You are reading

Take the Haunted Halloween Tour of Astoria’s Hazardous Shoreline

Richard Melnick

Oct. 23, 2018 Staff Report

It’s history, mystery, and oh-so sinistery.

Richard Melnick, a Greater Astoria Historical Society member and licensed NYC guide, will lead a Halloween Haunted Waters walking tour along the coastline of Long Island City and Astoria on Saturday, Oct. 27, starting at noon. Tickets are $20, but those in costume get 50 percent discounts.

Like any good Halloween-inspired tour, participants will meet under the Hell Gate Bridge at Shore and Ditmars boulevards. According to local legend, a crazed kidnapper used to grab children and take them to a hiding spot under the bridge during the 1970s. During this same decade, a phantom train would roll on the elevated tracks in the middle of the night.

As Melnick leads the group southward on the roughly 2.5-hour stroll, he’ll probably mention the whirlpools full of hungry electric eels that swirl around in water below Hell Gate. Shocking murders, horrid drownings, suicides, and major tragedies have taken place in this fast-moving tidal straight…and imaginary (or not) ghouls are known to rule the night.

Melnick, the co-author of Images of America books on Long Island City and the East River, might then get into the shipwrecks. Hundreds of Dutch, English, and Spanish explorers lost their lives in the rocky, shallow areas along the shore in previous centuries. On Nov. 23, 1780, a British Royal Navy warship, the 28-gun HMS Hussar, marooned there, leading to the captain’s court marshal. It was rumored that gold worth about $4 million was aboard, but no treasure was ever found.

Things didn’t improve during the 19th century, when thousands of vessels of all shapes and sizes met their demise there. (The hulks became easy prey for looters.) Plus, attempts to blast apart the riverbed caused three deaths and countless injuries.

The 20th century brought the biggest maritime tragedy in New York City history. On June 15, 1904, members of St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan charted the General Slocum for an outing. As the steamship floated near Astoria, a fire broke out, leaving the 1,300-plus riders – most of whom were woman and children from Germany — with the options of burning to death or trying to swim to safety. Their dead bodies washed ashore for the following few days.

Since then, the bad luck has waned…although cement-shoe-wearing Mob rats swim with the fishes there every now and then.

The tour ends at Socrates Sculpture Park, where the Halloween Harvest Fest will be running from noon to 4 pm. This annual event features many children’s activities, such as costume-making and face-painting, as well as the hilarious Doggie Costume Contest. However, those particularly brave souls might want to finish the day at George’s at Kaufman Astoria Studios, a restaurant at 35-11 35th Ave.

The food is great, and the ghost of silent film actor Rudolph Valentino is known to entertain guests.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Catch the fall vibe at these western Queens breweries

Sep. 3, 2025 By Jessica Militello

September rings in the start of Oktoberfest from mid-September through October, featuring special brews, fun events and more fall fun. Western Queens is filled with breweries to enjoy seasonal brews, fall flavors and the start of cooler weather as Autumn approaches, making it a perfect time to meet up with friends at these local spaces.

Op-Ed | Four years after Hurricane Ida, Queens deserves real climate resilience

Sep. 2, 2025 By Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas

Four years ago, Hurricane Ida tore through our neighborhoods of East Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights, leaving behind devastation we will never forget. We lost neighbors to the floodwaters. Families saw their homes destroyed, their basements wiped out, their lives upended. Immigrant families—so many of them undocumented—were hit the hardest, often excluded from relief altogether. Ida was not just a storm; it was a wake-up call.

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.