This week’s photo is of the restaurant One If By Land, Two If By Sea, one of New York City’s most famous allegedly haunted places. Located in the West Village and originally built in 1767 as a carriage house, it was purchased by an aspiring politician named Aaron Burr in 1794. Burr would later become the country’s third Vice President. In 1804, Burr abruptly left New York to evade murder charges brought against him after his now infamous duel with Alexander Hamilton in which he shot and killed Hamilton. Following Burr’s departure, the carriage house was sold several times, and was rumored to have become a pub and bordello during the 1830’s. In 1910 it was renovated and became a restaurant, which is still in operation today. It has been widely speculated that the restaurant took its name from a line in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride.” Many people believe Aaron Burr’s ghost still haunts the establishment, and staff there have reported many different kinds of paranormal activity, including picture frames tilting, flickering lights, cool inexplicable drafts near the bar, electronics and machinery starting by themselves, the feeling of being watched, and people being pushed by unseen forces. Besides Aaron Burr’s ghosts, there have been reports of a woman in black who is always seen walking down the staircase, but never up. Legend has it that she broke her neck when she fell down the stairs. There is also apparently a spirit of a man who likes to linger near the fireplace, and the spirit of a Ziegfield follies girl. The staff at the restaurant will still light candles for her. Additionally, women in the restaurant routinely report having their earrings pulled off by a spirit believed to be Burr’s daughter, Theodosia.
All photos in our Photo of the Week series are taken by New York Paranormal Society team member Laura Pennace, who is a New York City wedding photographer specializing in city hall and courthouse weddings, as well as engagement and proposal shoots. You can see more of Laura’s work at Pennace Photography (www.pennacephotography.com)
