New York Ghosts

25. St. Paul's Chapel

New York, NY

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209 Broadway New York, 10007 St. Paul's Chapel is a parish of Trinity Church, and is the oldest church in Manhattan. It was completed in 1766, and became a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The tiny church has a big history, and was even the church George Washington prayed in after his inauguration in 1789. The church survived many disasters over the years, including the Great New York City Fire of 1776 and the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. St. Paul's Chapel sits directly across from Ground Zero, and on 9/11, it suffered no damage, not even a broken window. For eight months afterward, rescue workers slept in the pews, and the front of its iron gates were blanketed with pictures of the deceased and missing, along with roses, teddy bears, and various other items. St. Paul's Chapel also has a small cemetery in the back, and one of the plots belongs to former British actor, George Frederick Cooke. In addition to being an actor, he was also an alcoholic. Thanks to his excessive spending, he racked up a massive amount of debt, which he decided to pay off by donating his head to science after his death. It may have been a wrong move as he's now rumored to haunt the cemetery in search of his missing skull. When you're walking past the cemetery at night, take an extra long look. You may see a headless Mr. Cooke walking around aimless through the headstones looking for his missing body part. Talk about losing your head! Photo Credit: Doug Kerr http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/4890204671/sizes/l/in/photostream/