Moravian Cemetery
This cemetery is said to date back to the time original Dutch settlers of the area. Located here is the famous Vanderbilt Tomb. It has been said that many photos taken of people in front of the structure sometimes have an unknown person in the picture with them. Other times, it is said that the pictures will be developed and only the tomb will be there�the people will have disappeared.
I live in Staten Island, and I’ve been there. Its true. I took a picture with my dad and instead of me, some boy around the age of 10 was in it. Pretty creepy. Thought I was going to dissapear. Apparantly not.
Comment by Unknown...maybe :) | 10.26.2005 | 7:45 pm
Aw, man. It’s gonna cost, going all the way up there from NC, but I absolutely HAVE to go there!
( I love cemeteries ^.^)
Comment by Julia | 11.24.2005 | 3:34 pm
planning to visit that place soon, will update upon viewing the results…
Comment by Lunardeth | 01.12.2006 | 6:02 am
it is true been their back in highschool everyone hung out their and been their who lives on SI.
Comment by kelli | 01.30.2006 | 8:43 pm
I’m sorry guys, but this isn’t true. Here’s a picture I took when there.
http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/5265/image312jb.jpg
As you can see, there is nothing unusual about this picture.
Comment by Eric Long | 03.14.2006 | 4:23 pm
Yeah its true i went there with my boyfriend who sings reggaeton and live in mariners harbor and when i took the picture and vanderbilt twat came in the picture right on my mans mustashe… my mans ding a ling disappeared in the twat
Comment by Stacey | 04.6.2006 | 11:08 am
I live just a few blocks away from here. Im gonna go there and see if this stuff is really true.
Comment by dude | 04.13.2006 | 2:02 pm
i live on SI, and i visited the place with my buddies from iraq, and we got a tour around the whole campus, cause we were in uniform, and it was me, my 4 buddies and some chick. we took a pic all over that place. it was around 7:30, tuesday evening, no one was thea except for the dude dat gave us the tour. apparently thea was a 6th person in the pic. and the dude took the pic, but theas only 5 of us. and we were wearing our dress blues which are blue and gold and the stripes on our pants are red, this figure was wearing all red n some black. freaky ****
Comment by Crazy Marine | 06.14.2006 | 4:09 am
um-to the girl who supplied the picture w/her boyfriend in the red hoodie sweater…. you were not standing infront of his tomb. i was there, and somehow managed on top of his tomb. we never jumped down to take the pix to see if rumors are true, but i had a bad pain in my feeling in my stomach so we left. and that was in may. and 2 weeks ago i found out that someone hung themself off the musileum! so i felt that person’s presence. i might not have a picture, but i’ll always have that memory of how i felt standing on top of it. and i plan to go back soon.
Comment by denise(oakwood) | 08.7.2006 | 7:21 pm
I went there a few days ago with my friends. We tried to get in to Vanderbilts Tomb but everything is gated. If anyone knows how to get in, please email me. My email address is jesskochanski@gmail.com. Thanks.
Comment by Jessica | 08.19.2006 | 3:58 pm
oh how scary wuts the point wutev
Comment by sara | 08.20.2006 | 12:07 pm
Hold on I gotta say I do not believe in a “haunted house” or stuff like that.. but I chilled up there when I was younger and that place is deff strange. I lived down the block and was up there alot and there is deff some strange stuff going on there . And we took pics up there and the film came out all messed up.It gave me the creeps
Comment by Porazzo | 09.6.2006 | 12:56 am
jh
Comment by jhg | 09.7.2006 | 2:11 am
one scary place
Comment by ubinas | 09.7.2006 | 2:12 am
I VE BEEN TO THAT PLACE BEFORE AND IT WAS REALLY BUGGED OUT. ME AND MY FRIEND WERE WALKING THROUGH THERE ONE DAY AND WE GOT A BAD FEELING. MY FRIEND WAS TELLIN ME HOW HER MOM HAD WARNED HER ABOUT GOING THERE AND IF SHE GOES THEN SHELL GET IN TROUBLE. WE WERE WALKING AROUND AND IT GOT REALLY DARK ALL OF A SUDDEN SO WE LEFT. WE WALKED OUT OF THERE REALLY SCARED BECAUSE WE BOTH HAD A REALLY BAD FEELING. AS WE GOT BY THE EXIT WE WERE HEARING PEOPLE YELLING AND SAYING DONT COME BACK WERE WATCHING YOU. WE WERE SO SCARED THAT WE BOTH JUST WENT HOME. WHEN I GOT HOME MY MOM ASKED ME WHERE I WAS BECAUSE SHE RECIEVED A REALLY DISTURBING PHONE CALL SAYING THAT I WAS BOTHERING PEOPLE AT THEIR HOMES WHILE THEY WERE SLEEPING. MY FRIEND GOT THE SAME PHONE CALL AND NEEDLESS TO SAY HER MOM FOUND OUT.
Comment by MARYJANE | 09.24.2006 | 9:37 am
i worked for the cemetary……its b.s….trust me
Comment by nick ryan | 09.27.2006 | 3:55 am
omg bro if ur smart u would never go back to that place again, now im stuck w/ only one arm i was trying to run from this white figure while it grabbed me and cut my arm it was a living nightmare and this has ruind my life, i am freaking scared of everything that walks , i cant even sleep right anymore.
Comment by ashley | 10.2.2006 | 12:28 am
Well, well, well, we shall see, I am the Founder/lead investigator of EPIC PARANORMAL, based on Staten Island NY, and if anyone can get in and do a professional investigation it, ‘its my team.
We don’t want to prove to anyone that there are “GHOSTS”, we want to DISPROVE the fact that there is any paranormal anomolies that are affecting this good ol cemetery, so it’s inhabitants and it;s xcaretakers can be at rest as they should be.
My team and I don’t do cemeterues but this deserves a looksee, as they say. We research,we go, we investigate, we do what we do best.
No BS, Not a bunch of kids out thrill seeking, we will go to do a job, thats what we do, so we shall see…..
GOT GHOSTS?
Contact us at http://www.epicparanormal.com
Comment by Artie | 10.11.2006 | 2:02 am
for anyone that wants to go there…your not allowed to go in…the propety is closed to the public because it had been vandalized previously. The only way you can go in is if you get permission from J.P. Morgan Chase bank because they currently control the property, as they are they heirs to the vanderbilt estate. The caretakes of the cemetary will not even take in the pastor of the church that resides on the property. If anyone is interested in going there however, if you go in thru highrock park, you can follow the fence of the cemetary up the hill, and then just crawl in an opening in the fence (it was cut open)…you then have to walk down a large driveway to get to it. If your not sure if your at the right place, the mausolium was modeled after a huge cathedral from paris…so if what you see isn’t some kind of monstrous building…its not the right place. Unfortunately I have not gotten the opportunity to go there, however I do have friends that have gone there, and have taken pictures in front of it…and many wierd things have happened. Using a bunch of disposeable cameras, one roll of flim did not develope at all, as if the film had never been exposed to light at all…on another roll of film, there was a CLEAR AND DISTINCT image of a person standing there in addition to the people in the image
Comment by Frank | 10.16.2006 | 2:32 am
ok guys i am not kidding, and i’d rather you all rpove me wrong… but if you look at the left of that picture supplied for a little time, you notice a white misty figure with a prolongated scull for a head… the skull would be starting at the level of that little white building and the body is going over the grass…
ok this is freaky…
Comment by VampireLust | 10.20.2006 | 4:37 pm
Your story is great.I write story when ever i can i have wrote ones about 7 year old girl ghosts who become a girls friend. Some times try to think of real life experences they make the storys real life .
thats what i did.
Comment by rosa | 11.17.2006 | 5:35 pm
“Yeah its true i went there with my boyfriend who sings reggaeton and live in mariners harbor and when i took the picture and vanderbilt twat came in the picture right on my mans mustashe… my mans ding a ling disappeared in the twat
Comment by Stacey | 04.6.2006 | 11:08 am”
Stacey, you are a stupid nigger *****!!!
