This week we investigate the spirits of New York's State Capitol Building in Albany and the ghosts that reside there. However, the scariest ghost of all may be the lost history that resulting from the 1911 library fire. Learn about William Hunt, Samuel Abbott, and listen to uncover the names of two previously unknown ghosts!

 

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Sources:

 

1911 Capitol fire remains seared into city’s history. (2011, March 27). Times Union. https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/1911-Capitol-fire-remains-seared-into-city-s-1308984.php

 

Albany State Capitol. (2020, June 12). Haunted Houses. http://hauntedhouses.com/new-york/albany-state-capitol/

 

Body is Found in Albany Ruins: Samuel J. Abbott, a Watch-man, Discovered in West Wing Under Debris. (1911, March 31). Brooklyn Daily Times, page 1.

 

BUILDING BIG: Databank: New York State Capitol. (n.d.). Retrieved January 5, 2021, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/ny_state_capitol.html

 

Capitol Fire of 1911: Online Exhibits: New York State Library. (n.d.). Retrieved January 5, 2021, from http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/mssc/capitolfire/

 

Crimes and Casualties. (1878, October 29). The Buffalo Courier, page 1.

 

Find No Trace of Mr. Abbott: Searchers Believe Syracuse Man Perished in Capitol Fire. (1911, March 30). The Post Standard, page 7.

 

Fire at the New York State Library. (n.d.). New York Genealogical & Biographical Society. Retrieved January 5, 2021, from https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/blog/fire-new-york-state-library

 

Fire Destroys State Capitol: Cigar or Cigarette Causes $600,000 Damage. Started in Assembly Library. (1911, March 29). The Oswego Palladium.

 

Important River News: Items from our Exchanges ; Two Accidents At The Capital—Died From His Injuries—The Body of Eagan Found In The River—Fires—A Pet Dog Roasted In An Oven—Strange Disappearance Of An Aged Lady—Sad Accident in Troy. (1878, October 30). Poughkeepsie Eagle News, page 1.

 

John, T. S. (n.d.). With History Comes Hauntings – The New York State Capitol Has Its Fair Share. Retrieved January 3, 2021, from https://www.milesgeek.com/hauntings-new-york-state-capitol

 

March 27, T. A. P., & Pm, 2011 12:59 . (n.d.). 100th anniversary of 1911 Capitol fire. Newsday. Retrieved January 5, 2021, from https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/ny-marks-100th-anniversary-of-1911-capitol-fire-1.2785318

 

Pudney, T. G., & Editor, A. (n.d.). Ghosts, legends and lore come to life in “Capitol Hauntings” tour – The Legislative Gazette. Retrieved January 3, 2021, from https://legislativegazette.com/ghosts-legends-and-lore-come-to-life-in-capitol-hauntings-tour/

 

Snapshot. (n.d.-a). Retrieved January 3, 2021, from http://hauntedhouses.com/new-york/albany-state-capitol/

 

Snapshot. (n.d.-b). Retrieved January 3, 2021, from https://legislativegazette.com/ghosts-legends-and-lore-come-to-life-in-capitol-hauntings-tour/

 

State Capitol Wrecked By Fire; One Life Lost. (1911, March 29). The Standard Union, page 1.

 

Ten Million Loss When Fire Wrecks the Capitol: Priceless Documents are Destroyed: 400,000 Volumes Cannot Be Replaced; Defective Electric Button the Cause. (1911, March 29). Buffalo Evening Times, page 1.

 

The Capitol. (n.d.). Retrieved January 5, 2021, from https://www.albany.edu/museum/wwwmuseum/statestreet/thecapitol.html

 

U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995—AncestryLibrary.com. (n.d.). Retrieved January 3, 2021, from 62:24 69?indiv=1&tid=&pid=&queryId=c5a29b04d2d96924c8babf14bd6ecc9a&usePUB=true&_phsrc=eBA227&_phstart=successSource"> https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/1411739262:24 69?indiv=1&tid=&pid=&queryId=c5a29b04d2d96924c8babf14bd6ecc9a&usePUB=true&_phsrc=eBA227&_phstart=successSource

 

Young, M. (2020, June 5). Behind the Scenes Look Inside the New York State Capitol in Albany. Untapped New York. https://untappedcities.com/2020/06/05/behind-the-scenes-inside-the-new-york-state-capitol-in-albany/

 

TRANSCRIPT:

Hello, and welcome to Crimes & Witch-Demeanors!  I’m your host, Joshua Spellman.  We’re starting the year off right with something we should have covered earlier…a haunted library!  Or…at least a haunting that was caused by a library. 

 

The New York State Capitol Building, in Albany is home to three known spirits: the artist William Morris Hunt, a night watchman named Samuel Abbott, and a fruit vendor.  There was a death of a construction worker at the site that may contribute to the hauntings, but it is not confirmed.  Both the fruit vendor and the construction worker have remained nameless in all the internet articles I’ve read…until now.  Join me in discovering their identities and learning more about the tragic fire that erased centuries of history and caused billions of dollars of damage…which of course lets us touch briefly on the importance of libraries, preservation, and the dangers that digital and physical records pose to the preservation of our history and culture.

 

BUT…before we get to our main ghost story we have to talk about the building itself because not only is it impressive, it is integral to the spirits that haunt it.

 

The New York State Capitol is an incredibly large and imposing structure that fills two whole city blocks.  Five architects had worked on its design and it was heralded as one of the most beautiful buildings in America…though others criticized it for being an oversized and costly spectacle.  Which…they weren’t wrong about.  Construction took place between 1867 and 1899 at a cost of over 25 million dollars, or the modern equivalent of 768 million.  It was built by hand using white granite from Maine and in places the walls are four to five feet thick.

 

Its style is unique…and that is in part because of its five architects that did not work on the project simultaneously leading to what historians refer to it as the “Battle of the Styles”.  It also has led to some interesting mishaps, not all stemming from its numerous architects, but they are major oversights nonetheless.  Some highlights include the building initially being built on top of quick sand!  Not sure how that happened!  They had to dig out all the sand and replace it with clay and concrete.  Another major mistake was that the original cornerstone of the building, which contains a time capsule, has been lost because the builders forgot to mark it.

 

The first architect, Thomas Fuller, designed the first floor in a Classical and Romanesque style.  However, from 1875-1883, Henry Hobson Richardson and Leopold Eidlitz worked on the building and continued the design in a Renaissance style.  During this time, Frederick Law Olmstead, who was a frequent collaborator with Richardson, was hired for the landscape architecture.  The final architect on the project was Isaac G. Perry, assigned to the project by Grover Cleveland.  He became the first New York State architect and is known for many institutional buildings and asylums across the state.

 

While the exterior itself is impressive the interior is absolutely breathtaking.  In particular, the Western Grand Staircase is a testament to the intricacies of this bold design.  Initially begun by Richardson, it was completed by Perry who kept his design but added even more carved elements than originally planned.  The Grand Staircase lacks a dome, and in fact the New York State Capitol is one of only 10 US Capitol buildings without one, but in its place is a magnificent 3,000 squar