With its sprawling landscapes, quaint farms, active downtowns and gardens galore, Central Jersey is beautiful any time of year.
Or should we say BOO-tiful? Don't let the picturesque scenery fool you – behind all that nature lies the unnatural.
According to a report from memorial product company Affordable Urns , New Jersey has been named one of the most haunted states in America. The study, which analyzed data on paranormal sightings to find the top haunted places across the U.S., ranks the Garden State fourth-most-haunted.
And Central Jersey does its part to up the spooky. Replete with ghostly lodgings, spooky drives and the occasional creepy abandoned woods, the heart of the Garden State simply abounds with haunted addresses and spectral apparitions.
And there’s no better time than Halloween to visit one of the area's eerie and perhaps paranormal places.
Spirits and specters
There are said to be ghosts all over Central Jersey, including at St. Mary’s School in Rahway, the Van Wickle House at the Meadows in Franklin, the Bernardsville Library, the Raritan Borough Library, the Brooks Theater in Bound Brook and the Old Spy Inn in Sayreville.
These three are most notable though − Knitting Betty, the Pig Lady and Mary Moore. Don't bother to close your eyes. They see you.
Knitting Betty of Sourland Mountain
Seen sitting on a boulder knitting − hence the name Knitting Betty − this ghost is Revolutionary War heroine Betty Wert. She haunts the Sourland Mountains, visiting the boulders and old roads she frequented during the Revolution. One of these spots is Neshanic-Harlingen Road, which to this day is still untouched by modernization.
As the story goes, Betty was heartbroken when her fiancée enlisted as a member of the Continental Army. While waiting for his return, she would knit sitting on the boulders. From her spot, she could also see what the Redcoats were up to and Betty became a spy for the patriots. It is said she provided information that helped the Continental Army win the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. But, before she could learn of the victory, Betty was captured by the British and beheaded.
She’s also been called Dutch Betty because of another story Dutch settlers told of her sitting on the rock with her head in hands. Yet, others called her English Betty or Black Betty.
Go: Neshanic-Harlingen Road, Sourland Mountains, Hillsborough
More: 5 haunted attractions in Central Jersey that will keep your spine tingling this Halloween
Pig Lady, Hillsborough
This spirit haunts "Pig Lady Road," otherwise known as Roycefield Road in Hillsborough.
Town tales tell of a severely disfigured woman who lives in the woods next to Duke Farms, the estate of the late tobacco heiress Doris Duke. Some say the "Pig Lady" was a Duke family maid who was disfigured in a fall after a fire at the mansion, while others claim she was born that way and her father put a pig's head on her to hide her face. Still others believe she say was a hermit-like farmer whose face resembled a pig. She then killed local teenagers after they bullied her.
As the stories go, the "Pig Lady" will attack those who visit late at night - many a thrill-seeker has come down her road, stopped their car, flashed their lights three times and screamed "Pig Lady!" Then, they look for her face in their rearview mirrors as they speed away.
Go: Roycefield Road, Hillsborough.
Mary Moore, Edison
A local witch, Mary Moore was buried in the Piscatawaytown Burial Ground in 1731. The cemetery, which has graves dating as far back as 1693, also hosts the final resting places of many Revolutionary War soldiers.
Mary Moore was put to death following an accusation of witchcraft and several local legends involve two boys who stole the headstone, then died in a curse after messing about with it. According to the folk tales, if visitors walk around her grave three times and spit, her ghost will appear.
Go: Piscatawaytown Burial Ground, 2136 Woodbridge Ave., Edison.
Possessed properties
Not seeking out a named ghost? Haunted happenings are said to occur all over the Garden State. In Central Jersey, stories handed down tell of scares and spookiness at spots including the Historic District of Old Bridge in East Brunswick, Geary House in South Plainfield, Van Wickle House in Franklin, Moorecraft building in Bound Brook and Metlar House in Piscataway.
More: These are the most popular Halloween costumes in 2024
Hotel Somerset, Somerville
Ghosts have been playing tricks on those who stay at the historic Hotel Somerset for years.
Established in 1748, the 18th-century hotel boasts being the oldest continuous hotel in the country and has a deep connection to history. In 1926, the hotel sequestered jurors from the Hall-Mills trial and accommodated George Washington and his troops during the Revolutionary War.
It also has been plagued by numerous spirit guests, whose provenance is unknown. It is said the ghosts of three children and several adults haunt the building, which now serves as a boarding house. Residents have complained of feeling soft touches on their skin, closet doors slamming, whispers and being tickled while sleeping. A night-vision surveillance system also has picked up orbs, and voices have been recorded by paranormal investigators.
Go: 65 E. Main St., Somerville.
The Devil's Tree, Bernards
True to its moniker, The Devil's Tree in Bernards is apparently cursed and whoever taunts, messes, or disturbs it is in for a fright. Located in a Mountain Road field in the Martinsville section near Emerald Valley Lane, the tree stands alone, bearing scars that seem to be the result of attempts to remove the ominous oak with saws and axes. In recent years, local officials have tightly wrapped the tree with metal fencing to prevent further damage ... and perhaps death.
According to town talk, there is not just one story associated with the threatening timber. Some say a farmer killed his entire family then hung himself on the tree, while others recount the many suicides and murders that took place there. A common claim is that the township was one of the state's central headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan and the tree had been used to lynch Africans and rebellious slaves since Colonial days. Still more stories say those who get too close to the tree will be chased by a black pickup truck. There are tales of a "death curse" that strikes people who attempt to chop it down.
