Ghosts of Manhattan: Legendary Spirits and Notorious Haunts

130 Pages·2009·2.73 MB·English

by  Philip Schoenberg

Praise for Phil Schoenberg’s tour company, Ghosts of New York
“How much do you really know about the city’s spooky side? August
may be the dog days, but in the cool of the evening, you can further
your understanding of olde Gotham with Ghosts of New York Walking
Tours.
The weekly jaunts are filled with tales of skeletons in the Big Apple’s closet…
Channel the spirits of Edgar Allan Poe, Peter Stuyvesant and Harry Houdini…
Discover haunted locales, paranormal occurrences and unexplainable
instances straight out of favorite ghost stories.”
Adrianne Pasquarelli “Things that Go Bump in the Street”

“If you’re too scared to visit New York’s most haunted spots solo, Phil
Schoenberg, a history professor at Queens College, is the man for the job. His
‘Ghosts of New York’ tours offer three area-and ghost-specific tours of the city.”
Gina Salamone
“New York City Is a Ghost Town”
Daily News
March 31, 2009

“I can’t thank you enough for making the Ghost Tour possible for my daughter
and our friends Saturday. Katya was lovely and a fount of information. It was a
chilly day but we were all warmed by her enthusiasm and lively presentation. I
will pass on the good word as often as I can.”
Roma Torre
NY1 News Anchor

“…CUNY professor Dr. Phil Schoenberg offers walking tours of New York’s
most haunted spots, helping you find the friends of Edgar Alan Poe and the
ghosts of Times Square.”
“Answers About Haunted New York”
The City Room
New York Times
October 29, 2007

“I highly recommend Dr. Phil’s Ghosts of New York walking tours. I just took
the one called ‘Peter Stuyvesant and His Ghostly Friends of the East Village’
and found it fascinating…excellent research…facts and stories about not just
Stuyvesant, but John Jacob Astor, Hamilton Fish, Harry Houdini, Joe Papp,
Edgar Allan Poe and other colorful deceased New Yorkers who still unnerve the
living by showing up at the various sites along the tour, which involves a
moderate amount of by no means tiring walking. The personable guide shared
with evident glee her bountiful information about history, literature and, of
course, spooks!”
Marvin Kaye
Ghosts, Haunted America and H.P. Lovecraft’s Magazine of Horror (editor)
Ghosts of Night and Morning (author)

Published by Haunted America A Division of The History Press Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright © 2009 by Dr. Philip Schoenberg All rights reserved
All photographs by Jeffrey Karg unless otherwise stated.
First published 2009
e-book edition 2012
ISBN 978.1.61423.375.6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schoenberg, Philip Ernest, 1948-Ghosts of Manhattan :
legendary spirits and notorious haunts / Philip Schoenberg.
p. cm.
Includes index.
print edition ISBN 978-1-59629-851-4
1. Ghosts--New York (State)--New York. 2. Haunted places--New York (State)--New York. 3. Tales--New
York (State)--New York. I. Title.
BF1472.U6S337 2009
133.109747’1--dc22
2009036410
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without
guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all
liability in connection with the use of this book. The author will be grateful for corrections, additions and
suggestions.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without
prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
articles and reviews.
Firstly, I would like to dedicate this book in honor of my parents, Nettie and
Hyman Schoenberg.
Secondly, I would like to express my appreciation to my speech and vocal coach
who transformed me from a monotone to a polytone.
Thirdly, I would like to dedicate this work to my wonderful corps of tour guides
whom I have trained based on my research and who in turn enriched my study of
ghost lore: Matt Baker, Kathryn Carissimi, Annie Desmond, Jamie Owens,
Gordon Linzner, Katya Schapiro and my nephew Gabriel Schoenberg.
Finally, I would like to thank Caroline Ynez Jova, my NYU history intern (2008–
9), who was the first one to proofread the whole manuscript.
CONTENTS
Foreword, by Lee Gelber
Introduction
Part I. Guide to Knowing Your Ghosts
Types of Ghostly Encounters
Where You Are Likely to Find Ghosts
How Is the Value of a House Affected by the Presence of a Haunting?
The Ten Most Popular Ghosts of New York City
How to Get Rid of Ghosts
Documentation
Part II. Ghostly Neighborhoods and Their Inhabitants
New York Harbor
Financial District
City Hall Tribeca
SoHo
East Village
Greenwich Village
West Village
Chelsea
Flatiron Madison Square
Stuyvesant Square
Gramercy Park
Midtown East
Times Square
Midtown West
Clinton
Upper West Side
Upper East Side
Harlem
Washington Heights
Appendix 1: Greatest Tellers of Ghost Stories
Appendix 2: My Favorite Cinematic Ghost Stories
Ghosts of New York, the Tour