The Haunted Billop House of Staten Island, NY

Jan 20

American Revolutionary War

Around 1680 Royal Navy Officer Christopher Billopp arrived in Staten Island, New York, and built the Bentley Manor which would later be known by its nickname “The Billop House”. The manor stayed in the family and his great-grandson Christopher Billopp was the owner when the future of the United States would be decided.

On September 11th, 1776 the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army William Howe met with Edward Rutledge, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin to discuss peace and end the American Revolution. Howe wanted the colonists to surrender to end the war but the peace talks fell apart when Benjamin Franklin refused.

The war continued but Christopher Billopp declared his loyalty to the British Army and would tend to wounded redcoats in secret. In order to maintain secrecy, any injured British soldier who died in the home was buried swiftly in an unmarked grave.

A Spy at Home

Declaring his loyalty to the British, Billopp became a colonel for the loyalist forces in Staten Island but over the course of 3 years was captured twice as a prisoner of war.

According to the legend, his capture happened due to him housing the injured British soldiers. Though the charges didn’t stick, Billopp’s paranoia caused him to believe one of the servant girls in the manor was actually a spy and was somehow alerting the colonists of his secret actions.

One night after tending to a wounded soldier, Billopp watched a 15-year-old servant girl place a lantern on the window sill of the second floor. This was enough to make him believe she was the spy and used the lantern to alert the colonists at a nearby church. The girl denied the allegations but it was too late, Billopp’s temper exploded. He grabbed the girl and threw her down the stairs, her neck snapping, dying instantly.

Realizing what he had done, Billopp grabbed her lifeless body and buried her in an unmarked grave. The following day, Billopp disappeared and was never seen again.

Today the Billop House is known as the Conference House and is a museum that many say has preserved not only the ghosts of the unknown British soldiers but also the ghost of the young girl and Billopp himself. If you travel to the Billop house you might even hear the ghostly echoes recreating the final moments of Billopp and the girl as he yells and tosses her down the stairs.

But did the legend really happen?

Haunted Billop House of Staten Island, NY — stock image via Pixabay

The True Story of The Billop House

In reality, it appears the story of the servant girl’s murder is a fabrication and never happened. Another version of the legend claims Billopp ended a relationship with his fiancé and she died of a broken heart in the manor. This also appears to be made up. Adding to this, during the Revolutionary War, Staten Island was under British control, meaning Billopp would not need to house injured British soldiers in secret or fear retaliation while in Staten Island.

We also know exactly what happened to Christopher Billopp during and after the American Revolution. After his capture in 1779 in New Jersey, Billopp was branded a loyalist felon by New York State, this meant all his land was to be confiscated.

At the time with Staten Island under British control, nothing could be done but seeing that colonists may succeed, Billopp began selling his land in 1780. After the war, Billopp and his family moved to the British colony of New Brunswick, north of Nova Scotia. He then joined the New Brunswick Assembly in 1796 and lived the rest of his life there until his death in 1827.