Haunted Houses And Museums in New York

If we are asked what are the most haunted places, most of us think of cemeteries and castles. We think of cemeteries because that is where people are buried and it would be the most natural place to think about when we discuss something like this. There certainly are plenty of tales around about haunted cemeteries. Castles are a different story. The reason these come to mind is twofold. The first reason is because of all the British ghost stories about haunted castles. The second is thanks to Hollywood where haunted castle movies were popular in the days of black and white film. There is another place however where many people have claimed to see ghosts and that is in museums. I guess if one believes in ghosts this might make sense because there are many objects in these places which some believe the deceased could have had some attachment to.

There are many museums in New York City. One of the greatest is the American Museum of Natural History. It is in a huge building several stories high and contains objects from A to Z. Some people believe the museum is haunted. It is easy to believe this since there are so many weird things in it, Β including an ancient South American Temple. There are floors full of dinosaur skeletons including two huge beasts in the main lobby. Skeletons of anything always tend to make people nervous. The statues in the building of Neanderthals and such also look creepy behind their dim backlighted windows. The truth about this building is although it has been investigated by paranormal societies and seems to be a place well suited to a haunting, there doesn’t seem to be anything there. The same can’t be said for the next museum however.

The Merchant’s House Museum was built in 1832 and is three stories high. It has gained the reputation of being the most haunted house and museum in Manhattan. There is said to be a white light which can be seen which is the spirit of Seabury Tredwell, who was living there since 1832 when it was built. His daughter Gertrude was born in the home and died in it at the age of 93. She was seen by a worker in the home a year later. Sometime later children were playing outside when the ghost of an old woman ran out of the house waving her arms then disappeared. Over the years people have claimed to see Gertrude many times. One time a tourist rang the bell and an old woman came to the door in period clothes and said the museum was closed. The ghost of Seabury Tredwell is said to be far more menacing. People who were in the museum claim to have heard footsteps when no one else was supposed to be there, felt cold spots and heard a piano playing when no one was playing it because it no longer functioned. It is said the high point for ghost sightings in the building was about twenty years. Β 

The oldest house in Manhattan is the Morris-Jumel Mansion. It has been turned into a museum. It is a place where George Washington actually had his headquarters in 1776. Supposedly the lady who used to be the mistress of the house was Eliza Jumel. It is said she now haunts it and can be seen wearing a purple dress making her way through the museum and she is not alone as many can testify to. There is a soldier from the Revolutionary War there also, along with a servant girl who committed suicide. There are said to be two other ghosts also on the premises. The story is Eliza Jumel was having an affair with Vice President Aaron Burr while she was married to Stephen Jumel in an unhappy marriage. He husband died under mysterious circumstances in 1832 when it was said he fell on to a pitchfork. She then married Burr almost immediately.

The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden is also located in Manhattan. The building was built in 1820 and is said to be haunted by the ghost of Abigail Adams Smith, the daughter of President John Adams and his wife Abigail. The house was named in honor of George Washington’s home. The original house burned to the ground but the carriage house was turned into the hotel and then into a museum. It is said one can hear Abigail walking all over the premises.
One very famous haunted home is the House of Death. It is said there are over two dozen ghosts in the home. It must get pretty crowded there. One of the ghosts is said to be none other than the famous Mark Twain. He had stayed in the house for about a year. Twenty two of the ghosts are said to be people who actually died in the house.

No article of this type would be complete without talking about Edgar Allen Poe’s home in New York City. Could there have been a creepier person or creepier stories? People claim to have seen his ghost in or near the home which is located in the Bronx. It was moved from its original nearby location.

The Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan is famous for two things. The first is the group of writers and actors who meet there and are known as the Algonquin Round Table. The Second thing it is famous for is its ghosts. Dorothy Parker was a founding member of the group. One day in 1932 while inside the hotel she decided to commit suicide, but failed. She died in 1967 and since then many people have claimed to have seen her ghost.

There are plenty of other places known to be haunted in the city such as the Dakota, White Horse Tavern and others. Maybe one of these days I will take up this subject again.