Police reports detail disturbing incidents that have occurred just beyond the stone walls of one of America’s most dramatic forgotten gardens, a mysterious complex full of imported ancient Roman columns in the unlikely location of suburban Yonkers, New York. How much of the sinister history of this place, which has become the stuff of legend over the years, really happened? Was it a hotbed of bizarre occult activity as the locals claim, or is this just a case of Satanic panic?

Perched on a hillside overlooking the Hudson River and sprawling across 43 acres, Untermyer Park (also known as Untermyer Gardens) was first developed between 1899 and 1940 as part of a large private estate. A Grecian-style amphitheater, classical pavilion, Persian Paradise garden and a number of statues were erected by the time owner Samuel Untermyer died, and the gardens passed to the City of Yonkers in 1946.

Decades later, the complex has begun to crumble, with graffiti covering many of the deteriorating stone structures. But it’s more than neglect that gives this place a sense of foreboding: it’s the connection to one of New York’s most brutal serial killers. As the murderer known as Son of Sam taunted police with Satanism-tinged letters during a killing spree targeting young couples, police found the corpses of ritualistically mutilated German Shepherds in the aqueduct south of Untermyer Park.

Years after he was captured in 1977, David Berkowitz claimed that he hadn’t acted alone, pinpointing Untermyer Park as the site of frequent gatherings of the Satanic cult of which he was a member. This claim alone has led to all manner of legends springing up about the park, with locals claiming to hear strange chanting or glimpse the glow of torches in the woods at night.

Is it the truth, or just defensive ramblings from the mind of a killer? It’s hard to say, but Berkowitz’ claims fall into line with the Satanic panic that sprung up in the ’70s and ’80s, blaming supposed secret cults for everything from child molestation to murder. It’s impossible to say exactly what has transpired at Untermyer Park, especially given the gruesome discovery in 1976, but the place definitely still carries a feeling of mystery, especially as its once-grand features continue to decay.

All photographs via Kristine Paulus/Flickr Creative Commons

In certain areas of the United Kingdom, a strange sight awaits those who take a moment to look around. Trees – both living, growing trees and felled trunks – covered in coins dot the landscape. Passers-by hammer the money into the trees with rocks they find nearby, leaving a long-term mark of their passing. But what is behind this odd tradition?

(all images via: Colossal)

According to BBC News, the “money trees” are examples of wishing trees. Ever since humans developed spiritual beliefs, they have been making offerings to – and asking for favors from – the spirits of nature. By giving small trinkets, food, beverages or other items to certain trees, it is said that the spirits which inhabit the trees can grant wishes.

The money trees may be utilized by people plagued by an illness. One legend says that by hammering a coin into a tree, the tree can take away the sickness. Anyone who dared to remove one of the coins would himself be stricken with illness. Could all of these coins really have been placed by individuals trying to rid themselves of diseases?

Or is the presence of the coins a bit less dramatic? Maybe these “gifts” are akin to tossing pennies into a wishing well, making a silent wish and hoping that it comes true. Or perhaps they are meant only to commemorate the existence of the former owners of the coins – like initials carved in a tree, a symbol that says “I was here.” Thankfully, most of the coins seem to have been driven into stumps or dead, fallen trees rather than still-growing ones.

The manager of a holiday attraction in Gwynedd, Wales, did his own research on the coin tree phenomenon after visitors adorned a felled trunk with coins on his employer’s property. He claims that the practice dates all the way back to the 18th century, with one particular tree in Scotland bearing a florin. Whether or not these findings are accurate, the money trees are a fascinating tradition that appears to be confined only to Great Britain.

Taking the coin trees at face value and nothing more, they are visually striking. The coins look almost like a fascinating fungus or destructive parasites taking over the tree trunks. To think that each and every one of them was deliberately hammered into the hard wood by a person who had a reason for doing so – a reason that the rest of us may never know – is a compelling mystery.

They say that fact is stranger than fiction, and in urban centers on Halloween this is especially the case. There are probably more urban legends surrounding Halloween than any other holiday in the United States. Some believable ones have turned out to be false, while some surprising tales have ended up being true!

Of course no one believes that chanting “bloody Mary” will conjure an evil spirit. It does, though, plausible that someone might have conceived of a Halloween haunted house, hospital or barn so scary that no one had ever completed a journey through it. However, such a house does not exist. No one is quite certain whether or not a partier who showed up at the wrong house was actually mistaken for a chainsaw-wielding madman.

Mistaken for a spooky decoration, a woman’s hung body was left suspended alongside a busy street for hours before anyone realized she was dead. Also true: a person pretending to hang himself as part of a Halloween hay-ride attraction actually (accidentally) hung himself. Incidents of Halloween candy tampering via the addition of pins, needles, razors or even poison have been greatly exaggerated, despite some actual instances. Whether true or false, rumors of black cat sacrifices have resulted in many bans on black cat adoptions on or around Halloween. Know of other strange urban legends of Halloween? Feel free to add them below!