Paranormal New Jersey

I love to read about local ghost stories and haunted places in our area, especially around Halloween. I was always fascinated by the historical facts and by the paranormal side to those stories. From local legends like Gravity Hill in Titusville to the Jersey Devil, New Jersey has a lot of spooky lore to sink your teeth into. Check out some of what our branches have on the topics of New Jersey’s haunted places, ghost stories and all things paranormal!

Haunted New Jersey: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Garden State by Patricia A. Martinelli

Phantom pirates, water monsters, and mythical snakes figure prominently in this collection of eerie tales from the Garden State. From this state's bucolic, rolling farmland to its heavily populated shore come a variety of stories and legends.

The Big Book of New Jersey Ghost Stories by Patricia A. Martinelli

Reader, beware! Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. Authors Patricia A. Martinelli and Charles A. Stansfield Jr. shine a light in the dark corners of New Jersey and scare those spirits out of hiding in this thrilling collection. From what may lurk in the Ramapo Mountains, to a ghostly little boy who waits on Clinton Road, to the fabled Jersey Devil itself, these stories of strange occurrences will keep you glued to the edge of your seat. 

Spooky New Jersey: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore by S. Schlosser

Pull up a chair or gather round the campfire and get ready for 40 creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences from times past. Set deep in the Pinelands and Ramapo Mountains, along the Atlantic coast, and in historic towns like Burlington and Springfield, the stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and again.

Ghosts of Central Jersey: Historic Haunts of the Somerset Hills by Gordon Thomas Ward

Ranging from the shadowed woods of the Somerset Hills to the dappled banks of the Delaware River, Ghosts of Central Jersey delivers a rich mix of factual history and the sound investigation of ghostly phenomena. This collection of reports on local legends and traditional stories informs, entertains, and takes you to places in New Jersey where the past is considered to be very much alive and entwined with the present. 

Ghosthunting New Jersey by L'Aura Hladik

Author L'Aura Hladik visits 34 legendary haunted places across the Garden State, all of which are open to the public―so you can test your own ghosthunting skills… if you dare.

Ghosts of Mount Holly: A History of Haunted Happenings by Jan Lynn Bastien

Bringing a whole new meaning to the term historical interaction, "Bastien visits firehouses, taverns and cemeteries to exhume those bits of the past whose clammy fingers still cling to the present. The vividness of her spellbinding accounts will have you smelling the sulfur of dead-but-not-departed Hessian mercenaries in less time than it takes to shiver."

Folklore of the New Jersey Shore: Ghosts, the Supernatural, and Beyond by Richard J. Kimmel

Extending along the eastern coast of the state, the Jersey Shore is filled with folklore and strange happenings. Discover how historical events here may have given birth to legend. Read about German U-boats sneaking past Sandy Hook in shallow water defying commonsense. Drive down pineland roads leading to a tiny clearing where satanic rituals, occult meetings, and whisky stills could have flourished.

Did you know that there are libraries in New Jersey that are said to be haunted? The most famous are the Bernardsville Library, where a ghost was even given her own library card; the Raritan Public Library, the location of many specter sightings; and Monmouth University Library, where a lady in white has been seen walking on the stairs. There are libraries all across the country and world that are said to host spirits. Interested in learning more about haunted library lore? Take a look at the Haunted Libraries Libguide created by Illinois University Library: Haunted Libraries.

Do you have a favorite local ghost story or location that you want to share? Let us know in the comments! 

- by Isabel F., Ewing Branch