It is also said that in the winter, no snow falls around it.
A nearby boulder called "Heat Rock", and sometimes the tree itself, are said to always be warm to the touch and marks the spot as a portal to Hell.
Go: Head to the intersection of Mountain Road and Emerald Valley Lane in the Martinsville section of Bernards. Across the street from Emerald Valley Lane, the tree is visible on an undeveloped field.
Flemington
The whole borough is pretty haunted. They even have annual ghosts walks and talks. From footsteps in the halls of the Union Hotel to the ghost of Bruno Hauptmann from the 1935 Lindbergh baby kidnapping trial at the Hunterdon County Courthouse, Flemington has hundreds of reports of haunts.
Flemington is one of the state's historic towns with 65% of the buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many − still inhabited − date back to the late 1700s and 1800s.
Located across the street from the courthouse, the Union Hotel, built in 1814, has had countless eerie reports including a young girl with a bouncing red ball, cold chills followed by an empty pair of children's black patent-leather shoes walking up the stairs on their own, voices heard in an empty dining room and the humming of a lullaby. The 210-year-old hotel is now undergoing renovation − so who knows what new spirits will be awoken.
During a ghost walk, guides spoke of the ghost of a young boy who pulls the fire alarm at Reading-Fleming Intermediate School every September, chairs that spin on their own at a salon, spirits who reside at the former train station and a woman who haunts Lone Eagle Brewing − the site of her home.
Go: The courthouse and Union Hotel are on downtown Main Street; flemingtonghostwalk.com/ or just wander aimlessly around the borough if you dare.
Ayers-Allen House, Metuchen
A private residence, the Ayers-Allen House has seen quite a bit of history and possibly much more. The 284-year-old home is said to be haunted by Revolutionary War soldiers, Hessian soldiers, a woman searching for her son who was killed by British soldiers, and/or two Native Americans who were unjustly hanged in a tree in the yard. It is also believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad in the 1800s.
The Ayers-Allen House was built in 1740 and also goes by the Allen House Tavern. The home has two trap doors and a hidden room in the house. Located near an American and British battle site, the house was said to have served as a tavern where the two sides would find common ground.
Since 1985 the house has been listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places.
Go: 16 Durham Ave., Metuchen; facebook.com/AyersAllenHouse/ .
More: Which Halloween goodies have the scariest amounts of sugar?
Proprietary House, Perth Amboy
Built between 1762 and 1764, Proprietary House has served as a residence for New Jersey's last royal governor, hotel, private mansion, retirement home, boarding house and museum. It also seems to house several ghosts.
Proprietary House is the only remaining official royal governor's mansion still standing in the original 13 colonies. The Proprietary House’s most notable resident was William Franklin, illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin − yes, the Benjamin Franklin − and the last Royal Governor. The younger Franklin did not share his father's devotion to independence, was arrested as a British loyalist in 1776 and then fled to England.
Local legend claims ghosts of the Revolutionary War continue to haunt the halls and the grounds have hosted a number of ghostly sightings. Visitors claim to see soldiers and hear heavy footsteps of boots, a woman standing in the dining room window, a bathroom door that locks and unlocks on its own and a young boy dressed in blue playing in the yard. Once, the boy allegedly opened the door for a delivery man and led him to the third floor.
The haunting in and around the Proprietary House attracted several investigations from ghost hunter and paranormal investigation groups. Orbs in photos, believed to be apparitions, have been captured.
The building suffered massive damage in a suspicious fire around the time of the Revolutionary War. Repaired, it served as a hotel until the War of 1812. Since then, it has undergone numerous owners and restorations. The site is owned by the state and the museum is now operate by the non-profit Proprietary House Association, who hosts guided house and ghost tours, teas, lectures, concerts and storytelling events.
Go: 149 Kearny Ave., Perth Amboy.
Phareloch Castle, Basking Ridge
Phareloch Castle is a 17th century-style Norman castle on 150-acres of woodland off Green Mountain Road behind a row of private homes in the foothills of the Watchung mountains. Bill Beatty, a New York advertising executive and brother of Mayor Frank Beatty, began building the massive home in 1923. He modeled it after an ancestor’s home in England. The brothers were said to be related to animal trainer and circus performer/owner Clyde Beatty.
In 1930, Beatty moved himself, his wife Sarah and their four children into home, before construction was completed. Beatty died of the flu the next year. It took another five years to finish the home. Sarah, who never remarried, raised the children there and they lived in the home until 1941.
The castle went through several restorations and reincarnations, including as a boy's home for several decades, co-ed school, and a private home.
Over time, there were reports of pipe organ music echoing in the hallways − though there was no organ. When Bill Beatty lived there though − he had an organ. There were sightings of apparitions, particularly of a male who was considered friendly. Pets were said to be spooked, often staring at seemingly empty spaces and reacting with fear. Residents witnessed objects moving on their own, oven doors opening and shutting, and TV channels being changed. They heard footsteps going up and down the stairs and hammering noises echoing in hallways.
Today, it is a private 14-room home with six bedrooms, four bathrooms and approximately 2,737 square feet of floor space. It sits on 7.2 acres. The home that Beatty built last sold in 2000 for $601,000.
Go: 1 Shadowbrook Lane, Bernards.
email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com , part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin . To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: These haunted places in New Jersey should be on your Halloween bucket list
Local News
