THE HAUNTED HISTORY OF NEW JERSEY

A Presentation for MCPSBy Greg Caggiano

“When legend becomes fact, print the legend.”

The Jersey Devil

Sightings of a strange creature reported in the Pine Barrens area of New Jersey for hundreds of years

American Indian legend is the original story. The Pine Barrens was known as “the place of the dragon”

More widely known legend begins in 1735 when Mrs. Deborah Leeds gave birth to her 13th child

“The Leeds Devil”

Deborah Leeds gave birth to the Jersey Devil A snippet from folklore:

"It was said that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after finding she was pregnant for the 13th time, stated that this one would be the Devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her were her friends. Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the Devil himself. The child was born normal, but then changed form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings and a forked tail. It growled and screamed, then killed the midwife before flying up the chimney. It circled the villages and headed toward the pines. In 1740 a clergy exorcised the demon for 100 years and it wasn't seen again until 1890."

Truth or fiction?

Mrs. Leeds obviously did not give birth to a demon creature, but could she have had a deformed child?

In such superstitious times, a baby with birth defects may have been looked upon as being “with the devil” and over time, the story spreads and changes to include her being a witch and the father being the devil

However, many people (including Napoleon’s brother) have reported seeing a strange creature in the area. Numerous sightings occurred in the 1840’s and again in 1909.

Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, 1909

The important question we have to ask is not DOES it exist, its CAN it exist?

Paranormal Background Information

Why an interest in the paranormal?

Almost everyone has an interest in ghosts, whether they are believers or skeptics

People try to find answers of what lies beyond the grave

Anyone can believe in ghosts, religion (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with it

I have seen and heard enough to where I know that ghosts are real

It’s not like the movies

Though it can happen, there is a 99% chance that a spirit will NEVER appear in full bodied form or speak to you so you can hear them clearly

However, children are susceptible to contact with them

Very rarely is there any physical contact made between a ghost and a human, though I know several people who have been touched

Voice-to-voice communication is extremely rare unless you have the right equipment

EVP’s

Investigators rely on Electronic Voice Phenomenon to capture the voices of ghosts

Tape recorders, cameras, and even cell phones can capture noises that are inaudible to the human ear

That said, most of the time clear words cannot be understood, and it takes expensive sound equipment to sift through the static and background noises

SB-7 Spirit Box

A type of radio that scans frequencies in reverse (up to 10 stations a second, depending on the speed set) to create white noise

Through the white noise, it then becomes possible for investigators to communicate directly with spirits

Allegedly opens up a portal with the white noise, to allow the spirits in

Not to be fooled around with

“Ghost Radar”

Orbs

Popular form of evidence that is scoffed at by most Orbs are transparent circles of light that show up in pictures Only question is, are they dust or actual forms of spirits?

Warnings and Advice

Paranormal research is a lot of fun, but it can be dangerous

You never know what ghosts are capable of-- some can latch on and follow you home

It is of the upmost importance that if you are ever investigating a haunted house to be respectful of where you are.

“Its not the dead you have to worry about, it’s the living”. For that reason, NEVER investigate alone!

The Proprietary HousePerth Amboy, New Jersey

The History: Many Owners

Built in 1762 by John Edward Pryor Served as the mansion for New Jersey’s

last Royal Governor, William Franklin, from 1774 until 1776, when he was arrested on the front steps by the Provincial Congress

Purchased by British Secret Agent John Ratoon after the Revolution

Later owned by Matthias Bruen, one of the richest men in America in the 1800’s

Aside from being the Governor’s Mansion, it was turned into a hotel called “The Brighton” by Bruen, and later it was a Civil War hospital as mounting casualties after the battle of Gettysburg caused more hospitals in port cities to spring up

After the war it, was an orphanage run by a Presbyterian minister and his family, and then a retirement home

Up until the 1960’s it was even an apartment building and low-income housing

It is safe to say that the house has had thousands of visitors coming in and out, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and William Howe, along with Civil War officers whose names have been lost to time.

There are many good memories present in the rooms of the Proprietary House, but some bad ones as well.

