Book excerpt: Born from the chilly waters of Lake Ontario and the Genesee River, Rochester, New York, has been the cradle of the modern spiritualist an anti-Masonic movements and religious sects and communes. This unusual history has given rise to strange legends and shrouded the city in mystery. Was the corner of Main and Elm Streets McCurdy s Department Store cursed? Who was Captain William Morgan, and why did he suddenly disappear? What stories lie behind Rochester s first murder and the execution of William Lyman s killer? What is hoodoo, and who is the Hoodoo Doctor? Native American tales, the history of the infamous Fox sisters and the secrets of the Freemasons are woven into these and other legends of Rochester"