Brooklyn Victorian trolley tour explores the borough's darker history
A vintage-style trolley winds through Brooklyn's streets, its interior lit by soft electric candles as passengers hear tales of the borough's darker past.
The Madame Morbid Trolley Tours experience blends local history with ghost stories, taking riders past sites connected to deadly accidents, forgotten burial grounds, mob violence and other unsettling chapters of Brooklyn history.
Allison Chase, the tour's owner and self-proclaimed "hauntrepreneur," has spent nearly a decade unearthing stories that she says are often overlooked.
"We say 90% of the stories we tell are 100% true. With 10% paranormal sprinkles on top," Chase said.
Among the tour's most popular stories is one set in the early days of the Brooklyn Bridge, where Chase tells passengers about a reported headless apparition and a deadly construction accident.
"Everyone gets a kick out of the Brooklyn Bridge. Supposedly there's a headless man wandering back and forth, which is extra spooky because in 1883 a worker was decapitated after cables snapped. So that cable is actually still missing," she said.
For some passengers, the stories offer a new perspective on familiar landmarks.
"I had to know the history first before I could go there. So when I go there, I'll definitely be paying my respects to the people who lost their lives," said Pallavi Toprani, an NYU international student from India.
Chase said Brooklyn's history provides no shortage of material, including a 1960 plane crash in Park Slope that she says has largely faded from public memory.
The tour also explores Brooklyn's connections to Prohibition-era mob murders, the development of modern anesthesia and embalming, and its role in the Revolutionary War.
Chase said the vintage-style trolley itself is part of that tribute.
"The reason why the baseball team is called the Brooklyn Dodgers is because they had to dodge trolleys going across the street and that's where we got the name. So the trolley itself is paying homage to Brooklyn history," she said.
While the experience may appeal to visitors looking for a Halloween-season attraction, it also offers longtime residents a different way to look at their hometown.
"I walked by many things and had no idea people died inside," said Fernanda Duda, an NYU international student from Brazil.
Chase said she sees New York City differently from other destinations known for their haunted histories.
"You have your classic haunted cities like Savannah, Charleston, and New Orleans. And I wouldn't call New York City a haunted city. I would call it a Halloween city. It's 100% the place you want to be during this time of year," she said.
From prison ships and forgotten cemeteries to elevator disasters and deadly accidents, the tour traces the disturbing stories hidden in plain sight across Brooklyn.
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