1. St. Paul’s Chapel
Location: 209 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 (Manhattan)
Also known as “The Little Chapel That Stood”, this episcopal church is one of the oldest in all of New York. Since In 1812, after the death and burial of the famous actor George Frederick Cooke, there have been numerous sightings of his spirit wandering the grounds. Well, some of his spirit anyway. It is said that in order to prevent his mountainous doctor bills -- a result of his alcoholism -- from following him to the grave, Cooke agreed to donate his head to science. Now, his headless ghost roams the premise in search of his missing head and haunts the site as well as all who trespass.
2. House of Death
Location: 14 West 10th Street, New York, NY 10007 (Manhattan)
This brownstone, most commonly referred to as the “House of Death” is home to 22 ghosts, including the famous American writer Mark Twain. Paranormal sightings began in 1957 when a woman by the name Jan Bartel moved in and claimed to feel what she described as a “monstrous moving shadow that loomed up behind [her]”. She went on to write a book about her experiences in the house, which ranged from weird sounds and moved furniture to apparitions of the former tenants. She and her family eventually moved out, and the following residents have also continued to experience similar encounters.
Later on, 14 West 10th Street served as a home to Joel Steinberg, a former criminal defense attorney who was found guilty of beating his adopted 6-year-old daughter Lisa to death, as well as domestic abuse to his wife, Hedda Nussbaum.
However, not all the entities that haunt the house are as malevolent. Many spirits are reported lurking nearby, or appearing and disappearing without a trace. When the alleged visit of the ghostly Mark Twain occurred, it was claimed that he merely knocked on the door, said “My name is Clemens, and I has a problem here I gotta settle,” and promptly vanished. Regardless of which spirit is hanging around, there will never be a moment alone in this house.
3. Manhattan Bistro / The Manhattan Well
Location: 129 Spring St, New York, NY 10012 (Manhattan)
On a cold and windy evening in December of 1799, a young woman named Gulielma Sands left her Greenwich boarding home with the intention of eloping with a man named Levi Weeks, who resided in the same boarding house as her. Unfortunately, that was the last time she was ever seen alive; a week later, her strangled corpse was discovered at the bottom of the Manhattan Well. It was later found that Sands was impregnated before her death, with the main suspect being Weeks himself. He was put to trial but ran away and was never convicted.
The well was eventually buried but rediscovered after a building was built on top of it. This building became the Manhattan Bistro, where both owners, employees, and visitors have noted abnormal activity such as bottles flying off shelves. The bistro became a popular site for tourists interested in the unsolved murder case, but eventually closed its doors for good for reasons unknown to the public.
4. New Amsterdam Theater
Location: 214 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036 (Manhattan)
Olive Thomas was a beautiful film actress and Broadway star, adored by all. However, after an evening of drinking and partying back in the 1920’s -- during a honeymoon with Jack Pickford in a vain attempt to revitalize their crumbling marriage -- Thomas overdosed on her husband’s blue syphilis medication. Her death was labeled “accidental”, but many suspected this tale had a more suicidal twist. Even after she passed away, many friends and family members reported seeing her backstage, and former coworkers recall bumping into her at the New Amsterdam theater. Most infamously, a security guard claimed to see a woman on stage suiting Thomas’s description, dancing about at 2 in the morning. He was sent into hysterics after he yelled at her to leave, and she proceeded to walk through a wall and into the street. To this day, sightings continue to occur after the curtain has closed and the audience has left. For the most part, she doesn’t show any signs of aggression but instead prefers to talk to and even flirt with the men.
5. The Conference House
Location: 7455 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10307 (Staten Island)
Also known as “Billop’s Point”, this house was home to the British loyalist Christopher Billop in 1776. During the war, Billop offered his home as a place of refuge for British soldiers, and his kitchen was converted into a makeshift hospital. He even had a hidden tunnel beneath his house, which was oftentimes used to smuggle the soldiers inside. Many fatalities occurred in the house, but with the pressure of war, there was no time for proper funerals so the deceased were buried at random spots about the estate. The spirits of these unresting soldiers have been sighted walking around and within the house, and will sometimes reply if they are spoken too.
Furthermore, after believing one of his female servants to be a Colonist spy -- which she adamantly denied -- he shoved her down a flight of stairs in a fit of rage. The tumble broke her neck and she died soon after, but Billop was never held responsible for murdering her. Years later, both his ghost and that of his servant have been seen in the house, and even when the house was vacant people said they saw a candlelight in the window of the maid’s room.