Comment by Not a brother | 01.16.2007 | 7:25 pm
The girl who posted the URL below stating that she was at Vanderbilts tomb in Staten island, your pic shows you are in front of a structure but its not Vanderbilts Tomb.
http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/5265/image312jb.jpg
If you notice in the URL below, Vanderbilts tomb has steps in front of each doorway. Where you are standing has no steps, obviously you are not in front of Vanderbilts Tomb.
http://www.statenislandmuseum.org/cemeteries.html
Comment by Ghost mist | 01.16.2007 | 7:52 pm
I went there the other day and all the holes in the fence were refenced up you can cleary tell that there were many holes but were repatched, there is a low fence tho that you can jump because the barbwire is high and u can fit threw, my friends hoped it and took pictures atop the tomb and in the clear daylight you can see fog in the picture it is very scary
Comment by The Kid | 01.19.2007 | 1:57 pm
what town is staten island
Comment by bob | 02.3.2007 | 10:20 pm
its in new dorp
Comment by thekid | 02.20.2007 | 12:36 am
Wow that sounds so cool!I wish I could go but I live in T’n'T(Caribbean Island)and I’m broke.Even if I could go none of my friends would go with and I am so not going alone!
Comment by V.B. | 02.21.2007 | 1:49 pm
Does anyone have pictures or proof of this happening?
Comment by mikeyg | 03.6.2007 | 3:32 pm
hi! ilike cheese.im 99 years old. im tall and young.ive had botox.an i smell. i have a myspace website so holla at me.if you want some call:212-795-2216
Comment by jeyline | 03.21.2007 | 8:22 pm
i would go but i,m 2 scared 2 go but i would but my heart won’t let me
Comment by jessica meixueiro | 03.30.2007 | 4:58 pm
wow this sounds really scary i rly want to go!!!!!!!!!! and jeyline who leaves their phone number on the internet!!!!!!!you PERV!!!!!
Comment by Brianna | 07.5.2007 | 2:53 pm
to tell the truth i have seen my share of things happening.. but to the picture that is there if you are to sharpen the entire left side and invert the colours there is clearly a hand and if you stare at it a little longer with regular colour you can make out 2 legs walking or what looks like they are walking. in my opinion, not like anyone cares but, it looks like a elderly man walking and reaching to tip his hat in good fortune upon seeing people in the road as a courtesy.
Comment by ALDEN | 07.15.2007 | 6:09 am
I actually just went today and went to this site because me and my friends were very excited of what we did today. Nothing Horribly creepy, just a long long dark narrow road leading up to a bunch of buildings, but 3 of our friends chickened out when we all heard this large grunt sound. Pretty eerie as hell, but me and my other friend wanted to explore more so we kept walking and ran into a bunch of buildings, and decided we’ll go back next time because our friends went back to quick. Next time were bringing our Ghost Huntin friends with us. If you want to go the way we went, we went up this huge hill till we reached a sign saying GreenBelt. Hop the small bar and follow the path. Any questions contact my Xbox Live Gamertag. ChozoBeast.
Comment by ChozoBeast (Xbox Live Gamertag) | 07.26.2007 | 2:12 am
okay guys ghost and spirit do exist i seen alot sooo sorry to disappoint you all that believe in ghosts and spirits in a cemetery. Its not possible do your research before traveling!
Comment by rita | 08.1.2007 | 4:25 pm
nytime I plan on a trip I spend quite a lot of time in advance researching the local cemeteries, hospitals and residential areas. I delve into a lot of history and research a lot on the web. Some of you people need to do your research if your looking to capture anything good… it’s like scoping out for a great night club to dance at, so why would you settle for Old Man Pippy’s broken down gin joint? YES! You CAN do research before you go ANYWHERE.
Comment by loco | 08.17.2007 | 5:28 pm
well i personally want to go there, and the good news is i live in ny,ny so i can easily hope the ferry or something anywaycan someone show me a picture of these so called spoilt pictures please i would really like to see what you are talking about thanks
Comment by akeem | 08.23.2007 | 1:03 pm
Well guys i had been there a few years back and the big hype about taking the picture in front and having extra people in it or not being in it is a lie…have done it and took a few pictures with dif cameras…and all the same result…its fun to go see and you can not go into it thru the cemetary b/c it is locked off…so you need to take a trail to cut thru a hole in the fence…but the tomb is has been vandilized quite a bit…
Comment by Mike | 10.22.2007 | 3:06 pm
I lived by there and I saw spooky things like orbs.
Comment by ~ELMO'S WIFEY~ | 10.30.2007 | 11:23 am
I love to hear a good spooky story… whether they are fact or fiction. What bothers me is the fact that people have no respect for the dead. Please, don’t climb on top of tombs, sit on tombstones, etc. It’s for these reasons that most of these places have become “closed to the public” - when this happens, you ruin it for the rest of us.
