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Jersey Devil
The Jersey Devil, Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, January 1909.
Creature
Name:	Jersey Devil
AKA:	Leeds Devil
Classification
Grouping:	Cryptid
Sub grouping:	Hominid
Data
First reported:	1800s
Country:	United States
Region:	Pine Barrens (New Jersey)
Habitat:	Forest
Status:	Folk Lore

The Jersey Devil, sometimes called the Leeds Devil, is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey. The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Jersey Devil is a 3D platform game released for the PlayStation. ... The Jersey Devil was the fifth episode of the first season of The X-Files science-fiction television series created by Chris Carter. ... The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. ... Semi-famous newspaper illustration of the New Jersey Devil, from Philadelphia Evening Bullentin, January 1909. ... Cryptids are creatures presumed extinct, hypothetical species, or creatures known from anecdotal evidence and/or other evidence insufficient to prove their existence with scientific certainty. ... A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the great apes), including the extinct and extant humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. ... For other Pine Barrens, see List of pine barrens; for a discussion of the ecotype, see pine barrens Lake Atsion in the Pine Barrens Map of the Pine Barrens The Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, are a heavily forested area covering 1. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Jersey. ... A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature (often known as fabulous creatures in historical literature). ... Cryptids are creatures presumed extinct, hypothetical species, or creatures known from anecdotal evidence and/or other evidence insufficient to prove their existence with scientific certainty. ... For other Pine Barrens, see List of pine barrens; for a discussion of the ecotype, see pine barrens Lake Atsion in the Pine Barrens Map of the Pine Barrens The Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands, are a heavily forested area covering 1. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A biped is an animal that travels across surfaces supported by two legs. ... Rear hooves of a horse Rear hoof of a giraffe A hoof (plural: hooves) is the foot of an ungulate, all of which walk more or less on their toes and have toes with a horny (keratin) covering. ...

Legends

The most popular version of the Jersey Devil legend begins in the 18th century when Deborah Smith from England immigrated to the Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey to marry a Mr. Leeds, who wanted several heirs to continue the family name. Consequently, the new wife was continually pregnant. After bearing twelve healthy children, she was dismayed to be pregnant with her thirteenth. She cursed the unborn child, declaring a preference to bear the Devil's child rather than another Leeds. Apparently, her wish was granted as the new child had cloven hooves, claws, and a tail. The horrific newborn proceeded to eat the other Leeds children and the parents, before escaping through the chimney to begin its reign of terror.^[1][2] This version is contradicted by the fact that Mother Leeds has descendants that, as of 1998, still lived in Atlantic County New Jersey according to a New York Times article dated April 26, 1998 (Section 14NJ, Page 8). For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A cloven-hoof is a type of hoof that is found on some animals. ... Atlantic County is a county located in the state of New Jersey. ...

There are several variations of the Leeds tale, such as one claiming that when Leeds became pregnant with her thirteenth child, she remarked, "May it be a devil!"^[1] The belief that a deformed child was the work of Satan or a curse was still common during the 1800s.^[1]

Blue Hole Home

An important piece of the Jersey Devil legend concerns its supposed home at the Blue Hole located near Winslow, New Jersey. According to popular folklore, the blue hole is not only bottomless but also acts as one of the many gateways to Hell. The water in the hole is abnormally cold, even during the summer months, averaging only 58 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.^[3] In addition, the hole is said to have a whirlpool effect on any person who enters it. Unlike many of the surrounding rivers and lakes in the region, the blue hole possesses crystal clear water, which serves as another one of its many eccentric features. In the 1920s, geologists put forth various explanations for the hole. One theory suggested that the hole is a crater from a prehistoric meteorite while another theory proposed that the hole is a sprung or glacier carved spring, misidentified as a pingo in the magazine Weird N.J.^[3] Winslow highlighted in Camden County Winslow Township is a township located in Camden County, New Jersey. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the theological or philosophical afterlife. ... This article is about the water movement. ... The Geologist by Carl Spitzweg A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system (see planetary geology). ... Tycho crater on Earths moon. ... Willamette Meteorite A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earths surface without being destroyed. ... A pingo is a mound of earth-covered ice found in the Arctic, subarctic, and Antarctica that can reach up to 70 metres in height and up to 600 hundred metres in diameter. ...

Descriptions

Many different descriptions have been offered by alleged witnesses of the creature, which are as follows:

• "It was three feet high... long black hair over its entire body, arms and hands like a monkey, face like a dog, split hooves [...] and a tail a foot long". — George Snyder, Moorestown, NJ. Sighted on January 20, 1909.^[4]
• "In general appearance it resembled a giraffe... It has a long neck and from what glimpse I got of its head its features are hideous. It has wings of a fairly good size and of course in the darkness looked black. Its legs are long and somewhat slender and were held in just such a position as a swan's when it is flying...It looked to be about four feet high". — Lewis Boeger, Haddon Heights, NJ. Sighted on January 21, 1909.^[4]

While the descriptions vary, several aspects remain fairly constant, such as the devil's long neck, wings and hooves. The creature is often said to have a horselike head and tail. Its reputed height varies from about three feet to more than seven feet. Many sightings report the creature to have glowing red eyes that can paralyze a man, and that it utters a high, humanlike scream.

