Home | Contest | Write A Book | Write Ebooks For Cash | Be A Travel Writer | Write Children's Books Write For Newspapers | Write An Ezine | Write A Blog | Writing Skills & Tips | Novel Writing Software Please take a moment to bookmark this site and join our free hot tips list. Read & Rate Our Writing Contest Entries! See what other people have written, and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5. This is an opportunity to view a wide variety of short stories and see what kind of original material is being submitted to us on a daily basis. After you rate an entry, you will be randomly redirected to another entry to rate. You may read and rate as many entries as you wish! The user-rating system is simply a fun way for writers to receive a public opinion of their work, and does not affect the judging for the cash prizes. If you wish to enter the contest, you may enter for free here. Rate This Contest Entry: Contest: June 30th, 2005 Author: Adela M. Brito “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…” So begins Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, “The Raven.” This haunting poem was written in 1844, while Poe resided in Greenwich Village. Was it the raven rapping at his chamber door? Or was it the spirit of the mentally ill woman who once was confined to the attic of that townhouse? In a city such as New York, filled with so much history - good and bad, it is no surprise that many claim they have seen the phantoms of their buildings’ previous residents. Especially in lower Manhattan, where numerous writers and historical figures resided during the 18th and 19th Centuries, restless souls seem to roam the dark cobblestone streets, the hallways, and bedrooms in the middle of the night. We’ll begin our search for ghosts directly across from the Poe House on West 3rd Street. Fire Patrol Station No. 2, a Victorian-era building, has a single arched garage door with a bust of Mercury, the messenger of the Roman gods, above it. In the 1930’s, Patrolman Schwartz was completely distraught because of his wife’s infidelity and hanged himself from the fourth floor roof beam of the station house. Even though he intentionally left the land of the living, it seems he had a soft spot for his place of work. Fire Station No 2 patrolmen have seen Schwartz in various areas of the station: the spiral staircase, the sleeping bunks, and the cellar. Coal bins are located in the cellar and it’s there that a young patrolman said he saw a man’s shadowy figure come out from the narrow coal chute, a place too small for a human to fit. After decades of these apparitions, a psychic was brought in to give her professional opinion on the supposedly haunted building. She spent several hours alone upstairs. She later looked at a vintage group photograph on the kitchen wall and pointed at one of the men in the photo, Schwartz. He matched the descriptions given by all the patrolmen who were visited by the former resident of Fire Station No 2. Another ghost who seems to make recurring appearances is that of the American statesman, Aaron Burr. Burr’s achievements were many, including becoming Vice-President, but he is most famous for his dishonorable actions. He was charged with treason and his famous duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804 resulted in Hamilton’s death. His reputation was ruined and during that same year he suffered a great loss when his daughter disappeared at sea. Maybe those unfortunate incidents can explain why his spirit is so restless. Apparent sightings of Burr dressed in period clothing occur around Commerce and Barrow Streets in the West Village. He lived in the area and his horse-drawn carriages were housed on Barrow Street, the current location of the restaurant, One If By Land, Two If By Sea. It seems Burr and his beloved daughter, Theodosia, share some father daughter time there. The sound of dishes breaking, moving chairs, and even earrings being pulled from customers’ ears are among the odd occurrences reported at this dimly lit, romantic restaurant. A female specter seems to be the perpetrator of this last prank. Aaron Burr also owned land close by on West 3rd Street, the current location of New York University dormitories and other buildings. The owner of a café on that street experienced a haunting by a male apparition, wearing a 18th Century-style ruffled shirt, thought to be Mr. Burr. For being over two hundred years old, Aaron sure gets around. Another famous resident of the West Village was Mark Twain. The building where Twain resided, 14 West 10th Street, houses an unfortunate history. Some say Twain’s ghost haunts the building, but it seems unlikely the comical, well-loved writer would have any unfinished business on earth. However, it’s difficult to ignore the tragedies, which occurred at that address. Dennis William Hauck’s Haunted Places describes a form of child torture, which occurred in America before World War II, and apparently took place in this building as well. It is believed the ghosts of murdered children haunt the place. A former tenant of the building, Jan Bryant Bartell, wrote a book, Spindrift, about her ten years at the West 10th building. In it, she tells of her strange feelings and experiences, as well as those of her maid, visitors, and delivery people. She did move out eventually as her health deteriorated, but it seems the gruesome goings-on did not end upon her departure. In 1987, the resident of the third floor apartment, Joel Steinberg, beat his adopted seven-year daughter to death. It’s certainly an unfortunate legacy that resides in this very affluent part of town. Perhaps the place, which holds the most possibilities for being haunted, is Washington Square Park. A frequently visited tourist spot and popular gathering place for students was once a graveyard for poor folk as well as a Native American burial ground. The park was also used for public executions until 1819. The elm tree known as the “Hangin’ Elm” still stands in the park, however, the arm from which the hangings took place was cut off about ten years ago. Were there too many bad spirits hanging around under that arm? Certainly more visions of famous people of the past have been reported, but what can be believed and what can be just lore passed down by residents of old, dark, gloomy, rundown buildings? But seeing how New York is the city of the famous, the infamous, and the place where many go to be forgotten, it is a bit unsettling to think about some of the things that might be keeping the city that never sleeps awake at night. 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