About This Location
The New York State Capitol in Albany took 32 years to build (1867-1899) and cost over $25 million - the most expensive government building of its era. The Romanesque Revival masterpiece features the famous Million Dollar Staircase with 444 steps. In 1911, a devastating fire killed Samuel Abbott, a 78-year-old Civil War veteran and night watchman, along with several others. Much of the building's original artwork and the State Library were destroyed.
The Ghost Story
The ghost of Samuel Abbott, the night watchman who died in the 1911 fire, is the Capitol's most reported spirit. He is seen making his rounds on the fourth and fifth floors, jingling keys, turning out lights, and testing doorknobs - still performing his duties over a century later. A demon carved in the building's stone has generated supernatural legends. The spirit of a disgruntled artist who painted murals in the building reportedly haunts his work. Employees working late report cold spots, 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 protected.
