Haunted New Rochelle: Library Reveals Spooky Historical Photos

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The ghosts of the past haunt us all, and that's not always a bad thing. This weekend, the New Rochelle Public Library will help us look back without fear.

On Saturday, at 3 p.m., the New Rochelle Public Library's archivist, David Rose, will present "Ghosts in the Wind: A Spectral Vision of New Rochelle For Halloween" in the Ossie Davis Theater at the main branch of the library.

The library says that the presentation "will showcase the most evocative, unusual, and surprising photographs in the Photography Collection of the NRPL Archive."

From the library's collection of nearly 15,000 images, 175 photos were selected to document the social history, everyday life, and environment of New Rochelle in the 20th century.

There will be a special focus on the City Yard of the Department of Public Works and the life and career of Police Lieutenant Dominick Bruzzese who compiled an astounding collection of photographs, according to the library.

With a sequence of nocturnal photographs, the library archivist "will explore city streets at night, summon up ghosts from the past, peer into haunted buildings, and illuminate the landscape with the 'invisible ray' of surrealism."

The talk will also feature a selection of poetry and a reading from an archival manuscript "On Spectral Appearances and Mental Processes," by Benjamin Eli Smith, an early New Rochelle Board of Education member.

A reception will follow the presentation.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is requested and can be done here.

The New Rochelle Public Library is located at 1 Library Plaza. Find out more about the library here.