Paranormal record / 1902

The Flushing Police Station Ghost

c. 1902 · New police station, North Prince street (42 Prince St.), Flushing, Queens, New York, United States

17Thinly documented Paranormal Being / humanoid 9 sources

Flushing, Queens. Autumn 1902. The police had moved into their new station house on North Prince street only a few days before. On his first night there, Patrolman Hanniman barely slept. He heard mysterious noises in the building all night. By morning he had asked to be transferred. He refused to remain in the building any longer. He was not the only one. Another officer said the noises sounded like the moans of a woman in terrible agony. And it was alleged that a white robed figure of a tall young woman had been seen stalking through the halls in the shadowy moonlight. A leaky drainpipe was found. It was fixed. The weird noises continued.

▶ Narrate · Pro

Key facts

When	c. 1902
Time of day	night
Where	New police station, North Prince street (42 Prince St.), Flushing, Queens, New York,United States
Duration	one whole night for Patrolman Hanniman; the noises went on for at least several days
Witnesses	2
Witness roles	police
Found	testimony only
Evidence	none confirmed
Investigations	Flushing police check of the building by Patrolman McKenna
Status	undisputed

The phenomenon

A white robed figure of a tall young woman, alleged to have been seen stalking through the station's halls in the shadowy moonlight. Officers sleeping in the building heard mysterious noises all night, which one compared to the moans of a woman in terrible agony.

Colour	white
Sound	other sound

Context

In 1902 Flushing was still a village. Its police had a new home, a former private house at 42 Prince St. It was an Italianate Victorian on the west side of the road, about a tenth of a mile north of Northern Boulevard, then Bridge Street. Ron Marzlock, writing in the Queens Chronicle, says Police Chief William "Big Bill" Devery picked the house in 1900. Forgotten New York says it was converted into a precinct in 1901. Yet the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, on 3 October 1902, called it the "new police station" in North Prince street. The police, it said, had taken possession "only a few days ago."

Sources (9, most influential first)

3 October 1902: Flushing Has a Ghost That Frightens Coppers · Brooklyn Genealogy Info · Wiki, blog, podcast · other
The Grand Old 109th Pct. · Queens Chronicle· 2011-05-12 · Press, book, documentary · news
Brooklyn Daily Eagle ghost stories index · Brooklyn Genealogy Info · Wiki, blog, podcast · other
Haunted Brooklyn · Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklynology blog· 2011-10-24 · Press, book, documentary · blog
Deep Flushing, Part 1 · Forgotten New York· 2015-10 · Wiki, blog, podcast · blog

Reputability

17/100Thinly documented

Editorial note: most sources for this case are later retellings; the press and book coverage is thin.

Keywords

People

Patrolman HannimanMain witness; heard noises all night, asked to be transferred and was sent to Brooklyn
Patrolman McKennaOfficer who checked the building and found a leaky drainpipe
Miss WintersYoungest daughter of the house's builder, said in local tradition to have been found dead in her room
Gabriel WintersNamed by the Eagle as the man who built and owned the house; unconfirmed
Ron MarzlockQueens Chronicle writer whose history of the precinct locates the building
William "Big Bill" DeveryPolice Chief said to have picked the house as a station in 1900