Pinhole Photograph
The Van Cortlandt house was built in 1748, making it the oldest surviving house in the Bronx. The property served as a plantation, grain mill, and relevant site during the Revolutionary War. From 1698 to 1823, the Van Cortlandt family enslaved Africans on the property, whose labor left a lasting mark on the land. They built roads that are now park trails and dammed Tibbetts Brook to create the mill pond that still exists today. The house stands alone in the vast park, a monolithic structure surrounded by open land. Once a plantation, the property is now a public park enjoyed by the Bronx community, creating an eerie contrast between its past and present.
The Van Cortlandt House
Pinhole Photograph
Today, the High Line is a park sitting above the busy streets of West Side Manhattan, but it was once a freight railroad running at street level along 10th and 11th Avenues. By 1910, over 500 pedestrians had been killed by passing trains, earning the area the nickname “Death Avenue.” Railroad workers known as the West Side Cowboys rode ahead of trains, waving flags to warn pedestrians of their approach. In 1934, the tracks were elevated 30 feet above street level, allowing trains to deliver goods directly to factories and warehouses. As rail use declined with the expansion of the highway system, the railroad was eventually abandoned. The last train ran in 1980. Years later, the abandoned tracks were given a new purpose as a public park, which opened in 2009.
Death Avenue
Instax Photograph
The Merchant House was built in 1832. It was home to a prosperous merchant-class family and their Irish servants for nearly 100 years. The house is a rare survivor of Old New York and still contains the family’s original furnishings and personal belongings. The house was occupied by the Tredwells, a wealthy Manhattan family. The house is primarily haunted by Gertrude Tredwell. She was the daughter who lived, died, and remained in her family home for 93 years.
New research has revealed that the hidden passageway within the Merchant’s House, is an intact site of the Underground Railroad. Today, the museum is fighting nearby construction that could cause irreparable structural damage, or even the collapse of the landmark. This is incredibly concerning.
The Merchant House
Pinhole Photograph
The Dakota is an exclusive apartment building on the Upper West Side, famously known as the former home of John Lennon, and the site where he was murdered in 1980. The building’s architecture and overall shape are highly distinctive, contributing to its eerie and haunting presence.
The Dakota
Pinhole Photograph
In Washington Square Park is where an over 300-year-old English elm, also known as “The Hanging Tree” lives. The tree is associated with public executions that took place during the 18th and through the mid-19th century. The land was used as a burial ground before being transformed into a park. It's estimated that over 20,000 bodies are buried.
Hangman’s Elm
35mm Photograph
Houdini, a legendary escape artist and illusionist, died on Halloween night in 1926, and his wife, Bess, held séances at his grave until her death in 1943.
Houdini’s Grave
35mm Photograph
The Dakota is an exclusive apartment building on the Upper West Side, famously known as the former home of John Lennon, and the site where he was murdered in 1980. The building’s architecture and overall shape are highly distinctive, contributing to its eerie and haunting presence.
Silo City
35mm Photograph
The Dakota is an exclusive apartment building on the Upper West Side, famously known as the former home of John Lennon, and the site where he was murdered in 1980. The building’s architecture and overall shape are highly distinctive, contributing to its eerie and haunting presence.