Ghosts of the Upper East Side

History prof. delves into haunted history of neighborhood By [Allen Houston] â??There are ghosts everywhere, Dr. Philip Ernest Schoenberg said. â??And the Upper East Side has just as many as anywhere else. The history professor, dressed in a worn top hat and rumpled coat, stood in the darkening gloom during a recent rainy evening, as he talked through some of the more well-known haunts of the UES. Schoenberg, founder of the Ghosts of New York tour and author of the recent book Ghosts of Manhattan, has been seeking out the haunted by-ways of the city for most of his life. His career as a ghost hunter was born from his love of New York history. â??During research into the city"s history, I discovered many stories of the unexplained, he said. â??In particular, the old newspapers from the turn of the century were full of people"s encounters with ghosts. According to Schoenberg, that"s how it should be. â??New York is a city that"s been through a lot, he said. â??It"s a city that"s grappled with wars, massive tragedies, disease, mayhem, death and everything else that"s made this the greatest place in the world. The Upper East Side has its own fair share in this city â??full of ghosts, according to Schoenberg. So many in fact, that he will soon be launching a â??Haunted Walking Tour of the neighborhood. Gracie Mansion, the Mayor"s home built in 1799, is considered one of the most haunted spots on the UES, according to Schoenberg. The ghost of Elizabeth Wolcott Gracie, who died there in 1819, has been seen on more than one occasion. Another supposedly haunted spot is The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum, at 421 E. 61st St. The hotel, built in 1799,was home to Abigail Adams, the daughter of President John Adams, and her husband. Abigail"s ghost is said to haunt the property, and people have reported hearing strange footsteps as well as other unexplained phenomena. The Vandevroot Sisters, Janet and Rosetta, who lived on the UES, are also said to haunt the neighborhood. The sisters came from a wealthy family and their father told them that he would only allow them to marry when he was sure that the man wasn"t trying to take his money. The two sisters never married, but their ghosts have been reported skating over the iced ponds of southeastern Central Park since the 1860s. Depending on who sees them, the sisters are either young or old. In addition to the ghosts of the famous, there are also those of the lesser known. â??I"m not sure whether it"s because they can"t move on or what causes it, said Schoenberg. The Vaughn College professor hasn"t witnessed any unusual phenomena, though he has encountered strange orb lights in photos taken on some of his tours of haunted spots. â??People tell me all kinds of things, he said. â??Two of the most frequent are that they have pets that won"t go into certain rooms of their apartments or they see weird shadows that can"t be explained inside their homes. I just try and listen and be as respectful as I can. Halloween tends to be the busiest time of year for him. â??There"s no resting, he said. â??I just have to keep in mind that right now, people want less history and more ghost stories during our walks. For more information, visit [www.ghostsofny.com](http://www.ghostsofny.com).