Haunted Places in Manhattan, New York



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    The Dakota

    New York, New York

    0.7 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The Dakota is famous for many things, including being the place where John Lennon was assassinated. Lennon's ghost, another spirit of a sweet little girl, and a third ghost of a grown man with a little boy's face, all have been seen here at different times. The space is also ...


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    Hotel des Artistes

    New York, New York

    1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Valentino is said to be the resident ghost here. He is said to occasionally flit by mirrors and you can smell his exotic cologne. The building is no longer an operating hotel but reports say it still stands.


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    57 West 57th Street

    New York, New York

    1.4 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    If walls had ears and mouths, what a tale they could tell about this place. It all started in 1922 when cyclist and spark plug inventor Albert Champion married young showgirl Edna Crawford. Shortly thereafter she began an affair with Frenchman Charles Brazelle, who is believed to have murdered Champion ...


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    The Octagon

    New York, New York

    1.5 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The Octagon was built over the site of an old mental asylum known for an expose done by Nellie Bly; she uncovered a cruel system that would eventually lead to a reform in the mental health system, but it doesn't change what has happened prior. The asylum was changed into ...


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    Friars Club

    New York, New York

    1.6 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Featured on an episode of TV's Ghost Hunters, the Friars Club is believed by some to be haunted by vaudeville performer Al Kelly, who died of a heart attack in the dining room in 1966. Knocks and other strange sounds, plus doors that open and close by themselves, have been ...


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    Palace Theater

    New York, New York

    1.9 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    In 1913, Palace Theater opened as a vaudeville show place featuring the time's top stars. Some who have graced its stage include Jack Benny, George Burns, Bob Hope, Ethel Merman, Irving Berlin, Helen Keller, Sophie Tucker, Harry Houdini and Fanny Brice. It is said to be haunted by tightrope walker ...


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    Belasco Theatre

    New York, New York

    2.1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Above the Belasco Theatre, former owner David Belasco and his partner, aka the Blue Lady, used to live in an apartment. He died in 1931, but his spirit, as well as that of the Blue Lady, still resides here, according to witnesses. Their apparitions have been seen onstage while performances ...


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    The Algonquin Hotel

    New York, New York

    2.1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    A famous literary hotspot for a collective of artists and authors' known for their vicious wit and referred to as the Round Table during the 20's, many luminaries lunched daily at the ALgonquin and many keep coming back even after their death to continue the good times and good conversations. ...


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    New Amsterdam Theatre

    New York, New York

    2.2 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    New Amsterdam Theatre is said to be haunted by actress Olive Thomas, who was in Paris on her second honeymoon in 1920 when she accidentally took her husband Jack Pickford's mercury bichloride pills, prescribed for his syphilis. Her ghost is said to appear at the theater where she once worked, ...


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    The Campbell Apartment

    New York, New York

    2.2 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Campbell Apartment was once the office of Credit Clearing House president John Campbell, and is now a cocktail bar in Grand Central Terminal. It is believed to be haunted by Mr. Campbell himself, who died in 1957. Witnesses, patrons and employees alike, say something unseen has tapped them on the ...


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  • Ghosts of Manhattan
    Tara Leigh Parks
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    Renwick Smallpox Hospital

    New York, New York

    2.2 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Renwick was used as a location to treat smallpox patients, but 13,000 lost their lives here before being dumped into the bay. The building was abandoned in the 1950's and is now thought to be a dangerous place, often used as a drug den. For those who are brave enough ...


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    Old River Road

    Edgewater, New Jersey

    2.4 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Ghostly Leni Lenapi Indians are said to walk along the Old River Road, perhaps coming from the nearby 1400s Native American burial ground.


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    Empire State Building

    New York, New York

    2.6 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Around a dozen suicides have taken place here, plus an additional 14 died when a plane crashed into the building in 1945. People have witnessed a woman dressed in a 1940's suit leap off of the building; it is said her husband died in World War II. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)


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    City College of New York

    New York, New York

    2.6 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Many ghosts are said to have haunted the City College of New York. From as far back as the 1920s, witnesses have seen apparitions of former students and professors. Among those seen have been a student who died in 1918, apparitions wearing clothing from the 1960s or 1970s, and a ...


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    Museum of the Moving Image

    Manhattan, New York

    2.9 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The Museum of the Moving Image, dedicated to movie and TV media, is said to be haunted. An apparition of an African-American woman in a white dress has been spotted along with footsteps that seem to come from nowhere. The deep voice of a man has been heard here as ...


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    Paddy Reilly's Music Bar

    New York, New York

    3 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Paddy Reilly's is haunted, according to witnesses. After the bar is closed, voices can be heard, bottles break and glasses move. There have also been many shadows and apparitions, including one riding a bicycle. I guess it just proves that spirits like their... well, spirits. The site has been featured ...


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    Hotel Chelsea

    New York, New York

    3.1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    There is no way to list all the famous people who are attached to or have stayed at the Hotel Chelsea. A veritable palace of bohemia indulgence, the creativity, sexy and above all drugs that soaked the halls of the Chelsea would be enough to have you seeing ghosts, even ...


