New Jersey

A Fabulous Fable of the Supernatural Kind

The saga of the Morristown ghost has been told around campfires and dinner tables in Morris County for generations. Local legend claimed British Loyalists secretly buried stolen Patriot treasure on Schooley Mountain as they fled the oncoming forces of George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Years later in 1788, a former school teacher from Connecticut, Ransford Rodgers, convinced local prominent Morristown families that a ghost was protecting the true location of the treasure and he alone could exercise it. Little did the victims know, Rodgers was perpetuating an elaborate hoax and eventually extorted large sums of money from the embarrassed local elite. The tale has been recounted in various sensational pamphlets and publications ever since, leaving behind a mystery of what is true or myth.

Author Peter Zablocki separates fact from fiction in the story of the great Morristown ghost hoax.

The twin river hamlets of Lambertville, New Jersey, and New Hope, Pennsylvania, hold a special place in America's history.

The tiny pocket of land on which they sit borders the Delaware River on the east and west, and it is this famous waterway that has fostered life as far back as the days when the Lenni Lenape fished and hunted here. Much has changed since the land was purchased by representatives of King Charles II in the late seventeenth century, but what continues to make Lambertville and New Hope special are their deep and enduring ties to the past. This intriguing visual history documents the proud heritage of these riverfront communities from the dawn of photography to the early 1900s through two hundred carefully selected images accompanied by detailed and informative text. Photography is perhaps the most remarkable of all our historic records because it brings history to life for so many people. The images collected for this book provide a window into the past that is both intimate and learned. One image tells of the human toil and ingenuity that went into the digging of the canal system, while another takes us into the carefree world of two young lovers setting out with parasol and oars to spend some quiet moments together on the Delaware in the Victorian era.

The seaside resort of Cape May was named for Dutchman Cornelis Mey, who sailed past this part of southeastern New Jersey in 1616.

Originally known as Cape Island, the area was settled by a handful of English-speaking farmers and whalers in the 1690s. By 1776, it was advertised as a popular, healthy place for bathing in the ocean. The first boardinghouses were erected in the early 1800s, and by 1850, the town boasted nearly two dozen. Vacationers came from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even the Deep South, many building summer cottages along the shore. The establishment of rail service in 1863 brought a new era of growth and even more hotels. Although a devastating fire in 1878 destroyed several of the oldest, they were soon replaced by new hotels and cottages boasting broad porches and eaves lavished with gingerbread trim. Today, most of Cape May City is a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its well-preserved collection of Victorian-era buildings. Cape May showcases the rich architectural and recreational heritage of this coastal New Jersey town.

For over one hundred years people have been coming to Atlantic City to swim in the ocean, walk on the boardwalk, and get away from their day-to-day lives.....

Return to the halcyon days of the sand and sun as local writers and long-time locals present stories from Atlantic City's heartwarming past.

The innovative Benjamin Franklin Bridge, originally named the Delaware River Bridge, was constructed to connect the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey.

For a time after its opening on July 1, 1926, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a main span of 1,750 feet. The Benjamin Franklin Bridge contains many rarely seen images of the bridge's planning and construction, the individuals who helped make the concept of the bridge a reality, and the workers who built it. The bridge has undergone many changes in the decades since its opening, and these vintage photographs trace its evolution, illustrating the bridge's endurance as a symbol of the Philadelphia-Camden metropolitan area.

Four decades after Jeannette DePalma's tragic death, authors Jesse P. Pollack and Mark Moran present the definitive account of the shocking Springfield township cold case.

As Springfield residents decorated for Halloween in September 1972, the crime rate in the quiet, affluent township was at its lowest in years. That mood was shattered when the body of sixteen-year-old Jeannette DePalma was discovered in the local woods, allegedly surrounded by strange objects. Some feared witchcraft was to blame, while others believed a serial killer was on the loose. Rumors of a police cover up ran rampant, and the case went unsolved - along with the murders of several other young women.

Among the rolling hills, picturesque farms and lush highlands of Northwestern New Jersey lurk haunting mysteries and unexplained apparitions.

A historic recluse who practiced witchcraft generations ago is said to be still spinning misdeeds as the Sussex Sorcerer on Sunrise Mountain. The ghost of Reverend O'Malley walks the woods around Mount Allamuchy as the Purple Bishop, seeking vengeance against those who betrayed him. The sinisterly named Shades of Death Road along the sod farms and meadows of the Pequest River Valley has a bloody reputation of bandit killings, Lenape massacres and supernatural encounters.

Author Robert Oakes leads readers on a spirited journey through the historic ghost lore of Northwestern New Jersey.

