Friday the 13th’s spooky origins explored at New York City’s The Merchant House
Friday the 13th #Fridaythe13th
NEW YORK – Friday the 13th has long held an air of mystery and superstition.
It’s a day that has always given their fair share of unease. But is it just a day that represents our fears, or is there something else at play?
To find out, CBS New York’s Steve Overmyer spent a night at the most haunted house in New York City.
Outside The Merchant’s House on Fourth Street, the air is filled with anticipation and a touch of mystery. Overmyer embarked on a journey of spectral discovery.
Dan Sturges is the Merchant House’s in-house paranormal investigator.
“And if you’re in the right time and quiet enough, maybe these walls will whisper to you?” Overmyer asked.
“Yeah. You know, this house has been very generous with activity,” Sturges said.
In fact, ever since renovations on the house began in 1936, people have had haunted encounters.
“In 1936, a worker sees a woman walking down the stairs wearing a brown dress drinking a cup of tea. Cut to 2018, someone might witness the same woman wearing a brown dress drinking a cup of tea,” Sturges said. “And it’s still happening. Up until a few weeks ago, somebody had an experience.”
“A few weeks ago?” Overmyer asked.
“A few weeks ago. I think it was a child saw a man in Seabury’s room right above us,” Sturges said.
Seabury Tredwell was the original owner of the house. He passed away in 1865. The frequent sighting have made The Merchant’s House a hotbed for paranormal experts, and even ghost tours, which begin on Friday the 13th.
“Maybe somebody coming in with a little but of fear of Friday the 13th. Maybe that energy might stir something up at The Merchant’s House,” Sturges said.
Friday the 13th is a day that evokes dread. It’s a history that goes back centuries.
“The fear of Friday the 13th has been around for a very long time. Friday has always been a bad luck day,” Sturges said.
It’s said to have started in the 1300s, when King Phillip of France executed the knights templar on Friday the 13th.
“In the 19th century, it started to become more of a superstitious holiday. You know, ‘Don’t walk under a ladder on Friday the 13th. Look out for black cats,'” Sturges said.
Along with Diana Navarro, a spiritual crossing guard, Overmyer went on an investigation of The Merchant’s House.
“In the paranormal world of parapsychology, this is an EVP session. That stands for electronic voice phenomenon, which are anomalous voices that aren’t heard at the time of the recording, but upon review… we might hear a voice,” Sturges said.
While Overmyer didn’t hear anything, somewhere around 4 a.m. Sturges played back some recorded audio of what sounded like children crying.
Friday the 13th has become a focal point for anxieties – a symbolic representation of our fears, and it continues to captivate our imaginations and reminds us of the mysteries that lie within our own minds.
The Merchant’s House revealed just a fragment of its secrets in this story. But much more was uncovered during their overnight investigation at the most haunted residence in New York.
Get the full experience in our Snapshot New York Halloween Special debuting Friday, October 27 at 10 p.m., streaming only on CBS News New York.
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Steve Overmyer