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    Brittany Hall - NYU

    New York, New York

    3.8 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    NYU's Brittany Hall dormitory, originally the Brittany Hotel, was built in 1929, and has had some private residents: actor Al Pacino and journalist Walter Winchell. Its penthouse was used as a speakeasy, and phantom parties are still heard coming from the upper floors. Witnesses described footsteps and music along with ...


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    Jefferson Market Library

    New York, New York

    3.8 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    A friendly woman catches people's attention, waves at them and smiles, then disappears. Other figures have been seen on the balcony, but remain unexplained. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)


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    House of Death

    New York, New York

    3.8 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The tale of this house is told in the 1974 book "Spindrift: Spray From a Psychic Sea" by actress-turned-psychic Jan Bryant Bartell. According to her, many people died under mysterious circumstances at this haunted place. Among the ghosts who are said to haunt the place are author Mark Twain, who ...


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    Morris-Jumel Mansion

    New York, New York

    3.8 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Morris-Jumel Mansion, some say, is haunted by the ghost of Eliza Jumel, by a grandfather clock that talks, and by a Hessian soldier that comes out of a painting a la the Harry Potter books. The mansion was built in 1765 by Roger Morris, a British Army colonel, and was ...


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    St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery

    New York, New York

    3.8 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    St. Mark’s Chruch in-the-Bowery, second-oldest church in Manhattan, is said to be haunted by cantankerous Dutch colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant. The church was built over the former site of his family’s farm, and his peg-legged ghost has heckled clergymen and parishioners, rung church bells, and even interrupted church services with ...


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    12 Gay Street

    New York, New York

    3.9 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    It's a historic brick townhouse, built in 1827, and it was once a speakeasy called Pirate's Den. So of course, it has to have a ghost! The townhouse has been home to former New York City mayor Jimmy Walker and Howdy Doody puppet designer Frank Paris. The ghost's identity is ...


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    White Horse Tavern

    New York, New York

    3.9 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The ghost who haunts White Horse Tavern is said to be none other than renowned poet Dylan Thomas, who died in 1952 after drinking 18 whiskey shots and collapsing into a coma. He died the next morning at St. Vincent's hospital, but he still has his own table at the ...


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    Hangman’s Elm - Washington Square Park

    New York, New York

    4 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Washington Square Park was a site used for corporal punishment in the 19th century. Convicted criminals were hanged, and even buried here. Rumor has it that it was previously an Indian burial ground as well, so its likelihood for hauntings is higher than most places. Witnesses have described apparitions hanging, ...


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    One if by Land, Two if by Sea

    New York, New York

    4 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    One if by Land, Two if by Sea is a restaurant that was formerly a carriage house was once owned by vice president Aaron Burr. The haunted eatery is said to have 20 ghosts, including Burr’s daughter Theodosia, whose apparition has been spotted in the mezzanine. Witnesses have heard the ...


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    Furman Hall

    New York, New York

    4.1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    When Furman Hall at NYU was constructed, much of Edgar Allan Poe's former home was demolished. According to reports, the only portion of the home original on this site is the staircase bannister. Students have been startled to see an apparition of Poe himself climbing the staircase.


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    Merchant's House Museum

    New York, New York

    4.1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Merchant's House Museum is said to be haunted by the Tredwell family, who lived here for nearly a century. Gertrude Tredwell, who was born in an upstairs bedroom in 1840 and lived here until she died at age 93, is believed to be one of its ghostly residents. Witnesses have ...


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    Ghost of Firefighter Schwartz

    New York, New York

    4.1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Author and TV personality Anderson Cooper is said to own this former fire station that was converted into a home. Firefighters who lived and worked here before the building was converted say it is haunted by the ghost of a firefighter named Schwartz who, distraught after learning of his wife's ...


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    Il Buco

    New York, New York

    4.2 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Edgar Allan Poe may haunt Il Buco, which once was a favorite tavern of Poe's. Its 200-year-old wine cellar, some say, was the inspiration for the tale "The Cask of Amontillado." Apparitions of a fighting couple have been seen, a disembodied baby cry has been heard, and more strange things ...


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    Manhattan Bistro

    New York, New York

    4.5 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Manhattan Bistro is rumored to be haunted because of a murder and a well. It was near here that in 1799, Gulielma Elmore Sands left to elope with her secret lover, Levi Weeks, but her body was found strangled in a nearby well. Weeks was accused of the crime, but ...


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    McCaren Park

    Manhattan, New York

    4.5 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    A pool in McCarren Park has caught the attention of paranormal fans. When McCarren Park opened the giant pool in 1936, it had a capacity of 6,800. It recently reopened after being closed for over 30 years, and is rumored to be haunted by an invisible little girl. Cold spots, ...


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    Arthur's Tavern

    Hoboken, New Jersey

    4.5 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    At Arthur's Tavern, three spirits are said to lurk. Employees say they've heard footsteps and seen lights come on and off or flicker and door open by themselves. There also have been reports of a clipboard flying off of a desk, ghostly whispers, and someone's hair being pulled by something ...


