The Jersey Devil Isn’t The Only Thing Lurking In New Jersey's Woods

New Jersey has plenty of haunted locations like any other state. We have a haunted tree that belongs to the devil, an abandoned village, a house used for spying on British troops during the Revolutionary War, and a road that can manipulate time.

In this article you'll find 10 of such locations, and we challenge you to visit at least one this spooky season… 

The Marlboro Slaughterhouse

The name might suggest that it's only one building, but the Marlboro Slaughterhouse is in fact multiple over a huge, vast plot of land. Some of these buildings are burnt down, other parts are railroad tracks, and some are chicken coops or sheds. You can find a lot of freaky stuff here like old wooden crosses smashed to bits or something much more sinister.

The story of the Marlboro Slaughterhouse is about a farmer that went mad after his land was taken and eventually became a patient at the Marlboro sanitarium— which is the building that took his land. Eventually he escaped and there were reports that animals would squeal from the slaughterhouse, but no one was ever caught within the building. Then one night messages were written in blood saying things like “I see you” and “tonight  all will die”. Following these occurrences there was a guard from the sanatorium that went missing. It’s said that his body was found in the slaughterhouse’s meat freezer, hung on a meat hook with a pig head where his own should have been.

None of this story has been confirmed, there's no factual evidence that the farmer even existed, but they're still continues to be strange occurrences on this land. The squeals of those animals continue to echo and you might just find yourself hearing them if you ever go. 

*Trigger warning for this next section there are mentions of suicide.*

The Devil’s Tree

The Devil's Tree doesn't have just one definitive story, it has multiple. Everyone who knows of the Devil's Tree and lives near it has a different story. One family says that a farmer killed his entire family and went to the tree to hang himself after. Many stories include some form of suicide or murder occurring at the tree. Supposedly, the souls who had died at the tree continue to lurk and give the tree unnatural warmth even in the dead of winter. 

However, there's a much darker and historical truth to the evil that is connected to the Devil's Tree. The KKK Branch in New Jersey likely used the tree in their hateful crimes against African–Americans. Leaving an even darker stain on The Devil’s Tree’s history.

Because of both, the stories told about the Devil's Tree and the historical connection to the KKK, there are many personal stories of people seeing bodies hanging from the tree when driving by. There’s also reports that no snow will stick to or around the tree because of its heat. Do you dare to visit the scariest tree in New Jersey? 

The Devil’s Tower

It said that the Devil himself lives within this clock tower. The Devil's Tower has several dark legends about it, including multiple rituals to conjure spirits. It's believed that Satanists would use the building to worship the devil and ever since their tragic deaths the building has been unable to be torn down. 

Many people who visit the tower and go inside themselves report feeling strange gusts of winds and  hearing strange screams. They also report sometimes seeing people standing in the windows.

There is a ritual that you yourself can do. You drive your car around The Devil's Tower in reverse three times. After the third time you will come to a full circle, turn off your car, then your headlights, and supposedly a woman should approach you. After that no one knows what happens. Some suggest that it's not three times you should drive around but six instead, which is why no one knows what happens. We dare you to see if this ritual is real or not.

The Deserted Village

The Feltville Historic District, also known as The Deserted Village, was owned by multiple people, the last of which was David Felt in 1844. He would dub the village Feltsville. Felt would then sell and after several failures of people trying to get the community up and rolling, Feltsville became The Deserted Village.

In 1882, Feltville would be bought by Warren Ackerman, who transformed the village into a park but like everything before it, that business would also fail. The Union County Park Commission would eventually buy the properties and rent the houses out to people in need. They're only three families that remain in the deserted village. While not all the buildings are abandoned, many people still visit the ghost town and have tales of their own to share.

In 1912, three young girls went out into the woods by The Deserted Village and they never left. There are other rumors that there were satanists and witch covens within those forests. The Deserted Village fills anyone with a strong sense of dread. Many people have sensed strange temperature fluctuations as well as the immediate urge to get far far away from The Deserted Village. Others have reported that the forest surrounding the deserted village is the true horrific part. It's where Satanists and witches did their practices. Some people even report seeing strange lights and  hearing strange chants within those woods. Will you ever tempt fate and venture to The Deserted Village of Feltville? 

