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 five years later at a hotel in Paris. Edna and Brazelle claimed Champion died of natural causes and pocketed his fortune, using it to buy the penthouse at 57 West 57th Street. But the jealous and bad-tempered Brazelle kept Edna a prisoner here, and ended up beating her to death with a telephone. Her bodyguards then tossed Brazelle out the window. After the penthouse stayed empty for several years, it was rented by one Carlton Alsop, who was plagued by violent images and the ghostly sounds of arguments and of Edna’s high heels. But wait! There’s more… and it sounds a bit like a country song. Because of his declining mental state due to the relentless hauntings, poor Alsop’s wife left him, his dogs had nervous breakdowns, he had himself committed to a mental institution.
57 West 57th Street
The Dakota
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 known for being in Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror classic “Rosemary’s Baby.”
Morris-Jumel Mansion
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 used as a military headquarters for both sides of the American Revolution. In fact, it was to here that George Washington retreated after the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776. In 1810, Stephen Jumel and his wife Eliza moved here, but Eliza was remarried in 1832 to Alexander Hamilton assassin and former VP Aaron Burr after her former husband perished by mysterious circumstances. It is her ghost that was allegedly seen in the 1960s by a touring group of schoolchildren. So the story goes, the children were behaving a little too boisterously for the solemn surroundings; the ghost told them to quiet down and then simply floated away.
The Campbell Apartment
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 shoulder, and some also have described organ music, gusts of cold air that come from nowhere, and doors that close by themselves.
Herringbone
Former owner C. Arnholt Smith, aka “Mr. San Diego,” is believed to haunt Herringbone. Smith was a businessman and the first owner of the San Diego Padres. He used this property as a car dealership and then a wine business run by his son in the 1970s, but the building was vacant for many years after that. When Herringbone finally bought it in 2010, it was determined that a spirit was here, seen as a shadowy figure. Employees say the ghost is friendly, and when they see an empty stool by the bar, they may even leave a drink, just in case the ghost is thirsty.
Julep’s
Julep’s is a restaurant now, but in 1826 it was the weapon shop where Daniel Denoon, an apprentice gunsmith, was shot to death by shop owner James McNaught. Denoon’s ghost is said to have inhabited the restaurant ever since 2003, when the new owners began a remodeling project that turned the stairs Denoon fell down when he died into a storage closet. Thumps and noises have come from the closet ever since.
Il Buco
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 have happened here as well.
Hangman’s Elm - Washington Square Park
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, and even swinging when there is no breeze, from the Hangman’s Elm at the northwest corner of the park. Popular legend tells of one ghost, Rose Butler, who was hanged after being falsely accused of setting fire to the house in which she worked.
University at Albany SUNY
At Mahican Hall on Indian Quad, the ghost of a young girl has been roaming the halls since 1994. And at Pierce Hall on Alumni Quad, the ghost of an unknown woman is said to appear in the halls.
Fordham University
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, a ghostly man has been seen walking the balconies above the stage, and whispers and cold spots also have been detected.
Some students residing at Finlay Hall have awoken screaming when they felt unseen hands clutching their throats.
At Hughes Hall, locked doors swing open and the apparition of a boy shows up in students’ rooms late at night.
At the Martyr’s Court dormitory, the ghost of a young blonde girl has been seen in the shower and the apparition of a man was spotted walking in the halls. Kids’ laughter was heard as well.
At O’Hare Hall, the ghost of a worker who was killed during the building’s construction is said to walk the halls and bang on the walls.
And Keating Hall has seen a lot of activity. In the basement, thought to be built over old morgue tunnels, a security guard saw doors close by themselves and chairs hurl themselves against a wall. On the first floor, which has a display of historical items, witnesses have reported cold spots, shadowy figures and a feeling of being watched. On the third floor, folks have been touched on their shoulder and have seen an apparition. And at the Keating Hall Auditorium, witnesses describe cold spots and a chair that fell down the stairs by itself.
