Sweet Hollow Rd
A Brief History: Sweet Hollow Road is located in Melville, New York. This road runs from Jericho Turnpike in West Hills through Broad Hollow Road in Melville . The area between Jericho Turnpike and Broad Hollow Road, in what is now Melville, was known as Sweet Hollow during the early 1800’s. The road was named Sweet Hollow Road because at the time there was an abundance of wild honey in this area. Another story states that a farmer was traveling down this road and broke a barrel of honey therefore “sweetening the road”. This road was originally a long trail that stretched through the woods and when it was turned into a road it kept the name Sweet Hollow. Today you can see many houses through the woods when traveling on this road. The surrounding area consists of a state park and county park with trails, a public horse stable, and a cemetery. There are an array of areas to where one can pullover, park, and explore. such as Mount Misery which is in close proximity to Sweet Hollow Road.
Haunted History: There are multiple legends associated with Sweet Hollow Road:
The first legend purports that three boys committed suicide by hanging themselves from the Northern State overpass bridge on Sweet Hollow Road. The legend states that if you look up at the overpass while driving down the road you can see three bodies hanging from it.
The second legend of Sweet Hollow Road tells the story of a bus full of children driving over the Northern State overpass bridge in bad snowy weather conditions. The driver loses control and the bus falls off the bridge killing everyone on board. There is no town record supporting this. It is said that if you drive directly under the bridge and put your car in neutral the children that passed away will push your car under the bridge so that no harm will come to you. It should be noted that there is an incline at this part of the road.
The third legend surrounds a lady in white named Mary. Mary and her boyfriend were driving down the road one night when they got into a fight. During the fight Mary’s boyfriend either pushes her out of the vehicle or she jumps out of the vehicle while it is in motion. After she falls out of the car she’s hit by another vehicle driving down the road and killed. The legend says that when you are driving down Sweet Hollow Road you will see a lady in white on the side of the road, and while you are driving by she will jump in front of your car. The lady in white is thought to be Mary from “Mary’s Grave”. It is said you can find her tombstone and grave in the cemetery off of Sweet Hollow Road.
The fourth urban legend involves a police officer that was shot and killed on Sweet Hollow Road. The legend says that when you are driving on the road you will get pulled over by a police officer. The police officer walks over to your vehicle, questions you, and than let’s you go. When the cop turns around and walks to his car the back of his head is blown out from a shotgun blast. Again there is no town record of this event.
The fifth urban legend of Sweet Hollow Road is about ghost kids. It is said that in the 1930’s there was a day camp located on Sweet Hollow Road. Some of the kids that went to the day camp were abused and some even killed. It is said that when you are driving down Sweet Hollow Road you will see a group of kids in 1930s clothing, walking on the side of the road and then they will just disappear.