Burlington County Prison Museum

There are three places that we can almost guarantee you are always haunted; hospitals, graveyards, and prisons. The Burlington County Prison Museum is one of the most haunted locations in New Jersey. Not only is there photo evidence, but there's also video evidence and audio evidence that prove this person is haunted.

Many Ghost Hunters have captured orbs in photos, disembodied voices on recordings, and footsteps indicating that someone still wanders those prison halls. You might be wondering what ties so many spirits to this prison, it's the many executions and violent deaths that happened on site. 

Out of all the inmates there was one man, Joel Clough, who stands out amongst the spirits. On July 26th (his day of death) every year, the most paranormal activity is recorded in The Burlington County Prison Museum. Many people believe that the EVP they capture on this day is in fact him communicating with them. If you ever go, send Joel our regards.

The Spy House

Seabrook–Wilson House better known as The Spy House has been dubbed to one of the most haunted houses in America. The Spy House was built in 1650 and was a popular tavern for British troops during the Revolutionary War. According to legend Thomas Seabrook, the  owner, used to get the Red Coats drunk enough that they would start to spill military secrets and he would later pass the information to colonial forces.

Gertrude Neidlinger would be the one to give the Seabrook–Wilson house the nickname of The Spy House. She would also be the one to start the rumors that the house is haunted. She might even be the reason the homestead still exists today.

While Gertrude’s stories of ghosts may or may not have been true, many people today report seeing ghostly apparitions, whether in the house or through the windows. The Spy House is still open to the public today for anyone to visit and chance seeing a ghost. 

Lambertville

Across the river from one of Pennsylvania's most haunted towns, New Hope, is Lambertville,  NJ. Lambertville it's just as haunted as its neighbor. One of the most haunted parts of Lambertville is the High School. The Lamberville High School has been abandoned since 1955 and in 1984 the empty high school would burn down. The shell of the high school still remains and has a story of its own to share. One of the things you can find in the building is on a chalkboard in one of the classrooms, it’s a drawing of children sitting at their desks while flames engulf all of them. But it's not just at the school that people report hearing and seeing weird things, it's 50 ft behind the school where the football field is.

The football field holds the story of Buckeye.The legend of Buckeye starts at a football game in 1935. Lambertville (the Eagles) were playing against New Hope (the Buckeyes), during this game in the third quarter, one of the New Hope receivers would get tackled hard. The player wouldn't get back up. It’s reported that his neck was broken so badly that his head was turned almost completely around. 

Buckeye became a local legend and one day a party of boys challenged Buckeye to race across the football field. It's said that at this challenge, a cold wind started to blow and silence fell over everyone. Then at one end of the football field was a pair of red evil eyes and a voice called out telling the boys who challenged him to run across the football field or die. All the boys would run but two would go missing. The next morning their bodies would be found, their heads twisted just like Buckeye.

If you ever are brave enough to step foot near Lambertville High don't challenge Buckeye, challenge Billy (who’s either another spirit or Buckeye himself answering to a different name) to a friendly game of football. If you stand at the bottom of the front staircase and  challenge Billy to a game of football, a football will be thrown from the staircase by Billy. But be wary, those who challenge Billy also sometimes go missing. So pick your poison Billy or Buckeye?

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital is the only location on this list that people can’t visit anymore. The building was torn down in 2015, but before it was torn down it was known as the New Jersey state asylum for the insane and held around 7,000 mentally ill people. The building originally only housed 350 patients but through state funding, the building began to grow and expansions were made. Greystone used to be one of the most well-known psychiatric hospitals in the whole country.

Greystone was often overcrowded which led to many escapes, many injuries, and many uncontrollable spreads of illnesses. In 1895, a lot of patients died from typhoid fever, but that was just the start of the asylum's decline. In 2008, the facility was forced to shut down due to the overcrowding and lack of funds. It’s believed that all the patients who lost their lives there were still there wandering those halls aimlessly .

People who were brave enough to visit Greystone before it was demolished reported feeling like something was wrong the whole time they were there. They would sometimes find liquids on the floor that often seemed fresh and the building was always cold even on sweltering days. 

