New Jersey

During the American Revolution, Great Britain hired thirty thousand German troops to fight rebellious colonists. Five thousand of those troops marched across New Jersey from Princeton and Trenton all the way to the northern tip of Sussex County. Though popular legend would cast them as cold and vicious mercenaries, many were prisoners of war with little choice. Stories of their exploits still circulate in New Jersey, from the headless Hessian of the Morristown Swamp to the mysterious Ramapo Mountain people. Join author Pete Lubrecht as he navigates the myth of Hessian troops in New Jersey to separate fiction from fact.

From Piney Folklore to Legendary Figures of South Jersey's Past

Author William Lewis presents fascinating tales, revealing legends and beloved lore from the heart of Southern New Jersey.

Many have heard the legend of the Jersey Devil of the Pine Barrens, but what about his relative in Somerset County? The Great Swamp Devil was captured by an American Patriot, terrorized a Victorian family and was rediscovered by Depression-era adventurers. Clearly, Somerset County has a rich oral tradition filled with a folklore all its own. An encounter with the Dead River Witch of Liberty Corner is linked with the unsolved disappearance of a nine-year-old girl. Alleged Revolutionary War spy John Honeyman never stopped telling tall tales about himself, even after his death. The Pluckemin orbs--more than six thousand years old--frightened Native Americans, intrigued artists and still defy explanation. Discover these and other legends from Somerset County, New Jersey.