The day of the dead is almost upon us and if you want to catch a glimpse of a friendly (or not so friendly) ghost, try one of these local spots:
Photo courtesy St. Charles Cellar website
St. Mazie’s
The jazz music and cocktails conjure up more than just the living. The basement of St Mazie Bar & Supper Club was a speakeasy during prohibition, and some of the regulars refuse to leave nearly a century later. The staff regularly encounters paranormal activity, including breaking glasses and mysteriously moving chairs, and even caught some of the action on camera. If you want to check it out for yourself, stop by the Supper Club this Wednesday for a prix fixe dinner and screening the silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Calligaria. RSVP at [email protected] if you dare.
Photo courtesy of McCarren Park Pool
McCarren Park Pool
The McCarren Park Pool was originally opened by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses in 1936 along with ten other public pools across the city. It was a hot spot for some time, but with all things, it slowly lost its luster, began attracting a rough and rowdy crowd, and finally closed in 1984. Before the renovations, there were a few drowning deaths in the pool’s hayday and the screams of a little girl are still said to be heard on summer nights. According to Paranormal NYC, an EMF detector picked up activity and drastic drops in temperature and orbs were seen in photographs. Good thing it’s fall now.
Photo courtesy of Barcade
Barcade
At Barcade, there might be more ghosts than just those on the Ms. Pacman screen. The bar is built on top of what used to be the Old Methodist Burying Ground, which spanned two blocks between Union and Lorimer and Devoe and Powers. The cemetery was the resting place for more than 30,000 bodies until 1856, when the bodies were moved to Cyprus Hills Cemetery. However, legend has it that not all the bodies were transported to the new location and a few souls remain.
Photo courtesy of Most Holy Trinity
Most Holy Trinity Church
A number of deaths have occurred on the grounds of Most Holy Trinity Church. Most gruesome was the murder of George Stelz, parish sexton and bell ringer, in the vestibule of the church in 1897. His blood and the bloody handprint of his murderer are said to have been seen still dripping from the wall and stairwell leading to the bell tower. Stelz has been seen roaming the building and still rings the bell tower as a reminder of his untimely exit.
I worked at St. Mazie’s for about seven months and I can say there is “something” going on there. Out of the corner of my eye, when all or most of the customers have left, I’d see “something” out of the corner of my eye. Like shadows moving about. Very strange.
I also worked at St Mazie for an extended time and agree with the other commenter 100%. I regularly saw movement out of the corner of my eye. What convinced me the most was the chills from head to toe that would occasionally cause my eyes to well up and start crying for no reason. Have to experience it to believe it.