While driving along Brielle Avenue, it’s not uncommon to see people squeezing through the gap in the falling down fence that surrounds the New York City Farm Colony. It is almost considered a right of passage for Staten Island kids to go to the Farm Colony and take pictures of the deteriorating buildings before they are completely gone. Upon entering the Farm Colony, there is such a cool feeling. This was my first “Urban Exploring” experience and it was really interesting going to the Farm Colony after researching its history. I knew which buildings where which, and which were built first. Every inch of the buildings covered either in decay or graffiti. The buildings glow when the sun hits them right, providing a feeling that cannot be described. 
Much of the Farm Colony’s history is simply speculation and estimates, as not many records were kept. (Much more in depth history found in Resources page.) It was built around in the mid 1800s in order to give poor people a place to live in exchange for manual labor. There were more than 100 acres of land in the Farm Colony, with gardens and fields where the residents would work daily. At the hight of the Farm Colony, there were 1,700 people living and working there. The Farm Colony would eventually be shut down for unknown reasons. The answer that makes the most sense that it simply fell into disrepair.
Obviously, these abandoned buildings sparked interests for kids and teens to explore them, scare their friends, and hang out. People used to tell each other stories about a kidnapper named Cropsey. Depending on the person telling it, sometimes he had a hook hand, sometimes he had an ax, but they all agreed that Cropsey was just a legend to keep them out of the buildings that were becoming dangerous from disrepair. In the 70s and 80s, these stories began to come to life. Children from Staten Island began to go missing, and parents and kids alike worried. They would disappear from the land of the Farm Colony and surrounding areas and would not show up again. Police began investigating, and they found the bodies of children in the abandoned Seaview Hospital across the street from the New York Farm Colony. “Cropsey” was later identified as Andre Rand. He was taken into police custody and was arrested, but the story of Cropsey lives on. (More information on Resources page.) To this day, the New York Farm colony is a sketchy place to visit, between the buildings that are falling down, and the fact that it would be an easy spot for nefarious business. However, if you prepare for the visit, you will have a much safer time.
*Entrance available from the front fence along Brielle Avenue*