NEW JERSEY: Pine Barrens
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There’s not one single landmark in Pine Barrens, New Jersey, that hosts spirits and mysterious creatures — the forest spans seven counties and contains ghost towns galore.
The area was bustling during colonial times with paper and sawmills. But they all disappeared when coal was discovered in Pennsylvania.
It’s also said to be home to the infamous Jersey Devil, a beast that the Pinelands Preservation Alliance describes as “a kangaroo-like creature with the face of a horse, the head of a dog, bat-like wings, horns, and a tail.”
According to folklore, it was the 13th child of a woman named Deborah Leeds, who offered it to the devil while pregnant with it in 1735. After its birth, the baby grew wings and talons as well as hooves and hooves. It then went on to kill its mother, siblings, midwife, and brother before disappearing. It is still feared by livestock and humans today.