Carpenters’ Hall

A postcard manufactured by the World Post Card Company depicting haunted Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia.

Carpenters’ Hall is a two-story brick building built in 1773 as a meeting place for members of the Carpenters’ Company, the oldest trade guild in the United States. Located at 320 Chestnut Street in the Independence Hall Historic Park area of downtown Philadelphia, Carpenters’ Hall is also where the First Continental Congress met in 1874 to complain about British rule of the colonies.

During its early years, the attic floor of Carpenters’ Hall was divided into small apartments and rented to members of the guild. One of the residents, Tom Cunningham, died in his apartment in late 1879 from the yellow fever epidemic, setting off a series of events which have now led to the building’s presumed haunting.

Immediately after Cunningham’s death, other residents began to hear heavy-booted feet stomping down the hallway and loud banging noises from his old room. These sounds continued for several decades, even after the company stopped renting out its attic space.

In 1960, the Philadelphia Police investigated loud noises in the attic which had been reported by the building’s caretakers. When the police arrived, they found no evidence of paranormal activity but were driven away by a foul and deathly smell.

The smells and sounds continue today. As recently as 1974, Pennsylvania’s Governor Milton Shapp hosted a meeting at Carpenters’ Hall only to report loud voices and the smell of tobacco emanating from the attic.

Carpenters’ Hall is still owned by the Carpenters’ Company and is currently open daily to curious visitors, free-of-charge, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.