Telefunken

A Brief History: Located near Cherry Avenue, the West Sayville wireless communication facility was built over the course of two years from 1911-1912. It was commissioned by the German corporation Telefunken Communications Company to aide in ship to shore communications; however, with the outbreak of World War I, it served a more sinister purpose. The West Sayville facility was used to send coded messages to German U-boats regarding the detailed location of the RMS Lusitania and it aided in relaying a message from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman urging Mexico to attack the United States in order to distract America from the European frontline. After the latter message was decoded by the British intelligence and brought to the attention of President Wilson, he declared war on Germany and seized the communications facility.

The U.S. Navy retained control of the Telefunken facility throughout the remainder of the war, and the Germans surrendered the Telefunken communications company’s properties as part of negotiated reparations to America. The equipment at the facility was continuously upgraded to aide in aeronautical radio communications, eventually becoming a part of the Federal Aviation Administration. The facility was officially decommissioned in 1995 and left abandoned, though the site is eligible for the National Register for its historical significance. Now the site is used as a Federal nature sanctuary.

Haunted History: There are claims of being able to pick up a males voice spoken in German on a voice recorder. People have also claimed to have seen flashes of lights in the woods. People also say when you are strolling down the pathways in the woods, you feel like your being watched and you get a strong feeling of “get out”.