The 10 Most Haunted Spots in New York City

INSIDER TIPSome of the following places may be closed to the public or require admission or a service fee, but they can all be viewed respectfully from the outside.

In the East Village, one of Manhattan’s oldest churches sits on what was a large farm owned by Petrus Stuyvesant. More commonly known as Peter Stuyvesant, this Dutchman is a significant figure in early New York City history. When New York was originally known as New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant was the city’s director-general before its takeover by the British. After his death, his heirs sold his land to an Episcopal church.

Stuyvesant, who is buried onsite at today’s St. Marks-in-the-Bowery Church, is linked to a tale involving a church sexton’s terrifying encounter with his ghost late one night. It was also possible to hear the thumping sound, associated with his peg leg, of him roaming around the property.

Peter’s legend was featured in a book called The Ghost of Peg-Leg Peter and Other Folk Tales of New York. Nowadays, at the church, you’ll see Stuyvesant’s commemorative stone and bust.

New York City has noted cemeteries such as The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn and Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, and Queens is a key part of the city’s Cemetery Belt. Yet some NYC public parks were once burial grounds, too, and Washington Square Park in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village is one of them.

When a yellow fever epidemic hit the city in the late 18th century, public officials turned the eastern two-thirds of this park into a mass gravesite. Approximately 20,000 people were buried in this former potter’s field. Later, as businesses and private residences developed more in this area, the interments ended.

This now popular hangout spot later became a military parade ground and then a public park in 1827. In recent years, a three-phase project was conducted for archaeological testing and monitoring of this burial site.

Also in Greenwich Village, the address of 14 West 10th Street is linked to a troubled past. This Greek Revival townhouse near Washington Square Park has witnessed many occurrences and residents.

Mark Twain resided between 1900 and 1901, and his brief stay is acknowledged with an outside historical marker. In 1957, writer Jan Bryant Bell moved into an apartment on the top floor of the building and was reported to have encountered a great deal of paranormal activity, such as seeing Twain’s ghost. She penned her experiences in her 1974 book, Spindrift: Spray from a Psychic Sea.

Sadly, a horrific real-life event happened here in 1987, resulting in the conviction of Joel Steinberg, in the brutal death of his illegally adopted daughter, Lisa Steinberg.

Based along the western stretch of Spring Street, The Ear Inn is one of NYC’s oldest operating bars. Built around 1770, this two-story brick house was originally owned by James Brown, a Black tobacconist and an aide to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. He’s among those depicted in the famous Washington Crossing of the Delaware painting.

Over time, this once harborside tavern catered to sailors and longshoremen. In the late seventies, the current ownership took over and, due to the building’s historic landmark status, partly covered up its BAR sign to give it its current name.

It still has a longtime patron. A ghostly character referred to as Mickey is believed to be a sailor still waiting for his clipper ship to come in. Some versions of the story say that Mickey was fatally hit by a car or passed away while seated on his barstool.  

This West Village restaurant gets high reviews as a romantic dinner spot, but it also has a fascinating and lingering history. It began as a former carriage house and accompanying barn that former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr once owned. Burr lost the property following his infamous duel with Alexander Hamilton. The carriage house went on to have different purposes over the years until it became a restaurant, where it has been reported to have some paranormal activity. A 2011 Eater article cited that multiple ghosts were believed to have a presence there.

It’s been thought that, among Burr and others, Burr’s daughter, Theodosia Burr Alston, might be making herself known through mischievous acts. Theodosia, who was lost at sea, is said to swipe earrings away from diners. Non-Burr related sightings are said to involve a woman dressed in a black gown and a blacksmith.

This circa 1880 tavern in Greenwich Village has a storied past, starting as a longshoremen’s bar but became a hangout spot for writers, intellectuals, and artists largely in the fifties. It’s more so haunted by a sad story than a lingering spirit.

One of the tavern’s frequent patrons was the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who historically had his last call at the tavern. He allegedly drank 18 shots of whiskey there on a night in November 1953. Thomas then went back to his room at the Hotel Chelsea (also the site of the death of Nancy Spungen by her boyfriend, Sid Vicious), but his health took a sharp turn. He was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where he passed away.

The White Horse Tavern is more so a pilgrimage site for Thomas fans with this literary customer remembered with a large portrait.

Constructed in 1832, this brick and marble row house in Manhattan’s NoHo neighborhood was a longtime family residence in which all its occupants never seemed to have left.

Built by Joseph Brewster, a hatter and real estate speculator, the house was sold to a merchant named Seabury Tredwell, who lived here with his wife, Eliza, their eight children and four Irish servants for almost a century. The youngest daughter, Gertrude, passed away in 1933.

Each October, this home turned museum presents an exhibition exploring death and mourning customs of the 19th century, including a funeral scene in the parlors and a deathbed scene in an upstairs bedroom. At least eight family members died in the house between 1835-1933, including Gertrude.

Their Candlelight Ghost Tours share ghost stories from the museum’s history as well as the results of 15-plus years of paranormal investigations there.

This grand hotel near Times Square has a longtime lobby cat and is associated with the Algonquin Round Table, where a group of writers and tastemakers regularly gathered.

One member was writer Dorothy Parker, who became a debated subject about having a ghostly presence. Around a decade ago, the Dorothy Parker Society held a paranormal investigation on the matter to review possible evidence. However, it seems that the writer has since moved on.

According to the society’s founder, Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, Parker’s earthly remains were brought back from Baltimore to New York City in August 2020. She was then given a proper internment in Woodlawn Cemetery, amongst her relatives on her birthday.

Today, you can envision Parker while dining at The Algonquin Hotel’s restaurant, named for this round famous table. An associated sadness involved the death of cabaret singer Sylvia Syms, who died in 1992 shortly after her show there.

This Theater District venue is home to Disney’s Broadway productions, but its history dates back to 1903. It once featured The Ziegfeld Follies, a series of extravagant stage revues by Broadway showman Florenz Ziegfeld. Yet a Ziegfeld performer named Olive Thomas is lurking around.

In 1920, this stage beauty died from accidental mercury poisoning while honeymooning in Paris with her second husband, Jack Pickford. At their hotel, Thomas reportedly was looking for a sleeping tonic and mistakenly ingested a toxic solution.

The New Amsterdam Theatre must have been her happy place. Apparently, in 1997, an overnight security guard saw a woman in a green-beaded gown walk across the stage, blow him a kiss, and pass through a wall.

In response to various happenings, Thomas’ photograph was placed at every theater entrance and exit. A staff tradition of blowing a kiss and saying, “Goodnight, Olive,” upon leaving the building started.

We would be amiss if we did not include the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the oldest surviving residence in Manhattan with a fascinating backstory.

Built in 1765, this mansion in Washington Heights was built for the Morris family. During the American Revolutionary War, the property would be used by General George Washington as a headquarters for the Continental Army and then taken over by British military and Hessian troops.

French wine merchant Stephen Jumel and his wife Eliza bought the home in 1810, but after Jumel’s death, Eliza married Aaron Burr in July 1833. She filed for divorce four months later—because of his spending her wealth—that was granted on the day Burr died.

Over time, the Morris-Jumel Mansion gained a reputation for being haunted through stories about strange noises and sightings. Today, this historic venue’s event calendar features paranormal programming, including historical investigations with EMF detectors and candlelight ghost tours.