The original Greystone is completely gone. All that remains is the demolition site, however on the same campus is a newly built Greystone. Even with the original building gone there's still rumors that ghosts haunt the tunnels that are supposedly below the demolition site. Unlike the other locations on this list, we strongly urge you not to visit Greystone, it's on state controlled grounds and is therefore illegal to visit. 

Clinton Road

It's likely that if you ever heard a spooky story about New Jersey, Clinton Road has come up. There are many sections in Clinton Road that have their own different stories. The road itself has haunted trucks that will appear behind you while driving at night and then suddenly disappear, you can also see figures on the road, and sometimes Clinton Road is known to warp time and make you feel like you've only been there 30 minutes when it's been six hours.

One of the many locations on Clinton Road with a lot of ghostly activity is Dead Man's Curve. At Dead Man's Curve is a bridge, at this bridge is the spirit of a little boy who was supposedly hit and killed here. Under the bridge where the boy's spirit lives. If you toss a coin over the bridge the boy will then throw it back to you. 

Clinton Road is a 10–mile stretch of road that's completely and utterly deserted and has two other locations that are close to the road. There's the Clinton Furnace and Cross Castle.

The Clinton Furnace was supposedly filled with robbers, counterfeiters, and had witches outside that would host nightly rituals. There are also ghosts that would make their appearances within this abandoned building. Once there was a castle in the woods off of Clinton Road. This would be known as Cross Castle, named after the man who built it. There are some remnants left of this castle that you can see today. However, a fire destroyed most of the remaining wooden structure. The abandoned remains of Cross Castle are said to be the location where Satanists can congregate and perform rituals. The KKK was also rumored to be active in the area and likely we're also at the Cross Castle site.

We have one word of advice to you: if you'd ever decide to venture to this 10-mile stretch of road, don't get out of your car. In fact we would suggest not even going at all because of how haunted this road is. Ghosts are known to follow you off of the road and home. There might also be some unearthly animals like the jersey devil, Hellhounds, or possibly even aliens. 

The Pine Barrens

Located spanning portions of seven core counties: Burlington, Ocean, Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, and Gloucester, is The Pine Barrens. Everyone around the United States knows of the Jersey Devil, while he can be seen on Clinton Road his true home is The Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens is a dense forest that spans over 22% of New Jersey's land area. This first is proven to fires and many other strange occurrences. 

The Jersey Devil is described as a creature with a horse-like head, hooves, wings, fierce claws, and a forked tail. Between the years of 1840 and 1920 there were a lot of livestock killings within the area, they were all blamed on the Jersey Devil. It’s believed the Jersey Devil was the 13th child of a local woman in 1735, because the child was the 13th, it was cursed and forced to be deformed.

Believe it or not sightings of the Jersey Devil go all the way back to 1820 with Napoleon's Brother Joseph Bonaparte. Most claims however come from 1909. Hundreds of sightings and attacks were reported during this year specifically in Haddon Heights and Camden. It even led to a $10,000 bounty being put on the creature's head.

Outside of the Jersey Devil there's also abandoned factories and ghost towns within The Pine Barrens. The ghost of Emilio Carranza wanders the forest with The Jersey Devil. Carranza crashed his plane into The Pine Barrens and died within the forest. There's a ritual involving his ghost, that you can do that has you flash your car's lights at Carranza’s Memorial, and then you will sometimes hear the plane and see the lights of Carranza’s final flight. 

The Jersey Devil has his favorite hangout which is a lake called the Blue Hole. The lake is surrounded by sandy shores of fine sugar that can easily change into quicksand and the lake is said to be bottomless which occasionally drags swimmers under. Of course all the strange happenings within the Pine Barrens are always blamed on New Jersey's very own Cryptid, the Jersey Devil.

If you ever dare to adventure into these woods be prepared to not only see animals but ghosts and the goat like creature that is the Jersey Devil. 

—

These 10 haunted locations are just the tip of the iceberg, there's so much more that you can find that's haunted in New Jersey you just need to look in the right places. If you're looking for something a little bit more local  to Centenary University than halfway across the state, check out our other article Eerie Local Legends Too Close To Home.

Stay spooky, my friends!