Who’s New York City’s most famous ghost? That would have to be Peg-Leg Peter, known better in life as Peter Stuyvesant, who lost his right leg in a battle in the Caribbean in 1644 and afterwards wore a wooden leg. In later years, Stuyvesant was the Director-General of New Netherland before the English took control of the colony and renamed it New York. Stuyvesant died in 1672 and was buried in a vault near his family’s farmland, which he affectionately referred to as the “Great Bouwerie.” His burial site eventually became St. Mark’s Church, which still stands today. Legend has it that the ghost of old Peg-Leg Peter was often seen roaming around his estate, even more so as residents of New York bypassed his land and moved further north to expand the limits of the city. Evidently, he took great pleasure in stomping about and scaring the wits out of unsuspecting people, particularly if they were English. One night, the ghost got so fed up with people disturbing his grave that he both traumatized the church’s sexton and in the wake of the commotion, furiously rung the bell up in the church’s tower. Reportedly, the brave souls who went to investigate the bell’s tolling found the rope torn, its shortened length far beyond human grasp. Never one to shy away from dramatics, the rest of the rope was later found on his crypt.

The Morris-Jumel Mansion is the oldest house in Manhattan—and one of the most haunted in New York state. Built in 1765, the house has served briefly as the headquarters for General George Washington, and later as a home to Aaron Burr. In 1810, a wealthy French merchant, Stephen Jumel, and his wife, Eliza, purchased the mansion. Stephen died after mysteriously falling from a carriage onto a pitchfork in 1832. Gossip said Eliza had opened up his dressings after the accident and watched him bleed to death. A popular rumor of the time was that she buried Stephen alive. Shortly after his death, Eliza married former Vice President Aaron Burr. Burr died three years later on the exact day their divorce was granted. Jumel continued to live in her mansion until she died at age 90. Today, people have claimed to see apparitions of all sorts in the mansion. A crowd of noisy kids visiting the Jumel Terrace building were once shushed by a mysterious woman standing at a balcony—who they swore looked just like Eliza. Some reportedly see the ghosts of Revolutionary soldiers, George Washington, and Aaron Burr. Others report seeing Stephen Jumel—clutching his bloody bandages.

Edgar Allan Poe, master of the macabre, lived at a 19th-century farm cottage, now among one of New York City's spookiest destinations. He actually lived in multiple sites around the city, but his permanent residence was in the Bronx at Poe Cottage. In 1844, Poe moved in with his wife, Virginia, hoping that the quiet cottage would help her recover from tuberculosis. Poe wrote some of his most famous works in the cottage, including “Annabel Lee,” “Eureka,” and “The Bells.” Virginia died in the cottage in 1847, catapulting Poe into a deep depression. It was said he spent wintry nights crying over her grave in the family vault. He remained on at the cottage, continuing to write into the early hours.

Spooky season trips to Roosevelt Island are not for the faint of heart. Located in the East River, it was formerly called Blackwell's Island—and nicknamed Welfare Island—before being renamed Roosevelt Island in 1973. In the past, the city built a number of institutions on the island, including a prison, an insane asylum, and hospitals. Some hospitals remain, but the island began to be developed for residential use in 1968. The island's Smallpox Hospital served victims of the disease from 1856-1886, many of whom were recent immigrants. It’s alleged that around 30,000 people died at the hospital and spirits still haunt the area. Another haunted site on the island is the Octagon. Now part of a residential building, it opened in 1839 as the New York City Lunatic Asylum, the city’s first mental institution. Patients faced conditions so abysmal that journalist Nellie Bly referred to the place as “a human rat trap” in her 1887 expose “Ten Days in a Mad-House.”

The Merchant’s House Museum claims the title of “Most Haunted House in Manhattan.” Wealthy merchant Seabury Treadwell bought the home in 1835, and the Treadwell family lived there for nearly 100 years. Some of the family never married and lived there for their entire lives. The youngest, Gertrude Treadwell, was born in the house in 1840 and died there in 1933. Legend has it that Seabury prevented Gertrude from marrying her true love, which may explain why she remained in the house over the years. The home became a museum in 1936 and was landmarked in 1965. Over the years, visitors noticed strange temperature changes, disembodied voices, sounds of parties heard from the street, and alleged ghost sightings. The most popular sighting is of a woman in a brown dress moving about inside the house—believed to be the ghost of Gertrude Tredwell.

The deceased don’t always rest in peace. Half a million ghosts await in Brooklyn's famed cemetery, which contains 478 acres of graves and mausoleums. Visitors might see the ghost of Mabel Douglass, a woman who disappeared on Lake Placid before her body was found at the bottom of the lake—completely intact 30 years later.

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of New York’s most iconic architectural triumphs, but it has tragic origins. Over 20 men, including designer John A. Roebling, lost their lives during construction between 1869 and 1883. Only a few days after the bridge’s opening, a stampede of pedestrians trampled and killed 12 people. Today, people occasionally report screams and shouts materializing from nowhere.

The spirit of corrupt politician William “Boss” Tweed allegedly likes to revisit the courthouse where he was sentenced for his crimes. He was sentenced in 1873 and died five years later in prison. People have reported seeing the ghost of Tweed in the courtroom of his sentencing. In one report, night watchmen were so spooked by noises and ghosts that they refused to enter the building.

This Greenwich Village brownstone, known as the “house of death,” is one of the most famous haunted houses in New York City. It’s rumored to be haunted by at least 22 ghosts. Throughout the 20th century, it was the site of several tragic deaths, including a murder-suicide and the murder of six-year-old girl. Author Mark Twain lived in the house from 1900 to 1901 and claimed that he himself had experienced supernatural incidents. His ghost has been said to still wander throughout the stairwell of the home.

Legend says that renowned poet Dylan Thomas spent his final night drinking at the White Horse Tavern in the West Village. Thomas downed 18 shots of whiskey. After leaving, he collapsed and fell into a coma. He was pronounced dead on November 9, 1953, at St. Vincent’s Hospital. Today, his portrait hangs over his favorite table, where staff says he likes to wait for one final whiskey so he can “rage, rage against the dying of the light.”