Some of the many visitors still remain…

Many Encounters Over the Years

Many people of all backgrounds, some of whom have never been to or heard of the house before, have reported seeing the same ghosts, down to exact detail

Keyport Paranormal did an investigation of the house and said there were over 40 spirits inside

The alarm system is constantly being tripped causing the police to come, who arrive only to find that no one has broken in

The Perth Amboy PD is afraid to go into the house. When they are called, they wait outside to talk to one of us, rather than investigate themselves

The Lady in White

Almost every haunted house has a “Lady in White”. They are thought to be women waiting for a long lost love who will never return

We believe it to be Mrs. Franklin, who never saw her husband again after he was arrested in 1776

This lady has been seen numerous times by workers and outside visitors who thought she was a worker in period costume

I believe I once saw her out of the corner of my eye, but I cannot confirm it

Police officers have come to the house telling us to take manikins out of the windows (guess what I’m going to say next)

The Little Boy in Blue

A boy named Andrew who lived in the house died there in the 1800’s. The legend is that he was thrown from the third floor window by his Uncle

Many have seen him in full bodied form, including my friend’s niece, Karli, and a UPS worker

Has actually spoken to Karli, telling her his favorite color is blue and that his name is Andrew, which confirmed what a psychic told us

He loves to play around with visitors (especially children) and rides in the elevator

Story is both encouraging and saddening

The One-Armed, Old Man

A angry spirit of a former caretaker who used to roll his own cigarettes with one arm. He used pipe tobacco which we sometimes smell in the first floor dining room, where he died

This is called a residual effect, which is when a smell or odor is present

Many people have also reported feeling drunk in the spot that he died in

Shadow People

Shadowy figures can be seen in two separate locations in the house: the basement hallway and first floor staircase

Psychic has told us the meanest one is named Byron

Has caused lots of trouble during periods of restoration

Demonic Encounter on the Staircase?

The Kitchen

Many people have reported smelling food cooking, and even manure

These are residual affects, and the reason why manure can be smelled is because during violent storms, the horses would be brought into the kitchen to prevent them from getting scared

A worker has also heard a voice say “Bon Jour” and if you speak French in the room, noises can be heard coming from the back wall. This leads us to believe that someone of French descent stayed or lived in the house at some point in time

The Vault

The secretary and one witness saw a blue light shine out of the wall and land on her chest

I have lit candles and see the flame stay perfectly straight, but after asking questions, it started to bounce around

Noises and pings can also be heard on the back wall after asking questions

No draft is present in the room, and there are no windows or any way to get outside light in

Disembodied Voices

Almost as rare as physical contact or full-bodied appearance because of the amount of energy needed

Three times I have heard distinct disembodied voices First time: a little girl spoke to us in the side

hotel building Second time: little children laughing in the

foyer Third time: a little boy spoke to a worker and I

Rose Hill CemeteryMatawan, New Jersey

Tons of History

Site of graves of soldiers from the American Revolution and Civil War

Also notably, a victim of the infamous 1916 New Jersey shark attacks (one location being Matawan Creek) is buried there

Strange Happenings

Why would a cemetery be haunted? That is a very good question

Main hill in the center is an Indian burial ground from the 1700’s. White settlers then took over the area and used the land in the same way

Reports of shadowy figures, orbs, and ectoplasm (ghostly matter visible in pictures)

Spy HousePort Monmouth, New Jersey

Pirates, Spies, Ghosts?

Built in 1648 LEGEND: Used as a station by pirate

Henry Morgan (maybe), where he supposedly kept the bodies of all the people he killed in the basement (eh…probably not)

TRUE: was a tavern during the American Revolution where the owner would try to get British soldiers drunk so he could get them talking and spy on them, relaying the information to Washington

Legends: Fact or Fiction?

No doubt the house is haunted, but which stories are true?

There are legends of child ghosts playing on the front lawn, an evil spirit in the basement, and a widow doomed to look out an upstairs window for her long-lost husband

However, none of these stories were known until the 1980’s and 90’s, due to the house’s caretaker Gertrude Niedlinger, who loved the paranormal and supposedly conducted candlelight séances in the house for visitors

Debunking False LegendsWhipporwill Road (Middletown)Dempsey House (Leonardo)

Whipporwill Road

One of the most famous roads in New Jersey

Plays host to visitors night in and night out Famous legends include:

In the 1700’s, 14 witches were executed and buried along the road (some stories say hanged, some say they were burned)

In the 1800’s, devil worshippers would use the surrounding woods as a meeting place

In the 1900’s, members of the KKK would meet near the road

Cooper Road

Dempsey House

A creepy looking “house”, no doubt Legends talk of murders and suicide

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