New York City: Ghosts, witches, vampires and Dracula are some things that intrigue curiosity in everyone’s life. There is a constant debate about the existence of ghosts. Many scientists state that there is no proof that ghosts really exist, but many believe that ghosts are real.
Do you know who the famous ghost of New York City is? According to the New York Historical Society, Peg-Leg Peter, known better in life as Peter Stuyvesant, is one of the famous ghosts of the city.
Stuyvesant was the Director-General of New Netherlands before the English took command of the territory and again named it New York. During an assault on a Spanish fort in the Caribbean, a cannonball hit Stuyvesant’s lower right leg. After a gruesome amputation, he was given his famous wooden leg. He died in the year 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. Evidently, he took great pleasure in stomping about and scaring the wits out of unsuspecting people, particularly if they were English.
In addition, 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 rang the bell up in the church’s tower. Reportedly, the brave souls who went to go 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 in his crypt.