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    The Brass Rail

    Hoboken, New Jersey

    4.6 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The Brass Rail restaurant is known for its hauntings. Legend has it that in 1904, a bride who was just married tripped at the top of the spiral staircase, broke her neck, and died. The groom shortly thereafter hanged himself in an adjacent room. The bride, groom, and even some ...


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    Ear Inn - James Brown House

    New York, New York

    4.6 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The Ear Inn, once known as the Green Door (its nickname during the Prohibition), was a late-18th-century home originally constructed for James Brown, an African-American and George Washington's aide during the Revolution. Over the years after that, the building housed a bar, dining room, Prohibition speakeasy, boarding house, smuggler’s den ...


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    Most Holy Trinity Church

    Manhattan, New York

    5.4 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Most Holy Trinity Church is housed in an 1880s building. Its school building was built atop a former cemetery, and is rumored to be haunted by some of the folks whose bodies weren't moved before the construction: Lights go on and off in the school gym, voices come from seemingly ...


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    St. Paul's Chapel

    New York, New York

    5.5 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    St. Paul's Chapel is New York's oldest public building that is still in use, and is the burial place for British actor George Frederick Cooke. Legend has it that to settle his towering debt, he agreed to leave his head to science. So, since his 1812 death, his ghost is ...


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    Bridge Cafe

    New York, New York

    5.5 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The Bridge Café dated back to 1794, and folks said it was haunted, as evidenced by footsteps and unexplained aromas. However, reports say it was damaged in Superstorm Sandy and is now closed.


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    Lefferts-Laidlaw House

    Manhattan, New York

    6.2 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The 1840 Greek Revival house is said to have been haunted since the 1800s. According to the story, it was December 1878 when resident Edward F. Smith answered a knock at his door, but no one was there. Still, the knocking kept on, along with rattling of the doors and ...


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    Fordham University

    Manhattan, New York

    6.8 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Ghostly activity abounds at Fordham University. Sources say dozens of ghosts reside here, perhaps because it was built on the site of an old hospital. Among the eerie things reported here: In the Administration Building, the phantom smell of cigar smoke has been noted in the halls. At Collins Auditorium, ...


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    Saint John Cemetery

    Manhattan, New York

    7 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    St. John Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York State, and is the final resting place of several famous people, including Geraldine Ferraro, Lucky Luciano and John Gotti. Some also say its home to a few not-so-restful spirits. Visitors frequently complain about strange sounds coming ...


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    Park Lane

    Carlstadt, New Jersey

    7.5 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    In the town of Calrstadt, NJ, a cobblestone road on Park Lane is believed to be a meeting place for Ku Klux Klan members a long time ago. A tunnel is buried between the trees and wells which led to the meeting spot of the members. This would be under ...


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    The Virginia Tavern

    Jersey City, New Jersey

    7.8 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    The Virginia Tavern has more than just the drinking kind of spirits, according to witnesses. They have seen apparitions and beer cans flying off shelves, have been touched by something unseen, and have detected strange odors and cold spots.


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    Abandoned Factory on Herman Street

    East Rutherford, New Jersey

    8.1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Local legend has it that a ghost who haunts the abandoned factory will chase away curious passersby who peek into the factory's windows.


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    Hazel Towers

    Manhattan, New York

    8.1 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    There isn't a lot of detail available about this alleged haunting. Just that certain apartment dwellers at Hazel Towers swear the place is haunted, and that the spirits inside aren't good-intentioned.


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    Litchfield Villa

    Manhattan, New York

    8.2 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    A seance was held in an effort to communicate with a dead civil war soldier. There was a lot of weird stuff happening at the seance, including flickering lights, shaking plates, sulfur smells, demons and things like that. A few days later, demons appeared in the shape of glowing gargoyles ...


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    Van Cortlandt Park

    Manhattan, New York

    9 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Van Cortlandt Park is thought to be haunted. Witnesses say dolls walk, doors close, whispers come from nowhere, and apparitions abound here in the Bronx’s oldest building, Van Cortlandt House. The park, back in 1778, was the site of the Stockbridge Indian Massacre, when British soldiers hunted and killed nearly ...


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    Bayside Cemetery

    Manhattan, New York

    9.3 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    At the historic Jewish Bayside Cemetery, witnesses describe strange things that happen in the night: a feeling of being watched, the odor of decay, and even apparitions. However, reports say the cemetery is closed daily at 4 p.m. due to rampant vandalization.


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    Steuben House

    River Edge, New Jersey

    9.6 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Steuben House is a historic Revolutionary landmark. George Washington was headquartered here for 16 days in 1780. But it's also known for a ghost who visited in 1951. Former resident Gen. F.W.A. Von Steuben, according to legend, paid a visit to his former home, sitting in a chair and having ...


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    FDNY EMS Training Academy - Fort Totten

    Manhattan, New York

    10 miles from the center of Manhattan, NY

    Fort Totten, named after Brigadier General Joseph Gilbert Totten and built in the 1800s, is the headquarters of the U.S Army Reserves 77th Division and the Statue of Liberty Division. It is said to be haunted by multiple apparitions, a voice speaking a foreign language, a woman's voice in the ...


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