Wolfe's Pond Park

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Wolfe's Pond Park is a large public park located on the South Shore of Staten Island. It is bounded on the north by the Staten Island Railway, on the west by Holten Avenue, on the south by Raritan Bay, and on the east by Chisolm Street, Luten Avenue, and Cornelia Avenue, which is also the main entry into the the park's public areas. Hylan Boulevard bisects the park, and most visitors only visit the southern half of the park, where Wolfe's Pond (for which the park is named), two playgrounds, and basketball and tennis courts are located, as well as numerous walking and biking paths, open fields, and a small beach on Raritan Bay. The northern half consists mostly of ponds and woodlands, and the northeastern corner hugs Tottenville High School.

Between 1995 and 1998, the park was upgraded, and public areas were expanded. With this came the addition of the second playground on the east side of the park, as well as the sports areas, a new entrance to the beach, and a new monument to the Battle of the Bulge. Every 4th of July, the park holds a fireworks show, with live entertainment and food venues. This popular show draws hundreds of Staten Island residents from the South Shore and elsewhere every year.

Like much of Staten Island the park is rumored to be haunted. Near the pond there is a cliff, which has a twenty foot drop into the pond. Two teenagers once accidentally drove off that cliff. Stories say that people can see phantom cars driving off the cliff and turning in the pond. Also, in the '70s and '80s many children were abducted, raped, and murdered in the park's forests, it is said that these children can be seen and heard wandering through the forests searching for their parents, or possibly their killer.


(Source: Wolfe's Pond Park : New York City Department of Parks & Recreation)