All Hail the Chief in the Garden State

Thousands of people came out to support Franklin D. Roosevelt when he visited the state in 1936 and proved their support at the polls four consecutive times. After voting Republican for most of the two decades following L.B.J., New Jersey once again became the battle state in 1992 when H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton made it their prerogative to win the state. Before Donald Trump took week-long working vacations from his Golf Club at Bedminster, other Commanders in Chief sought out the benefits of resting at the Jersey shore. Cape May's Congress Hall Hotel served as a "Summer White House" for Benjamin Harrison Richard Nixon spent the last thirteen years of his life as part of the Saddle River community.

Author Peter Zablocki presents the heated elections, political events and key moments of the President in the Garden State.

Princeton is only the fourth American college to celebrate a 275th anniversary.

Founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, it has long Presbyterian roots. The scene of notable events in the American Revolution, it was a classical college for another century. Then, at its 1896 sesquicentennial, it became Princeton University and in succeeding decades developed into a world-leading research university. Long an institution of males of European descent, its gender and ethnic makeup has changed dramatically in the last half-century. Today's Princeton combines a robust collegiate culture with a research profile near the top of international league tables--truly a rare combination.

Author W. Bruce Leslie is a New Jersey native and a 1966 alumnus of Princeton University. As the grandson of a Scottish immigrant, studying at an institution with deep Scottish roots was a natural path. The author fell in love with liberal education thanks to Princeton's wonderful faculty and fellow students. Inspired by them, he taught history for a half-century at the State University of New York at Brockport, seeking to bestow a similar affection for learning, especially about the past, on his students. Returning to his roots in retirement, he is rediscovering the richness of this cultural and intellectual community.

From the crossroads of the American Revolution to the construction of the George Washington Bridge, New Jersey's Bergen County has a history that has shaped not only the metropolitan area, but the nation itself.

Featuring narratives of key historical moments, legendary personalities and fascinating landmarks, this guide to Bergen County's past is essential for any resident or visitor alike. Take a copy along as you traverse the county and discover the historic sites within and the stories behind them.

Authors Bob Nesoff and Howard Joseph Cohn take readers on a fascinating journey through Bergen County's incredible past.

Ghostly Fun in the Sand and Sun

The wide sandy beaches, colorful boardwalks and majestic lighthouses of the Jersey Shore share supernatural secrets and unexplainable encounters...

In Absecon the dead pose as guides for a unique afterhours tour of its historic lighthouse. A reformed criminal met the apparition of his victim, learning remorse is eternal, on Long Beach Island. Newly built casinos in Atlantic City have former patrons stopping by for one last goodbye, from beyond the grave. A spectral organist haunts and plays the pipe organ of Asbury Park's Convention Hall.

Author Patricia Heyer uncovers the eerie mysteries that shroud many of the Shore's iconic landmarks.

Morven stands on five acres in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey, and has played a role in the state's and nation's history for more than 200 years.

After Morven was built for Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, four generations of Stocktons resided there through the early 20th century before the property was leased to Robert Wood Johnson, chairman of Johnson & Johnson. He was followed by five New Jersey governors when Morven served as the state's first governor's mansion. Morven has hosted presidents from George Washington to John F. Kennedy and other notable people, including foreign leader Fidel Castro, movie star Grace Kelly, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and star athlete Althea Gibson. Morven opened as a museum and garden in 2004. The mansion building that serves as the museum is the largest structure on the property, but other notable landmarks include the 1930s pool house, 19th-century carriage house, and colonial revival garden. Morven depicts over 225 years of history and includes views of a home and property that survived wars, fires, and changing tastes.

Authors Elizabeth Allan and Jesse Gordon Simons, who make up the curatorial department at Morven Museum & Garden, have produced 20 museum exhibitions together. Here, they draw on Morven's archives and local New Jersey collections to celebrate the life of this national historic landmark.

An interesting pictorial history of Franklin Township and its beginnings.

Franklin Township is a picturesque, rural oasis with rich soils and sparkling streams in the heart of Hunterdon County. Settled in the early 1700s by Quakers, it was touched by the Revolutionary War. Although the township was never occupied by British troops, New Jersey deputy quartermaster general Moore Furman's gristmill supplied flour for George Washington's troops. Its beginnings as a farming and milling community remain at the heart of Franklin. Agriculture continues to hold cultural, historic, and scenic importance, and Hiram Deats, who manufactured a cast-iron plow patented by his father, John, in 1828, is still honored. Charming villages and hamlets boast 99 historic stone structures and 183 frame homes built before 1900. This idyllic area stands as proof that nature and bucolic farmland still hold sway in one of the nation's most densely populated states.

Poet Walt Whitman proclaimed his adopted home of Camden, in its heyday, "the city invincible," a powerhouse of industrial might destined for greatness.

Camden resurrects that fascinating era of invincibility through powerful images of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge construction; Cooper Hospital's nearly ill-fated founding; and the momentous birth of Campbell Soup Company, Victor Talking Machine Company/RCA, and New York Shipbuilding. Also included are images of Camden's neighborhoods, community life, and bustling downtown district, as well as the newsmakers and lawbreakers who defined the "biggest little city in the world."