The magnificent New Jersey Pine Barrens and the folklore surrounding the region

 

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or simply the Pines, is the largest remaining example of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecosystem, stretching across more than seven counties of New Jersey. Millions of years ago, southern New Jersey was washed by ocean waves. The sand they deposited indelibly shaped the human culture of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Today, just as the ocean left an inland shore, the land is marked by the remains of human industry, remains that carry myths and legends of the past.

Many think of the American West when they hear of outlaws and ghost towns, but the Pine Barrens were just as wild. Take the story of John Bacon, for example: a Loyalist guerrilla who massacred 19 men of the Continental Army in their sleep and was then captured in the Pine Barrens in what is considered the last battle of the Revolutionary War. John Bacon was a leader of the Pine Robbers, a band of Loyalist guerrilla fighters who hid out in the Pine Barrens of south-central New Jersey and preyed upon Patriots toward the end of the American Revolutionary War. The group was responsible for the October 1782 Long Beach Island Massacre, which occurred after hostilities between the United States and Great Britain had been put on hold pending treaty negotiations. He and his band were relentlessly pursued thereafter. Bacon was killed the following March while resisting capture (considered by several historians to be the last casualty of the war).

The most famous story of the region is that of the Jersey Devil, a mythical beast born to a woman living in the Pine Barrens, which has reportedly haunted the region for hundreds of years. This creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. The common description is that of a bipedal kangaroo-like or wyvern-like creature with a horse- or goat-like head, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves, and a forked tail. It has been reported to move quickly and is often described as emitting a high-pitched "blood-curdling scream". 

By 1869, the iron industry in the Pine Barrens had disappeared, and the once-bustling towns there fell into decay. The forest soon began to reclaim the land that was once an engine of productivity. The buildings and railroad slowly disappeared over the decades, but the stories have lived on.

The Cedar Bridge Tavern

The Cedar Bridge Tavern is a historic building located in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in Barnegat Township. It was built around 1740 and is believed to be the oldest intact bar in the United States. It is located at the site of the last skirmish of the American Revolutionary War. It is on the National Register of Historical Places.

Excerpts from ''More Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey'' by Hanry Charlton Beck. 1936. Rutgers University Press, claim the following:

''..."I ain't never seen the ghost," Sweeney told us, when we asked him. "But old Sam Traux used to tell me about it." "He used to say that no matter how many times he made sure to put the light out, he would wake up and find it lit - bright and early, some mornings."

Although the ghost was never identified, he could be one of many who figured in sudden death at the Cedar Bridge Hotel.

John Wildermith fell downstairs and died of a broken neck. "Shorty" Loveless came in one night, complained of not feeling well, and died within the hour. And it was to the hotel that they brought a renowned country auctioneer when he died of wounds suffereed when somebody's gun was mysteriously discharged on a gunning trip...''

It is believed that this is the oldest, intact bar in the United States.

The White Horse Inn

Built ca. 1860, the White Horse Inn/Shamong Hotel is the one of the oldest surviving inns in the Pine Barrens. When first constructed, the inn served stagecoach, and later, railroad, passengers en route to Southern New Jersey iron furnaces. At the turn of the twentieth century, Prince Ruspoli created a resort club in the area called the Chatsworth Club, which boasted Astors, Duponts, Goulds, Pulitzers, Morgans, and Vanderbilts as members. Overflow guests from the resort were housed at the inn.

The White Horse Inn served many purposes over the years, but it was left to vandalism and decay until a group of community members dedicated themselves to restoring it. Once, the window at the top of the building was inexplicably dislodged. Another time, a police officer, alone in the building, heard footsteps even though the building’s alarm system was never set off. He refuses to return to this day.

Emilio Carranza

Half an hour drive down a desolate, dirt road stands a monument to a seemingly unlikely figure: Emilio Carranza, a Mexican aviator who flew around the world championing peace. 

Carranza was about to begin a tour from New York City to Mexico City, stopping at American cities along the way, but a fierce storm delayed his voyage. A commanding Air Force officer messaged him that if he didn't begin the journey immediately, his manhood would be in question. While looking for a place to land in the storm with only a flashlight to guide him, he crashed in the Pine Barrens and died. Legend holds that if you flash your car lights at the statue, you will hear the plane and see Carranza's flashlight searching for a place to land.

The Blue Hole

The Blue Hole, in addition to reportedly being a favored spot of the Jersey Devil, is said to be bottomless and occasionally drag unsuspecting bathers into its depths.

The area was once accessible by a bridge that was washed away in the 1960s. Combined with the stories of beasts and drowned swimmers, few people travel to the Blue Hole for fear of what might be found there.

Epilogue

There are many more stories to be told about this specific place, as well as any other region of the United States of America and the rest of the world. All the legends, myths, and history of the Pine Barrens live on because of the hard work of local historians. Stories are already being lost as the older generation passes on, but for now, the lore awaits, if you dare!

P.S. Many thanks to www.wikipedia.com and insider.com for providing me with the necessary information to put this article together.