14 West 10th Street, "The House of Death"

New York · United States · House

This 1856 brownstone row house is known locally as The House of Death, and it is one of New York's most notorious buildings.

Mark Twain lived here briefly around 1900, which is well documented. The widely repeated claim that twenty two people have died in the house is far less well supported, a figure that travels from one ghost book to the next without a reliable source, so take it for what it is: local legend.

According to a persistent story, Twain himself appeared to a woman and her daughter in the 1930s, a man in a white suit on the staircase who said my name is Clemens before vanishing. The story was written down in a book from 1973, and it is books like that one that have kept the reputation of the house alive. Stand across the street and look at the facade. Few New York houses have gathered so many stories on so little documented ground, and still the rumour refuses to die.

FAQ

Where is 14 West 10th Street, "The House of Death" located?

14 West 10th Street, "The House of Death" is in New York, United States.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons