Haunted Jersey Shore Beaches, Boardwalks and Lighthouses

By Patricia Heyer

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781439675755

Patricia Heyer

Patricia Heyer is a local history buff with a special interest in New Jersey folklore and marine science. She has written extensively for both children and adults during her career, including her most recent book for kids, The Ghostly Tales of the Jersey Shore (adapted from her adult book, Haunted Jersey Shore Beaches, Boardwalks, and Lighthouses ). Pat is an avid reader, beachcomber, and animal rescue supporter. She resides on the Jersey shore with her husband Rob and their rescue cat, Gracie.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Haunted Jersey Shore Beaches, Boardwalks and Lighthouses is a book with a split personality. It is first and foremost a history book, sharing the dynamic history of New Jersey’s 130 miles of coastline. At the same time, it is a down the shore travel guide, putting the spotlight on our beaches, boardwalks and picturesque lighthouses. Finally, it is a chronicle of Jersey Shore folklore, those peculiar, inexplicable, even paranormal events that we cannot explain.

The New Jersey shore has played a unique and crucial role in the history of our nation. It was along this coastline that the English colonies flourished, and here is where the birth pains of the new nation were keenly felt. Along these very shores, the fledgling nation developed its maritime trade and grew into an economic and political powerhouse.

If we look more closely, we see that three of the most treasured icons of the Jersey Shore not only witnessed this history but were instrumental in the success of the new experiment known as America. These are, firstly, the wide, sandy beaches that not only welcome visitors for unparalleled recreation, but also serve as a natural protective barrier as our border. Secondly, our treasured assortment of boardwalks not only serves to tie beachfronts to local communities but also provides a wealth of exercise venues, amusements, entertainments and even their own unique genre of boardwalk foods. The third icon of our shores, lighthouses, is not merely a photographer’s delight. These towers that dot our shoreline have served as navigational tools, saving hundreds of ships and thousands of human lives. The role of lighthouses in the growth of our nation and in the safeguarding of our security is unmatched.

Rock groins built perpendicular to the shore prevent sand from being carried away by the longshore current. Photograph by author.

This trio of Jersey Shore icons participated in a revolution, a civil war, a worldwide depression and thirteen years of civil disobedience during Prohibition. This was followed by a worldwide depression, two world wars, a cold war and even a war on terror. At the same time, these beaches, boardwalks and lighthouses endured countless ocean storms, hurricanes, fires, natural adversities and, sometimes, human neglect.

The 1.5 million people who live here year-round are joined each summer by several million visitors who crowd the beaches, stroll the boardwalks and climb the spiral staircases of the lighthouses to gaze out over the endless Atlantic. Along this shore you can experience the glitz of Atlantic City, enjoy the family friendliness of Ocean City, taste the Victorian flavor of Cape May or savor the vibe of Asbury Park. Wildwood always delights with its characteristic doo-wop, Spring Lake with its reserved serenity and Sandy Hook with its unmatched natural beauty.

With such a rich and colorful history, it is not surprising that the Jersey Shore also has an extensive chronicle of folklore. Recorded since the earliest days, these reports of the unexplained, the peculiar and the paranormal have continued to accumulate over the centuries. Written records of these events have been preserved since the eighteenth century, including ghostly sightings, apparitions and an assortment of manifestations.

Boardwalks like this one in Ocean Grove sometimes extend seaward, allowing us to overlook the breaking waves. Photograph by author.

Sandy Hook Lighthouse has stood watch for 258 years, guiding ships into New York Harbor. Photograph by author.

Why is there so much paranormal activity within this thin strip of coastline? Some suggest that it is the extremely rich and emotionally charged history of our area that kindles these accounts. Others say it is our affiliation with and reliance on the ocean that generates such spontaneous energy. The cause of this phenomenon remains a matter of conjecture and opinion.

The book is divided into three sections, providing an individual chapter for each of the eighteen shore destinations. Each of those chapters introduces its particular beach, boardwalk or lighthouse by sharing details of the locale and what to expect when visiting. It also reviews the historical background, sharing some of the extraordinary events that occurred there. Finally, each chapter delivers a taste of the local folklore, followed by a detailed account of one local paranormal experience recently unearthed by the author

Haunted Jersey Shore Beaches, Boardwalks and Lighthouses is a comfortable read for the beach or the armchair. It can be a useful tool on those trips down the shore or an opportunity to be an eyewitness to what happens when history and folklore cross paths.

PART I

NEW JERSEY BEACHES

FORTY-FOUR REASONS NOT TO STAY HOME

CHAPTER 1

SANDY HOOK BEACH

A SPIT FULL OF GHOSTS

When most people think of Sandy Hook, also known as Gateway National Recreation Area, they think of beaches, surfing, fishing and historic Fort Hancock. Actually, Sandy Hook is a barrier spit created by the northward longshore current, which carries sand along the Jersey Shore and deposits it on the ever-growing tip of Sandy Hook. Located at the northern edge of the Jersey Shore, Sandy Hook stretches six miles northward toward New York, shielding the southern entrances to New York Harbor from the open ocean. To the west is Sandy Hook Bay, an offshoot of Raritan Bay, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. The spit, which is managed by the National Park Service, is no more than half a mile to a mile in width. Yet the 2,400-acre park is visited by two million people a year. In addition, it is home to several governmental and public facilities, including MAST (the Marine Academy for Science and Technology), the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the U.S. Departments of the Interior, Commerce and Homeland Security. It is known as Gateway National Recreation Area; locals refer to it simply as Sandy Hook. Visitors come for a variety of reasons: some to enjoy nature, others to explore history and still others seeking the sheer joy of recreation.

Nature lovers and students from all around come to explore the diverse barrier beach ecology. Within the park are dunes, salt marshes, wetlands, meadows and woodlands, allowing more than 480 distinct species of vegetation to thrive. In addition to cactus, phragmites, beach plums, cordgrass and dwarf pines, the famous Sandy Hook holly forest draws botany lovers each year. Of course, Sandy Hook is also well known for everyone’s nemesis, poison ivy. With such diverse vegetation, it’s not surprising that there is also a wide variety of wildlife. One can find migratory and shore birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, marine organisms and mammals all across the spit. It’s this combination of so much diversity of both plants and animals that brings countless visitors to Sandy Hook.

Many of those who pass through the gates to enter the park come for the recreational opportunities offered throughout the year. During the summer, the beaches overflow with vacationers enjoying the sun and surf. In addition, there is surfing, fishing, kite flying, parasailing, hiking, camping and kayaking, as well as scheduled nature walks and campfires. Although it is busiest during the summer, people can be found throughout the year enjoying a variety of outdoor events.

The park is extremely popular with history buffs. Because of its location, Sandy Hook has witnessed far more American history than nearly any other location in the country. Lovers of history can walk the shores where pirates once roamed and where the American Patriots chased away the British. They can explore nearly every era of American history, from the Revolution to the modern-day era of increased homeland security. One can explore the remains of the decommissioned Fort Hancock or visit the Hamilton Douglas Halyburton Memorial commemorating the disastrous rescue effort of 1783, in which twelve British soldiers died during a winter storm. Or one can stop to see the historic Sandy Hook Lighthouse, a multitude of abandoned artillery emplacements and displays from the era of the Nike missile base. Sandy Hook is teeming with history.

It may be hard to believe that Sandy Hook was discovered by Henry Hudson in 1609 as he explored the continent in an effort to find a passage to India. Later, as maritime commerce expanded in the region, the need for a lighthouse emerged to enable ships to safely round the tip of Sandy Hook. Supported by a lottery devised by New York merchants, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was completed in June of 1764, marking the channel into the harbor. Over the decades, as New York developed into the financial and economic center of the world, Sandy Hook remained strategically important to our nation.

During both world wars, the area became a beehive of military activity as well as the site of strategic fortifications, coastal artillery encampments and military intelligence activities. In 1945, Sandy Hook welcomed home happy GIs as Fort Hancock became a major demobilization center. Soldiers by the thousands returned to their homeland through these gates. By 1954, the Nike missile base was activated to protect America during the Cold War. Major changes came to the area in 1962 when part of the spit became a New Jersey state park. Then, only a decade later, Gateway National Recreation Area was created and, as a federal property, came under the authority of the Department of the Interior.

The remnants of the once stately Officers’ Row at Fort Hancock, nestled between the parade grounds and spectacular views of Sandy Hook Bay. Photograph by author.

Like much of the mid-Atlantic coast, Sandy Hook was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. A thirteen-foot tidal surge inundated the peninsula, leaving six-foot piles of sand on parking lots and roadways. Between 80 and 90 percent of the critical sand dunes washed away, and even the sewage and electrical facilities were compromised. Both the vegetation and the wildlife were devastated. The museum, History House, beach buildings and structures on Fort Hancock were damaged or destroyed. It took six long months of work and $35 million before the park could reopen. It was during this extended period of repair that workers found two pieces of dangerous unexploded ordnance from World War II that the storm had washed up on the beach.

With such an active and more than colorful history,