7 Places to See Ghosts in New York

Want to see ghosts in New York? It’s possible! Here are 7 locations in New York known for being haunted. Bring your camera and listen carefully for every creak.

1/ Merchant’s House Museum

• Just steps from Washington Square Park, Merchant’s House is a 19th-century mansion now open as a museum. You can explore life in New York during that era through its many objects and paintings. You might encounter Gertrude Tredwell: the house’s last resident still enjoys walking through her former home. Here’s a detail in case you see her: Gertrude Tredwell died in 1933 at age 93. Yet her ghost continues to haunt the place.
• Address: 29 East 4th Street.
• Subway: Astor Place.

2/ St. Paul’s Chapel

• In the heart of the Financial District, the cemetery at St. Paul’s Chapel should give you chills. You’ll shiver even more when you learn the cemetery is haunted by the ghost of British actor George Frederick Cooke. This colorful character found an unusual way to pay money he owed his doctors: when he died in 1812, his head was bequeathed to science while his body was buried in the cemetery. Not a peaceful arrangement for his soul. Legend has it that the body wakes at night searching for its head.
• Address: 209 Broadway.
• Subway: Fulton St.

3/ The Ghosts of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery

• This austere church in the East Village, surrounded by a small cemetery, was built in 1795 and is designated a National Historic Landmark. But the church occupies the site of one of the first chapels built by Dutch colonists in 1660. The governor of that time, Peter Stuyvesant, is said to still haunt the place. You can see his tomb near the church.
• Legend tells of other ghosts in the church, including a woman who appears quietly at the back during services. Who is she? No one knows, but several parishioners can tell you about her.
• Address: 131 East 10th Street.
• Subway: Astor Place.

4/ The Chelsea Hotel and Its Ghosts

• Think twice before booking a stay at this hotel in the Chelsea neighborhood. The Chelsea Hotel is known for harboring two ghosts. The first is Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who stayed at the Chelsea Hotel during his visits to New York. In 1953, the poet died at nearby St. Vincent’s Hospital, but he’s said to linger near his former room, 206.
• The second ghost is Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of Sid Vicious, bassist of the Sex Pistols. He killed her during a violent argument while withdrawing from drugs. Since then, Nancy is said to walk the hallways.
• Address: 222 West 23rd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues.
• Subway: 23 St.

5/ The House of Death

• The old building at 14 West 10th Street looks much like the other brick townhouses on this quiet Manhattan street. Yet the house has earned the nickname “House of Death.”
• The house is said to harbor no fewer than 22 ghosts, including that of American writer Mark Twain, who lived here for a year from 1900 to 1901. The New York Post also reports that actress Jan Bryant Bartell and her husband sensed a strange presence shortly after moving in. The actress even wrote a bestselling book about it. Ghosts sell.
• Address: 14 West 10th Street.
• Subway: 9th Street.

6/ The Ear Inn: A Discreet Ghost

• New York has several Irish pubs, like the Dublin House. But here’s one for the bravest among you. Located in SoHo, near the Hudson River, The Ear Inn occupies a 200-year-old building. Most notably, the bar is home to Mickey, a sailor who died in the 1960s after being hit by a car right in front of the pub. But Mickey is a discreet ghost: you’ll know he’s there when the fireplace suddenly ignites.
• Address: 326 Spring Street.
• Subway: Canal St.

7/ Billop House on Staten Island

• Ghosts aren’t only found in Manhattan. Head to the southern tip of Staten Island to discover Billop House, the former residence of British Colonel Christopher Billop during the American Revolution. The house is best known as the site of a failed conference between British representatives and American revolutionaries. It also holds a dark place in history: in 1779, Colonel Billop killed a 15-year-old servant girl accused of spying for the American rebels. The girl’s ghost is said to haunt the place.
• Address: 298 Satterlee Street, Staten Island.
• Subway: Tottenville.