It’s been a longstanding tradition for members of the New York City community to visit Sylvan Avenue, Brooklyn’s most loved and haunted street. Many people come to take photographs and even conduct paranormal investigations. This is the place where so many legends have come from; such as The Green Lady, who was once Mary Jane Colenso, a young girl who fell in love with her adopted sweetheart from Scotland but never married him because he left one day before their wedding. She later took her own life by jumping off of Lefferts Boulevard Bridge in 1825.
Now she wanders the streets on breezy evenings looking for her lost love among the spirits that haunt this dark path. 140 Sylvan Ave is also the place where so many ghosts and spirits of real people live. It’s the home of a girl who sings beautifully to the wind but always makes the living feel chills. She stays in the abandoned house at 140 Sylvan Ave, a Victorian house where spirits vanish and people go in never to return.
The legend is said that she was once a slave to a family in Georgia, and when they were freed she hung herself from the tree behind her old home. The house still stands today, on top of the hill that is known as Sylvan place. Many legends are told about this place, such as one story told by George Sluizer, an engineer who was hired by Peter Gerard Stuyvesant Jr., to build this grand farmhouse on Sylvan Lane.
You Should Experience 140 Sylvan Ave At Least Once In Your Lifetime And Here’s Why :
1. The Cemetery:
The story of the cemetery in the back of the house is said to be that it was once a slavery cemetery. There are many who bury slaves there (there is no body count, but many people have come upon human graves in their research) and when they were freed, they hung themselves from their favorite tree behind their old home, thus haunting it forever. The cemetery is said to be about 10 years old and was built for those slaves who worked for the history of that land, which later became known as 140 Sylvan Ave.
It’s said that if you listen hard enough you can hear music and celebration coming from beyond the trees where the dead birds fly away from. There is a small church near the cemetery that was once used by slaves to escape, but now only spirits and evil spirits attend there. The local people believe that the bridge of death where slaves once walked and jumped in the water for freedom, is still there today, open for all to see.
2. Ghosts And Vampires:
There are many stories told about the ghosts, who have been seen by many people all over New York City. Everyone has their own story, whether it’s a ghost sighting or other paranormal activity. One of them was Sophronia Brodhead who lived on Sylvan Avenue from 1869 until her death in 1892.
She was known for her wonderful singing voice and because of her love of the green light and the color of green, she took her own life by jumping into the water at the bridge in 1892. She’s been spotted by many people walking along Sylvan Avenue at night, sitting on a bench or near a tree, holding a locket or playing a harmonica, looking for someone who once loved her dearly. In other reports, she has been seen on The Lefferts Bridge from 1996 to 2006. Another ghost story is of Gertrude Van Wyck who was known for being the 16th president’s daughter in Dutch history.
3. The Green Lady:
She is a beautiful, green-eyed girl who had skin that was pale from years of being in the sea. She has been seen walking the streets of New York City, looking for her lost love. She sits on a bench in front of the cemetery and plays her harp all day long as if she is singing to herself.
In other stories, she has been seen walking along the street at night with her dog, looking for her lost love. But one day, she passed away after falling off of the Lefferts Bridge and into the bay. She haunts the area of the bridge to this day still and every night, her dead dog stops at the bridge, waiting for her.
4. The Haunted House:
There is a house at 140 Sylvan Ave that’s been said to be haunted by a girl who once lived there, whose name is Mary Jane Colenso. She was known for her green eyes and beautiful singing voice, but one night she got married and left Scotland, never to return home again.
Her husband eventually remarried and had three children with his new wife. When he died one day before their wedding ceremony due to old age, she took her own life by jumping off of Lefferts Blvd Bridge in 1825.