Any place that has a long history and a large population has its fair share of ghost stories, and New York City is no exception. The city is home to a wide range of haunted sites, each with a unique and terrifying story. St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, a historic Episcopal church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, has the distinction of being haunted by one of New York’s oldest European ghosts. The church was originally built on the estate of Peter Stuyvesant, the last director general of New Netherland and New Amsterdam, which is what this area was called when it was under Dutch colonial control. Stuyvesant, sometimes called “Peg-Leg Pete” due to the fact that he had a wooden leg, is buried beneath St. Mark’s, and was reportedly a stern, short-tempered man. It is not surprising then, that “one of New York's earliest ghosts came back from the grave, so the story goes, to complain about noise.” According to local legend, in 1865, Stuyvesant had become displeased with the growth of the city disturbing his land and his peace. One night, the townspeople were awoken by the sound of the church bell ringing. They raced to the church and found a terrified sexton claiming that the ghost of the former Governor had chased him through the night. Upon examining the church, within which the bell was still ringing, the townsfolk found the door locked. When they finally got inside, they discovered that the bell’s rope had been cut off high in the air, too far up for anyone to reach. They searched the building for whoever had rung the bell, but the only thing they found was a length of rope sitting on top of Stuyvesant’s crypt. Since then, stories abound of Stuyvesant’s ghost lingering around New York’s most haunted church, and some say that you can hear him wandering around, the distinctive tapping of his wooden leg echoing through the building.
Happy Halloween from DLG!
While the world of immigration law can be incredibly scary and, yes, even spooky all year round (think RFEs and NOIDs), this year a number of adventurous and creative staff members decided to dress up and celebrate the so-called scariest day of the year: Halloween (not H-1B cap filing day). Anthony dressed up as Snakes on a Plane (geometric plane, that is); Tricia was Robin from Stranger Things; Stevanica was a mouse; Alexis was Grungy Burt (no Ernie, sadly); and Oona (pictured lying down) was Dipsy from Teletubbies. In addition to costumes, everyone had candy on their desks for employees to trick or treat. Candy makes everything better—even RFEs and NOIDs! Happy Halloween, everyone!
Happy Halloween/DLG Moving Day!
This is not actually a Halloween decoration, but a scene from our office today as we move locations. Moving sure is stressful. Joseph is to the right. We had to tie him down because he was babbling. Protima is holding a baby and has an axe for some reason. And Dana is hiding in the back letting out some good screams. Happy Halloween/Moving Day, everyone! See you at our new location soon: 330 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2003, New York, NY 10001.
