Exploring The Former Empire Hotel Of The Lost Village Of Delta

After investigating the Lost Village Of Delta with Haunts & Legends, the Shadow Chasers had the opportunity to investigate the former Empire Hotel of the lost village of Delta, now known as Liberty Hall and The Westernville Town Hall.

The former grand Empire Hotel from the village of Delta is now known as Liberty Hall in the town of Western. While the hotel may now bear little resemblance to the former hotel it’s history is not lost as reports of  ghostly echos of past events fill late nights in the empty hall.

The night began with identifying and tracking some unusual readings throughout the building. Once the night had settled in and the team switched to EVP and ITC sessions the activlity and responses began to jump. The team witnessed shadowy movements in the main hall, heard whistling, knocks and even hushed voices. A number of the EVPs and anomalies were captured on camera.

In the late 18th Century the village of Delta was founded on the delta between the Mohawk River and the Potash Brook with a portion of the village situated in what would eventually be the Town of Western. The village of Delta developed throughout the 19th century with its first school in 1804, post office in 1834 and the Empire Hotel in 1854 along with a church, a corn factory and more. The Baron Steuben Lodge was even organized in Delta in 1887.

Once the construction of the Barge Canal was approved in 1903, the Mohawk River needed to be dammed to form a reservoir. Eventually, the site of Delta was selected due to a number of reasons and in 1908 construction began on the dam that would eventually flood the town.

By 1909 the Village of Delta had more than a hundred buildings including a church, a number of general stores, hotels, homes, barns and cemeteries with nearly two hundred residents. In the end, the village of Delta was submerged under the waters of the Mohawk River in 1912 to form Lake Delta along with 4,3 acres of land after almost three hundred buildings were disassembled and moved to adjacent towns.

However, the village of Delta is not entirely gone. The legend of the lost village of Delta at the bottom of the lake actually comes from a single brick house that was not torn down in time for the flooding. Later, after the initial flooding the brick house was torn down when the water levels of the lake dropped. Other buildings that were once the foundation for the village of Delta are now staples of other surrounding towns.

The former grand Empire Hotel from the village of Delta is now known as Liberty Hall in the town of Western. While the hotel may now bear little resemblance to the former hotel it’s history is not lost as reports of  ghostly echos of past events fill late nights in the empty hall.