Over the bridges and through the tunnels, to weird New Jersey we go! The ghosts know the way to scare us and play through the mists and the old homes they know. Today we’re sharing some picks for top scariest haunted places and spectral sightings across the great garden state.
Jenny Jump State Park and Ghost Lake in Hope
Many years ago, it is rumored little 9 year old Jenny was playing near the cliffside of the state park, but soon met an untimely demise by jumping off the cliff’s edge after being startled by the appearance of a local Native American resident. Locals say her ghost can be seen wandering the trails in the park, and teetering near the edge of the cliffs. Some also purport that what is now many acres of lakewater was once a Native burial ground, and that it may explain the many restless spirits of the dead which are often seen in the mists rising off of the water’s surface.
Owned and built by the Shippen brothers in 1755, this historic manor is a hotbed of hauntings! Visitors to this ghostly estate have reported seeing apparitions of an olden times soldier, a boy in period clothing, and the lithe spirit of a spectral woman in blue. If you listen closely, you may hear ghostly whispers as well as witnessing doors opening and closing on their own! The museum is open the first and second Sunday of each month from April through December, if you’d like to try your hand at meeting the specters within!
This road has long been traversed at night by many young people, hoping to scare their friends and catch a glimpse of the many spirits that are said to inhabit its deadly twists and turns! Visitors to the area have seen strange things wandering through the woods, glowing eyes betwixt the trees, heard strange chants on the wind, and seen blue and white lights flashing along the roadway. Some have even seen the wandering apparition of a girl who is said to have died on one of its many trails or waterways, rumors always swirling as to the means of her final end.
The Devil’s Tree of Basking Ridge
This spooky half-dead tree reaches up through the whispering grasses towards the sky, like a hand reaching up in its final moments of life. This notorious site is rumored to be a gateway to the depths of hell itself, and a notoriously dark site of suicides, hate groups, and otherworldly dark forces. It’s said that anyone who harms the tree will suffer likewise afflictions and ailments, though that does not stop visitors from flocking to the site on dares or challenges, especially teenagers.
The Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey
The forests and parklands of the Pine Barrens sprawl across an intimidating one million acres of NJ land across 7 different counties. Once a thriving community in colonial days, the area is now home to dozens of ghost towns and abandoned villages. It has been the subject of local lore and legend, and many an old wives tale, including a penchant for supernatural entities, ghosts, wandering spirits, and even the legendary New Jersey Devil himself!
The Emlen Physick Estate of Cape May
Purported to be a historic hotbed of paranormal activity, this is one of the most beautiful estates in the area, and the only Victorian Museum in all of Cape May. Legend has it that after Dr. Physick, his mother, and his sister died, their spirits remained tethered to the property. No family has ever stayed long on the site since, and visitors to the home report being touched, hearing the disembodied voices of a child and mother, and seeing a woman in Victorian era clothing wandering the halls. Book a ghost tour, if you dare, and see for yourself!
The Hotel Macomber and Union Park Dining Room in Cape May
Although paranormal experiences have been reported in many of the rooms of this hotel, it’s rumored that Room 10 is the most active of all. Folks have reported sightings of the ghost of Irene White, with hauntings peaking June through November as her most active time. She was an older single woman who frequented the hotel in her heyday, and seems to enjoy a vacation in the afterlife as well! She’s a rather calm spirit, known to be friendly with visitors by knocking on the door and her soft voice has been heard throughout the building in multiple locations.
The Haunted Bunker at Cape May Point Beach
An abandoned WWII bunker has been the proclaimed site of multiple hauntings of soldiers, with its ghostly guards patrolling the shores.