today.
