Manhattan's Old Houses, From Trapdoors to One Ghost Story
Explore furnished rooms and gardens across three historic properties. A candlelight ghost-tour option adds the late-October hook, while the interiors hold stories of Irish servants, Lenape people, Revolutionary War soldiers, and free and enslaved African people.
Historic Rooms and Gardens
East Fourth Street, Preserved
A red-canopied bed anchors one room in this intact 1832 Greek Revival house. You can move through four floors at your own pace, seeing how wealthy merchant-class life included the work of Irish servants. Look for the original hideaway and trapdoor preserved at this documented Underground Railroad site. Its haunting reputation sits alongside death practices and paranormal research. Candlelight ghost tours fit a late-October night out. Self-guided hours run Wednesday to Sunday, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Period Quarters, Garden Setting
Saturday and Sunday are closed. Monday and Tuesday run from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Wednesday runs from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Thursday and Friday run from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. The building operated as the Mount Vernon Hotel from 1826 to 1833. Furnished rooms and exhibitions trace early nineteenth-century New York life. Staff-led tours add historical detail inside the rooms. A quiet garden offers a pause. Admission is 15 dollars.
Upper Manhattan Layers
At 4881 Broadway, this preserved Dutch colonial farmhouse opens its rooms to a wider history than the Dyckman household alone. Self-guided tours address the Lenape, Revolutionary War soldiers, and free and enslaved African people who shaped the property. Outside, porches, picnic benches, a historic garden, and a rebuilt Hessian hut extend the visit. Admission is 3 dollars, or free for Uptown and Bronx residents. Saturday hours are 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
