It’s Halloween and what type of spooky season would it be if we didn’t talk about New Jersey urban legends.
Check out these “haunted” spots our staff picked out for you to (safely) check out… if you dare.
Newark Ghost Train – Newark, NJ
The Pennsylvania Railroad Station (Newark Penn Station) is allegedly haunted by a ghost train! Apparently Newark’s ghost train first appeared in the 1870s.
It is said to arrive at Penn Station on the tenth of each month at midnight. Over the years, hundreds of people had supposedly heard this ghost train’s eerie and spine-tingling whistle.
However, the ghost train has never been seen, only the sounds of it chugging down the tracks. The blood cooling noise of the train wheels screeching against the rails as it slows and then crawls its way past the station.
According to New Jersey ghost hunters, 600 people claimed to have witnessed this frightening occurrence one night in the past
The Devil’s Tower – Alpine, NJ
Located in Alpine, The Devil’s Tower was built in 1910 by Manuel Rionda. Formerly known as Rio Vista, the tower was built and dedicated to Rionda’s wife, Harriet. Many believe that Harriet Rionda’s spirit still lives in the tower.
According to a local legend, Harriet looked out of the tower one night and found her husband with another woman. Distraught, she jumped off the tower, killing herself. Since her rumored suicide, there have been many reports of hauntings, including people who have said they have been pushed by something unseen. Others have reported strange noises. Due to these events, people started calling it Devil’s Tower.
Witnesses have reported hearing screams and smelling perfume. Reportedly, her ghostly spirit can be seen as a shadowy figure from the windows. Some say if one walks backward around the tower a certain number of times, the devil appears.
Whipporwill Valley and Cooper Roads – Middletown, NJ
“There are two particularly isolated roads that wind their way through the rural farms and forestlands of Middletown that have attained legendary status over the years as places of mystery, mayhem and fear. The unlit, unpaved expanses of Whipporwill Valley and Cooper Roads, which are located adjacent to each other, meander over wooded hills and through deep cuts as they wind their way into the local mythology as the most scary roads in Monmouth County.
It seems undeniable that many of the tales told of such roads reflect archetypal nightmare imagery such as ghosts, wild and ferocious animals, and evil hooded cultists or KKK members huddled around sacrificial bon fires. Tales of witches, and even the Devil himself wandering these roads are told without even a hint of disbelief. Maybe there is really nothing scary to be found on such roads at all. It could be that the road merely serves as a conduit, a pathway to our own innermost demons. If that is in fact the case, then a trip down one of these legendary byways may for some be a journey of profound self-discovery.”
Clinton Road – West Milford, NJ
Probably the most common ghost story that we hear about Clinton Road is that of a dead young boy who hangs out under a bridge and returns coins to you after you throw them in the water. As far as we know, this tale is unique to Clinton Road, but it is difficult to say when or how this story began.
Dead Man’s Tunnel – Jersey City, NJ
Formally Bergen Tunnel, this creepy-looking two mile tunnel is next to Dickinson High School. Stay away though: it is very dangerous and there have been numerous accidents involving people on the tracks and trains.
The Brass Rail – Hoboken, NJ
According to NJ.com, this restaurant is well known for its paranormal activity. Legend says that back in 1904, a bride who was just married tripped at the top of the staircase, breaking her neck and dying. Shortly after her death, the groom took his own life and hanged himself in an adjacent room. Late at night, it has been said that the bride, groom and some of their guests linger at the restaurant. Phone calls with no one on the line have been reported, along with voices, objects being lost or misplaced and items that fall on the ground for no reason.
Arthur’s Tavern – Hoboken, NJ
Arthur’s Tavern is supposedly haunted by three ghosts. There are reports from employees of footsteps, lights going on and off or flickering, doors opening by themselves, a clipboard flying off. This restaurant is well known for its paranormal activity.
Legend says that back in 1904, a bride who was just married tripped at the top of the staircase, breaking her neck and dying. Shortly after her death, the groom took his own life and hanged himself in an adjacent room.
Late at night, it has been said that the bride, groom and some of their guests linger at the restaurant. Phone calls with no one on the line have been reported, along with voices, objects being lost or misplaced and items that fall on the ground for no reason.
There are reports from employees of footsteps, lights going on and off or flickering, doors opening by themselves, a clipboard flying off a desk, whispers, and someone’s hair being pulled.
Parapsychologists have recently stopped by to investigate.
One of them was quite shaken by what she’d seen upstairs, and said the upstairs ladies’ room was haunted. Parapsychologists have recently stopped by to investigate.
New Jersey Devil – Pine Barrens, NJ
“It was 1735, deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, when Jane “Mother” Leeds discovered she was pregnant with her thirteenth child. “Let this one be the devil,” she allegedly cursed. While there are many versions of the Jersey Devil’s lore, the most popular is this: When Leeds’ thirteenth child was born, it grew wings, horns, hooves, and a tail.”
“In 18th and 19th centuries the Jersey Devil was spotted sporadically throughout the Pine Barrens region, frightening local residents and any of those brave enough to traverse the vast undeveloped expanses of New Jersey’s southern reaches. Unearthly wails were often reported emanating from the dark forests and swampy bogs, and the slaughter of domesticated animals would invariably be attributed to the Phantom of the Pines. Over the years the legend of the Leeds Devil grew, occasionally even overstepping the boundaries of its rural Pine Barrens haunt to terrorize local towns and cities.”
