Terry-Mulford House

A Brief History: Located at 30675 Main Road in Orient, New York, you will find the Terry-Mulford House, one of the oldest homes on Long Island. The saltbox style home sits on a six-acre property. There is some debate of when the home was erected. Frank Turano, a retired assistant professor from SUNY Stony Brook, claims that the home was built in the mid to late 1600s due to its white oak cladding. However, a conflicting claim from Oxford University scientists who majored in dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, states that the home was built in 1716. The original standing home, also known as the Old House, had two additions added to it throughout the years, the Middle House in the 1800s and the Big House which was constructed in 1914. The first known owner of the home was Thomas Terry. The Terry family, which consisted of Thomas and his two brothers Richard and Robert, emigrated from London to Massachusetts in 1638. From there, Thomas and Richard relocated from New England to the north fork of Long Island where they established their lives. The home remained in the family for 5 generations including a Revolutionary War hero Thomas Terry. In 1813, former East Hampton residents, Elisha Mulford and his wife Damarus became the next family lineage to own the home for numerous generations. In 1979 the home was purchased after decades of the property being vacant by Elinor Latham Williams and her husband, Ralph Williams Jr. Elinor had discovered after tracing down her ancestry that she was a descendent of Elisha and Damarus Mulford. The Williams spent their time in the home, restoring it to its former glory. In 1984, their home was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Ralph would come to pass in 2002. Elinor remained in the home up until her death in 2018. The home now operates as a rental property for the decedents of Elinor and Ralph Williams.

Haunted History: There is one claim that Damarus Mulford's rocking chair would find its way to a bedroom window on the second floor no matter where it was moved to in the house. There have also been claims of seeing a man in the window on the 2^nd floor waving and then just disappear.