McCarren Park is known for the enduring urban legend of a ghost of a little girl, said to have drowned in the park's swimming pool, who still circles the waters at night. The legend began to spread during the pool's abandoned years, blending real-life tragedy with rumor to create one of Brooklyn's most persistent ghost stories. The Legend of the Drowned Girl: The ghost story is centered around a supposed drowning incident involving a little girl in the McCarren Park Pool. Her spirit is said to be seen at night, circling the pool's waters. The legend grew during a period when the once-magnificent pool fell into disrepair and became derelict. While a little girl's ghost is the common story, a real-life drowning of a teenage boy did occur in the pool in 1977. The tragic event combined with the dark and abandoned atmosphere of the pool during its derelict years gave rise to the ghost stories.