The Long Island Legend of Mary's Grave

Many native Long Islanders aren't too sure of what exactly Mary's Grave is, or where it's located, but this urban legend is often attributed to the Mount Misery area or Head of the Harbor, and even in Mount Sinai on the Chandler Estate. With so many possible locations and eerie stories, it's possible to make a day -- or night -- trip to every one of them and feel out for yourself which feels the creepiest.

Story 1 leads us to the town of Mount Sinai on the North Shore, where a now-demolished building on the old Chandler Estate (or even more scarily, nicknamed "Satan's Trails") plays host to the tale. A lot of stories revolve around these grounds, and our Mary is only one of them. There has been documentation of a Mary having been a tenant in that building, one of the doors having borne the sign "Mary's Room." A former resident of the Kings Park Psych Ward, Mary disappeared rather suddenly after having lived there for some time, which alarmed the landlord at the time. No rent or sign of Mary surfaced, and the landlord came to the obvious conclusion that she took off. However, the lights in the apartment would periodically turn on and off, and there were signs that the resident returned, even though she was never anywhere to be found.

Story 2 brings us to Mount Misery, near Sweet Hollow Road. Its ominous name was actually based on the difficulty farmers of old had trying to farm the hilly terrain or push their carts through the roads, but lends itself nicely to paranormal aspects, as many urban legends in addition to that of Mary's Grave are associated with this area. This particular haunting takes place in either the old cemetery alongside the main road, or hidden in the woods across the street. People are often unsure, since sightings have occurred in both. There stands a statue or a headstone that is haunted that a "Lady in White" appears near, and the statue is said to move from visit to visit. This Mary has been reported to jump in front of cars or walk down the road and disappear, the victim of a hospital burning down with her in it.

Story 3 is the legend I grew up knowing, and takes us to the ritzy, multi-million-dollar neighborhood of Head of the Harbor, north of historic Stony Brook. On a narrow road snaking along the Nissequogue River's rocky shores, the remains of a stone shack marks the spot of this Mary's haunting. This Mary was rumored to either be a Juliet of her time, opting to hang herself in the field near her family's estate, or to have been abused by her father in the stone shack. It's also said that she was mentally unstable and tortured small animals in that building, but that is a tack for the tale not often told. However, the gate near this stone building is not far from her supposed burial site, which is a magnet for paranormal occurrences.