Ghosts in Gotham

As any fan of the movie Ghost Busters knows, New York City certainly has its share of spooks. While we can't attest to the presence of Zul and his followers, we have heard numerous tales about spirits who seem unable to rest. The following is our ghostly guide to New York City:

The Morris-Jumel Mansion, the oldest home in Manhattan, is said to be haunted by at least three separate spirits. Eliza Jumel, the one-time wife of Aaron Burr and former mistress of the mansion, is said to wander through the house in a purple dress, rapping on walls and windows. The servants quarters are frequented by the apparition of a young servant girl who supposedly committed suicide by jumping out of a window. And a soldier who served in the American Revolution and is depicted in a painting that hangs in the mansion is said to come alive on occasion.

Downtown at 14 West 10th Street (near Fifth Avenue), is a house supposedly haunted by ghosts of the more than 22 people who have died there. In addition, Mark Twain, who lived in the house from 1900 to 1901, is said to haunt the building's stairwell. Adding to the house's macabre reputation is the fact that Joel Steinberg lived here in 1987 when he was accused of beating 6-year-old Lisa Steinberg to death.

Washington Square Park's hauntings originate from its use as a hanging ground during the American Revolution when people swung from trees that still stand today. The Park also served as a cemetery at one time and still has 15,000 bodies buried beneath its grassy lawn.

The burial ground at St. Paul's Chapel is reportedly frequented by the ghost of George Frederick Cooke, who was buried headless, having pledged his head to science in order to pay doctor's bills (and whose skull was used in multiple performances of "Hamlet"). Cooke's spirit roams through the churchyard in a fruitless search for his missing head.

White Horse Tavern (567 Hudson Street at West 11th Street) is the site of the poet Dylan Thomas' collapse and death, after drinking 18 (some say 19, some say 17) shots of scotch in 1953. His ghost returns to the scene from time to time to rotate his favorite corner table, as Thomas used to do when he was alive.

The Merchant's House Museum (29 East 4th Street in Manhattan) calls itself "Manhattan's most haunted house" and will offer special "Grim, Gruesome & Ghostly Tours by Candlelight" on Thursday, October 25th from 6-10 pm where you can hear ghost storytellers recount true tales of spirited happenings, including the one about Seabury Tredwell who died in the house in 1865.

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