State file · NJ
Haunted places in New Jersey
What are the most haunted places in New Jersey? The best-known are Clinton Road and Burlington County Prison.
New Jersey packs three centuries of history into a small, crowded state: Revolutionary War campaigns, colonial iron forges hidden in the northern hills, the vast Pine Barrens, Victorian seaside resorts and some of the oldest public buildings in America. Its ghost lore draws on all of them, from soldiers and ironworkers to sea captains and the inmates of the old county jails.
- 2 hauntings
- 10 recorded sightings
Haunted places in New Jersey
Clinton Road
A lonely 10-mile road through the North Jersey woods that Weird NJ made famous for a ghost boy, phantom trucks and a ruined castle. Regional legend
Burlington County Prison
A Robert Mills-designed jail that held prisoners from 1811 to 1965; staff, workers and ghost hunters report moans, chains and smoke from its old cells. Regional legendThe ghost lore of New Jersey
More than anywhere else, though, New Jersey’s modern ghost tradition was shaped by Weird NJ. For more than three decades the magazine founded by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman has collected readers’ stories of haunted roads, ruined mansions and local legends, turning places like Clinton Road and Shades of Death Road into destinations for night-time “legend trips” and inspiring copycat guides across the country. The magazine is candid that most of the stories are folklore, and the real history behind them is often stranger.
For a visit with the history intact, head to the Burlington County Prison Museum in Mount Holly, to Cape May’s Victorian streets and their nightly ghost tours, or to the iron-making ruins of the Highlands by daylight. Many legend sites are on private land or posted watershed and park property – respect the signs and the people who live along those roads.
Ghost-hunting hotspots
- Cape May
America’s oldest seaside resort, whose Victorian inns, lighthouse and historic district support some of the busiest ghost tours on the East Coast.
- Shades of Death Road, Warren County
A 6.7-mile road beside Jenny Jump State Forest whose name may come from 19th-century malaria in the Great Meadows swamps, and whose legends include Ghost Lake and a fog full of figures.
- The Pine Barrens
A million acres of pine forest with ghost towns, cranberry bogs and the Jersey Devil folklore that has been told since the 18th century.
- The Highlands iron country
Abandoned forges, furnaces and mining villages in the northern hills, including Ringwood and West Milford, feed many of the state’s ruin legends.
Timeline
- 1811The jail opens Burlington County Prison
Robert Mills’ reform-minded jail received its first prisoners. It was designed for about 40 inmates.
- 1826Clinton Furnace built Clinton Road
William Jackson built the stone iron furnace on Clinton Brook; it operated from 1833 to 1837 and later became the road’s “Druid temple.”
- July 26, 1833Joel Clough executed Burlington County Prison
Clough was hanged for the murder of Mary Hamilton and buried on the grounds. The museum dates the first reports of moaning and chains from “the dungeon” to this time.
- 1905Cross Castle built Clinton Road
Banker Richard James Cross built a stone summer mansion in the hills above the road. After a fire it was abandoned and slowly became a ruin.
- November 23, 1965The last day as a jail Burlington County Prison
More than 100 inmates were moved out, closing what was then called the oldest operating prison in the country. It reopened as a museum in 1966.
- May 18, 1983A real crime on Clinton Road Clinton Road
The body of Daniel Deppner was found in the woods off the road. Richard Kuklinski, later known as “the Iceman,” was charged with and convicted of his murder.
- 1988Cross Castle demolished Clinton Road
Newark’s water department tore down the ruin as a hazard to the hikers and teenagers drawn to it; only foundations remain.
- 1993–2001Renovation and new reports Burlington County Prison
During a long restoration, workers reported voices, apparitions and missing tools later found in locked cells, prompting the county to invite paranormal investigators.
- April 12, 2008Ghost Hunters episode Burlington County Prison
The prison featured in the Syfy series’ episode “Two to Tango,” which described a tall uniformed figure in the basement and activity on the third floor.
- 2009Travel Channel special Clinton Road
Clinton Road appeared in the Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America 2, spreading the phantom-truck story nationally.
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