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….

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.

The whole picture myth is false….went there recently and nothing funny happened to our pictures:

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

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.

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

look up smith sisters murdered anonymously on google.com it will scare u 2 death

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

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

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.

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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.

Way back when I was in high school in the early ’70’s there was a group of us that would dare each other on All Hallow’s eve (Oct. 31st) to spend the night near the Vanderbuilt Mausoleum. Well one year 2 friends and I decided to give it a try. We went to visit my grandparents graves there and walked around as late as we could, got up to the mausoleum and looked in the gates at all the names but I got a really creepy feeling as if someone was over my shoulder reading and no one was behind me. It was sunset and all of a sudden my girlfriend screamed when she looked over my shoulder. When I asked her what was wrong she was white and shaking so I just grabbed her hand and we walked our bikes out of there. She never told me what she saw but I DID feel that we weren’t alone.

I grew up in New Dorp and cut out of school a few times to hang out at “Vandys Tomb” as we called it in the mid-70’s. I never thought much about it then, but am there on and off as my parents are there now. Recently I saw that the gates were open as they very rarely are these days and started up the road. I got so spooked – the air seemed really heavy and almost tropical (this was a beautiful fall day) and eerily silent – the birds weren’t even chirping. I made it about 10 feet up the road from the gates before I chickened out. The story about the girl getting killed in the 60’s when those heavy gates fell on her is true. Its a very eerie spot. You definitely get the feeling that you are NOT WELCOME by somebody or something. Do any pictures exist of the people who show up in the film? Everyone mentions these pictures but I’ve never seen one and would love to.

to Eric Long, you’re in front of the wrong place. The real tomb is gated off. I’ve never taken a picture in front of the real one though the place has a strange air about it.

Noooooooooooooooooooooo comments !!!!!!!

this is so very true. i went there once because i didnt believe this story.when i arrived to the grave i heard “get away or you will suffer the consequences”. i pooped my bpants because when this was said i felt him grabbing my legs. then i tripped. i never returned there again.

I had relatives that lived on Todt Hill across the street from Moravian. My grandparents are buried there as well. We had been in the cemetery many times & never experienced anything strange except once. Many years ago a group of us (I think I was there w/my sister & cousin) went to visit the grave. My grandfather was only buried there at the time. We were walking down the winding paths back to the exit & got a little lost. The weather started getting cloudy & we didn’t want to get caught in the rain. Just then a small white butterfly landed in the path in fron of us. It flew away as we approached & landed a little further along. Once again, it flew away as we approached only to land on the path a little further away. It continued like this to the exit & then flew away. Who knows? Help from grandpa or a curious insect?

you are all bull **** artists… i dont believe anyone of you, it is all fake, trust me, dont even go there. its pointless.

A link to a picture of the archway where the gates are – it was very spooky even way back then.

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?keyword=staten+island+new+dorp

where is this cemetary located?