City Beautiful BLOG

Gertrude Tredwell – The Ghost in Love

29 East Fourth Street

The ghost of Gertrude Tredwell lingers in the house where she was born, died, and had her heart broken to pieces. Gertrude was the youngest daughter of the wealthy hardware merchant Seabury Tredwell. He bought the house in 1835 for his lively household consisting of many children, relatives, and a staff of servants. Gertrude was born in the house in 1840 and was destined to live there until the end of her days.

When she came of age, Gertrude fell in love with a young Catholic man. The choice was rendered unacceptable by her Episcopal family, and her father, Seabury Tredwell, forbade her to marry. Heartbroken, Gertrude swore that if she could not wed her beloved, she would never marry at all. And she never did. . .

She lived in the house where she was born until she took her last breath at the age of ninety-three. She never married and outlived all her family members, staying there alone for 24 lonely years. The house at 29 East Fourth Street is now a Merchant’s House Museum. The elderly woman in a long, brown dress who still wanders about the house is Gertrude Tredwell.

Her story is the story of love.

The Ghosts of the House of Death

14 W 10th Street

This serene-looking brownstone witnessed many deaths. Twenty-two house residents expired while staying there; their spirits had resolved to stick around. Ominously screeching stairs, sudden feelings of dread and cold, translucent female figures in long flowing gowns, and a mysteriously disappearing cat have terrorized residents for years. This supernatural activity was described by Ms. Bartell, a poet, lecturer, off-Broadway actress and a house resident. She lived here in the 1970s and wrote a book describing her life among the ghosts entitled “Spindrift: Spray from a Psychic Sea.” Soon after finishing her book, Ms. Bartell was found dead crossing over to the land of spirits.

The most famous resident ghost is that of Mark Twain, who lived there for a year in 1900. He didn’t die in the house, so his white-haired apparition seems kindly and non-threatening.

Perhaps more shocking than the ghost stories was the horrific murder that actually took place in the house in 1987 when Joel Steinberg, a lawyer who lived here with his girlfriend and two adopted children, beat his six-year-old adopted daughter to death.

This story is about real people, scarier than ghosts.

Theodosia Burr – The Ghost that kept her word

17 Barrow Street, One if by Land, Two if by Sea

One of the most romantic restaurants in the city is haunted. Diners reported flickering lights and glassware shattered for no apparent reason. Some have found their jewelry to disappear. Some felt the unnerving sensation of an invisible hand pushing them. And, of course, there was a spectral figure of a lady cloaked in black lingering on the grand staircase.

What is her story?

This place once belonged to Aaron Burr, one of the founding fathers and a Vise President of the United States. It was his carriage house. Aaron Burr’s wife was ill, and it was his daughter, Theodosia, who became a great support to his father. She was taking care of his estate located nearby and performed the duties of a hostess – usually a wife’s job. The father and the daughter were very close, and when Theodosia got married and moved to South Carolina, they maintained very close contact through letters and visits.

In 1812, Theodosia was on her way to New York from South Carolina to visit her father. The ship carrying her vanished without a trace. At the time, the seas were infested with pirates, so immediately after its disappearance, rumors started circulating that pirates had captured the ship. The image of Theodosia, violated and sold into slavery was so horrible that heartbroken, Aaron Burr refused to accept it. He preferred to believe that his beloved daughter had died in a shipwreck.

It is said that, keeping the word to her father, Theodosia returned to 17 Barrow Street as an apparition. It’s her figure that lingers on the stairs. The ghost of Aaron Burr is still wandering around the Battery Park, looking for his daughter.

Theodosia’s story is that of the daughter’s love and loyalty.

The Gay Street Phantom and The Ghosts who still came to party

12 Gay Street

If you pass by 12 Gay Street and hear music or smell fried onions, it means the ghosts are partying again. They are a jolly bunch, and, I’m guessing, they don’t want to leave since they are having too much fun.

Gay Street, picturesque and secluded, was the perfect location for the theatrical buccaneer-themed Pirate’s Den speakeasy. Among other bons vivants, the Pirate’s Den was patronized by New York’s jolly Mayor Jimmy Walker. Before assuming his mayoral post, Jimmy Walker wrote Broadway tunes, and after, he liked to party all night. He carried scandalous affairs with “chorus girls,” enjoyed libations, and strongly discouraged the police from enforcing Prohibition. Dapper and charming, he was known as the Night Mayor.

For years, people had heard the sounds of clinking glasses at 12 Gay Street and reported cooking smells. The partying crowd — ghostly flappers and dapper gents in cloaks and top hats — seemed translucent. One elegant gentleman has been seen more often than the others. Dapper and refined, the Gay Street Phantom might just be the ex-mayor, Jimmy Walker.

There were no murders here; these ghosts had too much fun to disappear from Gay Street.

Peter Stuyvesant – The Ghost that hates the noise

St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery

One of New York’s oldest ghosts is that of Peter Stuyvesant. Stern and unpopular ruler, he was the last governor of New Amsterdam and was forced to surrender New Netherland to the British — a bitter defeat he carried to the grave. He had a wooden leg, and they called him “Peg-Leg Pete.”

He was bitter in life, and apparently, his disposition did not improve when he turned into a ghost. Peter Stuyvesant was buried in Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, where his apparition has been making appearances. Displeased with the city becoming noisy and disturbing his peace, the grouchy spirit took action. One night, the neighborhood was awoken by the church bell ringing. No one was controlling the bell’s rope— it was moving on its own volition. Later, a piece of rope was found on top of Stuyvesant’s crypt. The ghost never repeated that rope stunt again, but locals claim they can still hear the tapping of his wooden leg echoing through the church. Sometimes, he interrupts services by stomping around and singing Dutch hymns.

When Peter Stuyvesant was alive, this land was a tranquil farmland belonging to his family. Now that it has turned into a bustling part of the city, he cannot get a proper rest that he needs so desperately.

Like many of us, this ghost simply wants peace and quiet.

George Frederick Cooke – A ghost who lost his head

St. Paul’s Chapel cemetery

If you see a ghost looking for its head, it’s George Frederick Cooke, a British actor once hailed as the greatest tragedian of his era. How did he lose his head, and where was he trying to find it?

Cooke’s American tour in 1810 earned him admiration and glowing reviews in the New York press. Alas, he died in 1812, never making it back to England and was buried in St. Paul’s Chapel cemetery. He was a self-destructive alcoholic and was deeply in debt. The story has it that Cooke’s body was decapitated because he had willed his head to science to pay his debts. According to the gory lore, his scull made it to the stage: it had been used as Yoric’s in a production of Hamlet. Cooke’s headless ghost still roams the streets of Lower Manhattan near the theaters where the actor used to perform.

This ghost has a practical goal – who wouldn’t want your head back?

There is also a cautionary tale here: maybe he walks around reminding artsy people that substance abuse can lead to losing your head. Literally.