Comment by Alicia | 11.1.2007 | 11:34 am
my grandparents are buried there, and i have seen shadows and noises there. its really freaky. i hate going there.
Comment by Nicole | 11.5.2007 | 9:45 pm
Here’s the truth:
I grew up in Grant City on Staten Island, it’s the town right where Moravian Cem.,is. We went there to EXPLORE or hide from your parents when we were kids., about a dozen of us. It’s adjacent to High Rock Park /Pouch Camp they are all kind of connected. I haven’t been there since high school but I used to go just about every other day in the summer from like age 10 - 13. , I hear some kids ruined it and vandalized the entire tomb. (someone who apparently moved here from Brooklyn or somewhere else, Staten Islanders don’t vandalize their own town, we’re very territorial)
Back to the story……my brother & I would either go straight through the back of the cemetery and climb the iron gates leading to the road that lead up to the mausoleum or we would go up Altamont St.( I think that was the name of it) and cut through High Rock Park, always a way in if you are willing to be adventurous. We liked to go in right over the barbed wire fence and near the stone wall where the iron gate was. When you walk up the path (winding road) you begin to sweat., it was always very quiet & peaceful, but you felt as if you were going through some time warp every time. Some areas were really cold and then you would walk a few feet and it would be very warm. This was back in 1983- 88 (guessing)., we were not aware of all of the ghost stories , actually don’t think there were many back then, there was a story that originally there was a solid - GOLD train inside the tomb and someone broke in and stole it an thats when the gates went up., also some stories of people jumping off the top or falling ??And don;t forget the very true story of the girl to tried to break in to see inside and the gates fell on her, she died up there in the 60’s . With all of that going on their is definitely going to be some spiritual activity in the area. To the right of the mausoleum if you keep walking up will find some above ground graves (tombs) smaller and more like a coffin size, if you can picture old Dracula movies you can see it in your head. Theywere for Vanderbilts extended family, (relatives with whom did not bare the V anderbilt name & who were not to be buried in the much larger Mousolem,you will see lots of children’s graves which I always found odd)
We never brought camera’s up there, we were very respectful, aside from the occasional joint and pink champale. (we were kids!) We maybe carved a name in a tree but that’s about it. We never stayed after dark because it was rumored that island devil worshipers stayed up there at night, we didn’t want to take the chance, but several times we found things, like knives & bloody trails,it was said they would initiate members by feeding their blood down the air vents on the top of the tomb, there were holes /some ventilation system that was built to preserve the place. But if you ask anyone that has spent “actual” time up there the will tell you that it’s something you will never forget.It has a pull it makes you want to bring others up there with you and spread your stories, you always want to go back, I am 34 and tried my best to bring my husband up there this summer. I got him as far as the Camp but he refused to pass the no trespassing sign, he acted very strange, and he DID not want to be there. The funny part of this story is I didn’t even tell him the stories, I was just trying to get him to se this beautiful peaceful place and then I would tell him the stories.. it didn’t work. But my brother promised to go back up there with me soon……..If I remember I will take pics and post them ……………..Staten Islander’s please share your stories….
Comment by kim | 11.12.2007 | 2:37 am
PS - I now live between two cemetery in Historic Richmondtown on SI.If you want to talk about paranormal activity here is where you will find it. the town was established in the early 1700’s and the revolutionary war was fought on these very grounds. When I first moved here I used to be tapped on the shoulder a lot of times, but no one was ever there, also heard whistling of old tunes. I have many ghost stories , Im scared at times but I wouldn’t want to move, there is too much history here.
Comment by kim | 11.12.2007 | 3:00 am
The whole picture myth is false….went there recently and nothing funny happened to our pictures:
Comment by steve | 12.11.2007 | 4:16 pm
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/UrbanGunz/ghost%20hunting/IMG_0593.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/UrbanGunz/ghost%20hunting/IMG_0591.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/UrbanGunz/ghost%20hunting/IMG_0590.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/UrbanGunz/ghost%20hunting/IMG_0588.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/UrbanGunz/ghost%20hunting/IMG_0587.jpg
Comment by steve | 12.11.2007 | 4:18 pm
i grew up in staten island. all of my family is buried in moravian, my parents, grandparents, great grandparents. i go there all the time and just walk around for hours. i haven’t been to vanderbilts tomb since i was a teenager. it was an amazing place. i don’t remember anything paranormal about it, but in the cemetery i always feel alot of energy, like spirits all around me. i love going there.
