New York Ghost Ship and Buried Treasure Urban Legends.... Zelana*

Hi everyone,

So lately I have been getting interested in urban legends. Maybe it's the heat wave in New York, we are reaching 87 degrees here today, or the fact that I know summer is on the way, but I have been reading some good stories and I wanted to share a few with everyone! :0)

I live pretty close to NYC, a little north from there, and wanted to share a cool story about Liberty Island and the Hudson River Ghost Ship. Enjoy!

Liberty Island:

There is said to be buried treasure on Liberty Island in New York. Captain William Kidd was captured and hanged for piracy in 1701. Since this event, there has been much speculation that his buried treasure is located on Bedloe's Island, which is present day Liberty Island. Back in the 19th century, two soliders stationed at Fort Wood (the island's tenant before Lady Liberty) decided to search for the treasure. They consulted a psychic who sent them searching for the largest flat rock, at midnight, on a full moon, and with a witch-hazel divining rod. The soliders did as they were told and apparently not only did they find the buried treasure but also a ghost guarding it. The soldiers were so scared they fled at the sight of the ghost but laster returned for the treasure- which was gone. 

The story caught so much attention that, 'The New York Times' published a story about it on August 14, 1892. The story was later retold and featured in a 2005 book titled, Spooky New York, by S.E. Schlosser.

Other people have tried looking for this exact location, the large flat rock, at midnight, on a full moon, and with a witch-hazel divining rod... but no luck.

(image: google/ghostship) 

Ghost Ship on the Hudson River:

Apparently, there was a tall-masted vessel that sailed the Hudson River and was wrecked on rocks near the shore because of a careless crew. It is said that you can still see this ghost ship on foggy days at dusk. Apparently, it also carries the omen that if you see it, do not go on the water that day. The earliest printed tale is from 1894 in a book titled, The Hudson, by Wallace Bruce. Bruce wrote in his book that New York was nothing more than a village at this point, and the townspeople were very excited when an unfamiliar ship approached the shores. But as the ship was moving into shore, it turned and went up the Hudson River, never to return. The captain of the ship is also said to be a female.

It is said that whenever a storm comes, you can still see the ghost ship sailing in Haverstraw Bay (or present day- near the Tapanzee bridge) and if close enough you can hear her giving orders in Dutch.

Well, hope you enjoyed these urban legends as much as I did! I thought it would be fun to share some from my home state. Enjoy!  

(Urban Legend Sources: NYCgo.com/urbanlegends) 

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