TLDR
The New York State Capitol took 32 years to build and cost over $25 million — the most expensive government building of its time. A 1911 fire killed a 78-year-old Civil War veteran working as night watchman and destroyed most of the State Library. The famous Million Dollar Staircase has 444 steps.
The Full Story
The ghost of Samuel Abbott, the night watchman who died in the 1911 fire, is the Capitol's most reported spirit. He's seen making his rounds on the fourth and fifth floors, jingling keys, turning out lights, and testing doorknobs -- still doing his job over a century later.
A demon carved in the building's stone has generated its own supernatural legends. The spirit of a disgruntled artist who painted murals in the building reportedly haunts his work. Employees working late report footsteps in empty corridors and the sense of being watched. The fire that killed Abbott seems to have anchored his spirit to the building he was trying to protect.
Visiting
New York State Capitol is located at State Street, Albany, New York.