Comment by lynn | 12.29.2007 | 12:16 am
I live about a mile away. Do not belive in the mumbo-jumbo, but must admit, that BEFORE I found this website, I was there with some friends. While walking around, found a “cold spot”. For some reason, while standing on one spot, approx. 8′ by 4′, where there was no gravestone, we all felt a chill. We could walk away, and come back later, and still felt the chill. I even tested it by blindfolding a friend (it was daytime!) and had her stand in various spots. She always found the cold spot. Weird, but true. Anyway, that’s my story.
—The Easter Bunny
Comment by Aloysius | 01.17.2008 | 11:24 pm
look up smith sisters murdered anonymously on google.com it will scare u 2 death
Comment by Anni | 03.7.2008 | 10:53 am
Today i tried to get to the tomb with some friends.we got there by taking Altmont to high roch park and we walked down the trail adjacent to the cemmetary but we cud not find a way in the cemmetary. If anyone knows how to get to this tomb throught high rock please comemnt back thank you
Comment by Charles | 03.26.2008 | 4:16 pm
just follow the fence on the right that borders the park and the cemetery…you will find a point where a downed tree crushes the fence….hop onto the tree and into the cemetery side
Comment by steve | 04.13.2008 | 6:59 pm
Man, this brings back some memories. I sure miss the Island but I know it’s impossible to go back. I left there ( Grant City ) in 1970 when I was going on 14. Back then we would just walk through the cemetery to the back & up the road to the tomb or mausoleum. If I recall there was a big circular road area in front of the tomb. there were also some kind of iron gates that you could look through into the tomb & see the names of all buried there on the walls. The place was huge. We would also climb up the path on the side of the tomb that was fairly steep & would take you to the very top of the building. I seem to recall some kind of domes on top with very thick glass. You could look down into the tomb from there. If I’m wrong it has been a very long time. Anyway, I still have a picture I took from the top when I was there in 1976. it’s the highest point on the East Coast of the good old U.S. of A. I never was there at night & being so young would have been terrified to be there in the dark. Now I’m in Illinois. We have Bachelor’s Grove here. I used to live not 10 minutes from there. Now maybe 30 minutes. It’s one of the most haunted spots in the U.S. I have a photo of what can only be a ghost that a good friend of mine took near dusk. It’s plain to see what it is. Nobody saw anything but the camera always seems to pick up the paranormal while there. The picture is on Pete Crapia’s Bachelor’s Grove website. We still go there & it’s really weird. You can feel the unrest as son as you enter the place. Al Capone had a house near there & reputedly buried many bodies there. A caretaker & house that doesn’t exist has been seen by hundreds of people. Bouncing lights at night have also been seen. It was even on a t.v. ghost show & they saw the lights there.Last time we went there though we all felt peace. That was the first time in all the years I’ve gone there that it felt that way. I hope the spirits are still there. It’s been vandalized there as well. Supposed animal sacrifices were held & tombstones would be tipped. We actually got a small one to stand back up. It took 4 of us & was HEAVY. When I first moved out here a friend & I saw a group of satanists or devil worshippers at Bachelors. we were young & ran almost a mile to get home fast as our legs would carry us. I sure do miss Staten Island. The best memories I have are from there. I’m sure nothing looks the same any more & my friends have all moved away so I probably wouldn’t like going there & ruining my memories. Bill.
Comment by Bill Thomson | 05.28.2008 | 6:38 pm
#
I’m sorry guys, but this isn’t true. Here’s a picture I took when there.
http://img471.imageshack.us/img471/5265/image312jb.jpg
As you can see, there is nothing unusual about this picture.
Comment by Eric Long | 03.14.2006 | 4:23 pm
actually that is not his tomb. That is his wife’s his tomb is huge and built into a hill. To anyone who goes at night be careful cause if the grounds crew catches you there going to beat the piss outta you.
Comment by sean w | 06.24.2008 | 3:48 pm