One resident made it a point to record her experiences in the home in great detail.Īctress Jan Bartell, and her husband, moved into an apartment in 14 west 10th in 1957. In total, 22 spirits have been reported in the home. They also reported a child, a woman in white, and a grey cat, among others. Residents reported seeing Twain in a white suit walking up and down the main staircase. Of course, more apartments mean more opportunities for haunted fun. Greenwich Village was as hopping back then as it is today. In the 1930’s, the interior of the brownstone was converted into ten separate apartments. When asked what he was doing there, Twain said simply said, “I got problems here I got to settle.” One resident even claimed to see Twain sitting by a windowsill, looking wistfully out to the quiet Greenwich streets. According to decades of reports, Twain is the most active spirit of 14 west 10th, despite only living at the residence for a year and dying in Connecticut. Mark Twain, the rodent marksman himself, probably wouldn’t respond if I asked his spirit what the deal was. Even if they exist in spirit form, I doubt they’d answer my question. Sadly, none of my questions will ever be answered because most folks from that era are long gone by now. This story has me asking, “Did everyone grab a gun when they thought they saw a rat back then?” but it also has me asking, “Did Mark Twain shoot a ghost? Can a ghost bleed from a gunshot wound?” No person or animal was found in the house after the incident, but Twain insisted it was a rat. The kindling fell to the floor and was surrounded by several drops of blood. One story passed down through the ages claims Twain shot at a piece of kindling that was moving on its own near the fireplace. Twain lived in the house from 1900-1901 and, even though he experienced several unexplained events, he refused to believe the place was haunted. Mark Twain is maybe the most famous resident, both when he was alive and as a spirit. This kept many people from even entertaining the idea of living there until 1900. There was even a rumor that a demon dwelled in the home. Slowly, reports of ghosts started to pop up as residents kept coming and going. Though they left after only a few years, they had nothing but good things to say about the home, commenting on how modern it was and how nice it was to be near the park. Said residents were James Boorman Johnson and his wife. Several founding members of NYC’s Underground Railroad were among the first residents. In the early days of the house, everything seemed normal for the families that lived there. The events that created the spirits were sometimes so horrific, the home has been dubbed “The House of Death.” Perhaps they even inspire future tragedies. However, like many places with a tragic past, spirits have settled into the home and torment the residents there. Mark Twain even lived in the home for a year. It’s a nice house in a nice neighborhood, so people have occupied it since it was built in the 1850’s. One such idyllic place is 14 West 10th Street, a townhome between 6th and 7th avenue in Greenwich Village. Even in the most idyllic places, unspeakable horror can rear its ugly head over and over again. It’s natural for tragic events to occur in such a place. New York City has a long history and huge population.
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