Interview with a ghost: Exploring hauntings in New York City |
From candlelit mansions to ghostly art tours, the Big Apple is teeming with places that reveal its haunted history.
I'm in the candlelit basement of the historic Morris-Jumel Mansion, trying to convince myself that the chill in the air is from the room's enormous brick fireplace. It's an old one, much like the rest of the 260-year-old house, and large enough to step inside. I'm talking to Isaac who used to be a cook here: "Do you want me to mention you in my story?" I ask aloud.
All of a sudden, the dowsing rods in my hands – two thin metal sticks set inside hollow handles – slowly move towards each other. There's a slight, but distinct, tension on the other end, pushing against the rods until they cross and hold there. Apparently, this is the sign for "yes" – when you're chatting with a ghost.
I'm a cautious believer in the supernatural. I've had enough unexplained experiences in my life that my friendly conversation with ''Isaac'' doesn't entirely surprise me. What does surprise me, however, is where this conversation takes place. New York City might be better known for its skyline than its spirits, yet the city's history stretches back centuries, and traces of its layered past still linger in its oldest landmarks. Exploring them offers visitors an unexpected way to understand New York – not just as a modern metropolis, but as a place forever haunted by its history.
One of New York's most famous haunted landmarks is the Merchant's House Museum, near Greenwich Village. Built in 1832, the building was the Tredwell family's private mansion before being converted into a museum showcasing the life of the wealthy merchant family that helped propel New York City's seaport to become the largest and most important in the US. Ever since, there have been reports of strange happenings inside. Guests and staff have reported objects moving on their own, unexplained cold spots and other phenomena. According to local lore, one day in 1933, Gertrude Tredwell, who lived here her whole life, rushed out onto her stoop to shush some rowdy children – despite having died a few weeks earlier.
The museum embraces its ghostly reputation, offering guided candlelit ghost tours with a paranormal investigator and a podcast, In the Spirit of Science, that explores the many creepy things that have happened at the museum through a scientific lens.
Across the East River in Brooklyn, the 478-acre Green-Wood Cemetery also has no shortage of ghost stories. Once the site of the Revolutionary War's Battle of Long Island in 1776, the sprawling cemetery is now the resting place of artists, politicians, aristocrats and even a few thousand Civil War soldiers – many of whom don't rest easy.
News of the uneasy souls roaming its grounds has spread through countless Reddit threads, YouTube videos and first-person accounts. Visitors have reported disembodied voices, humanoid shadows and even a horse-drawn carriage moving silently amongst the trees. Unlike the Merchant's House, however, the cemetery doesn't promote its supernatural side.........