Cairo, New York -
Mystery Spot - Vague Recollections

I visited The Mystery Spot in the late 1980s.

1) In the shack was a golf ball on a string hanging from the ceiling at about a 12 degree angle from perpendicular. This was caused by a very palpable force similar to a magnetic force parallel to the ground. This was also akin to a very steady wind, yet without any air movement.

2) Before the entrance to the shack there were two concrete building blocks embedded in the ground parallel to one another, with a few inches separating them. The guide laid a leveler on top of these two blocks to clearly show that one was not higher than the other. She then stood facing me on one block while I did the same facing her on the other. When we 'exchanged' the blocks we were standing on, my perception of her height, which she acknowledged, was clearly different.

3) After that she took me to a nearby wooden trough which had at the lower end a water pump connected to an underground water source . With a few pumps, water came out which then proceeded to clearly go "uphill" on this upward slanting trough before falling off at its end.

4) I don't at all agree with [tipster] Nadine's belief that what I experienced was based upon visual illusions, as this place was so stripped down to its essentials to purely show itself off, that there simply was no basis for illusions. And if there were, this still would not account for the very real force within the shack.

Not believing the legitimacy of the Mystery Spot reminds me of the response of one spouse to the other spouse when caught in the act of infidelity. "Which are you going to believe, what I'm telling you or your lying eyes?" [John G., 06/10/2010]

I visited this place in 1974 as a young boy with my parents on an annual upstate NY vacation. We usually did the standards: game farm, gaslight village, ghosttown, etc. I actually found this site today thinking of some fun/weird things to do this summer.

I remember all the strange things at the Mystery Spot: A ramp that had reverse gravity (hard down, easy up), old chairs balancing on a thin strip to the wall, a few other "events." A cool place, no real clear evidence of hokeyness. My dad was a trooper, he always looked good. The thing is, now I'm really curious, disappearing so quickly, and not much info on the history. [Don O, 06/04/2008]

We stopped at this mystery spot a few times in the 1970s. This tiny house was built on a hillside. It gave the illusion of being level inside, when in reality you were standing on a slant. Balls rolled up ramps and water ran up hill, chairs leaned flat against walls and walking downhill seems harder than walking up. It worked best if you relied on visuals cues more than balance and vestibule cues. I believe it closed in the early '80s. [Nadine, 02/26/2005]

My husband and I stopped at this place on our honeymoon thru New York in 1972. I actually have a pamphlet about it. The pamphlet states that there where pictures of this place in Life Magazine. I'll try and send a copy of the pamphlet. The admission price for adult was $.75 and child was $.50. [Georgine, 06/13/2004]

A few years back, a friend and I were driving on Route 32 in the Cairo/Catskill area...not too far from the Catskill Game Farm. We saw a shabby wooden sign that read "Mystery Spot." Just back from the road there was a little wooden booth and a trail leading into the woods. We didn't have time to stop and visit that day, but planned on going back the next year. When we did, the sign was gone and there were some used cars for sale (I think) on the lot. The fences at the trail head are the only decaying remnant. The only other thing I know is that the place supposedly had some odd phenomena such as water flowing uphill...or something like that. [Paula, 01/27/2002]

[RA: We only remember it as an intriguing dot on our 1980s-era Exxon New York map. Today an unrelated antique shop in the Catskills is named "Mystery Spot" -- perhaps to cash in on all those old map markings?]