Origins

There are many possible origins of the Jersey Devil legend. The earliest legends date back to Native American folklore. The Lenni Lenape tribes called the area around Pine Barrens "Popuessing," meaning "place of the dragon." Swedish explorers later named it "Drake Kill", "drake" being a European word for dragon, and "kill" meaning channel or arm of the sea (river, stream, etc.). The Lenape or Lenni-Lenape (later named Delaware Indians by Europeans) were, in the 1600s, loosely organized bands of Native American people practicing small-scale agriculture to augment a largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region around the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. ...

Some skeptics believe the Jersey Devil to be nothing more than a creative manifestation of the English settlers. The aptly named Pine Barrens were shunned by most early settlers as a desolate, threatening place. Being relatively isolated, the barrens were a natural refuge for those wanting to remain hidden, including religious dissenters, loyalists, fugitives and military deserters in colonial times. Such individuals formed solitary groups and were pejoratively called "pineys", some of whom became notorious bandits known as "pine robbers". Pineys were further demonized after two early twentieth century eugenics studies depicted them as congenital idiots and criminals. It is easy to imagine early tales of terrible monsters arising from a combination of sightings of genuine animals such as bears, the activities of pineys, and fear of the barrens. Britannia offers solace and a promise of compensation for her exiled American born Loyalists. ... Pineys or Piney, is a derogatory term and refers to inhabitants of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Picture of Kallikaks from The Kallikak Family. ...

Outdoorsman and author Tom Brown Jr spent several seasons living in the wilderness of the Pine Barrens. He recounts occasions when terrified hikers mistook him for the Jersey Devil, after he covered his whole body with mud to repel mosquitoes. Tom Brown, Jr. ...

Not surprisingly, the Jersey Devil legend is fueled by the various testimonials from reputable eyewitnesses who have reported to have encountered the creature, from precolonial times to the present day, as there are still reported sightings within the New Jersey area.

Many contemporary theorists believe that the Jersey Devil could possibly be a very rare, unclassified species which instinctually fears and attempts to avoid humans. Such elements that support this theory include the overall similarities of the creature's appearance (horselike head, long neck and tail, leathery wings, cloven hooves, blood-curdling scream), with the only variables being the height and color. Another factor that supports the cryptozoological theory is the fact that it is more likely that a species could endure over a span of several hundred years, rather than the existence of a single creature living for over 500 years.

Some people think the Sandhill Crane (which has a 7 feet wingspan) is the basis of the Jersey Devil stories. Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. ...

Encounters

In 1778, Commodore Stephen Decatur, a naval hero, visited the Hanover Iron Works in the Barrens to test cannonballs at a firing range, where he allegedly witnessed a strange, pale white creature winging overhead. Using cannon fire, Decatur punctured the wing membrane of the creature, which continued flying apparently unfazed to the amazement of onlookers. Dating on this encounter is incorrect, as Decatur was not born until 1779. More likely, this incident occurred between 1816 and 1820, when Decatur was the Naval Commissioner responsible for testing equipment and materials used to build new warships. Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr (5 January 1779 – 22 March 1820) was an American naval officer notable for his heroism in the Barbary Wars and in the War of 1812. ...

In 1840, the devil was blamed for several livestock killings. Similar attacks were seen in 1841, accompanied by strange tracks and unearthly screams. The devil made an 1859 appearance in Haddonfield. Bridgeton witnessed a flurry of sightings during the winter of 1873. About 1887, the Jersey Devil was sighted near a house, and terrified one of the children, who called the Devil "it"; the Devil was also sighted in the woods soon after that, and just as in Stephen Decatur's encounter, the Devil was shot in the right wing, but still kept flying. Haddonfield redirects here. ... Bridgeton highlighted in Cumberland County. ... Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr (5 January 1779 – 22 March 1820) was an American naval officer notable for his heroism in the Barbary Wars and in the War of 1812. ...

Joseph Bonaparte (eldest brother of Emperor Napoleon) is said to have witnessed the Jersey Devil while hunting on his Bordentown, New Jersey estate around 1820. Joseph Bonaparte Coat of arms of Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain (1808-1813). ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... See also: Bordentown Township, New Jersey The City of Bordentown highlighted in Burlington County. ...

January 1909, however, saw the most frenetic period of Devil sightings ever recorded. Thousands of people claimed to witness the Jersey Devil during the week of January 16–23. Newspapers nationwide followed the story and published eyewitness reports. Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

• 16th (Saturday) — The creature was sighted flying over Woodbury.
• 17th (Sunday) — In Bristol, Pennsylvania, several people saw the creature and tracks were found in the snow the following day.
• 18th (Monday) — Burlington was covered in strange tracks that seemed to defy logic; some were found on rooftops, while others started and stopped abruptly with no apparent origin or destination. Similar footprints were found in several other towns.
• 19th (Tuesday) — Nelson Evans and his wife, of Gloucester, allegedly saw the creature outside their window at 2:30 AM .
  • Evans gave a descriptive account as follows: "It was about eight feet and a half high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse's hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on them. It didn't use the front legs at all while we were watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the window and say, 'Shoo!' and it turned around, barked at me, and flew away."
  • Two Gloucester hunters tracked the creature's perplexing trail for twenty miles. The trail appeared to "jump" fences and squeeze under eight-inch gaps. Similar trails were reported in several other towns.
• 20th (Wednesday) — In Haddonfield and Collingswood, posses were formed to find the devil. They supposedly watched the creature fly toward Moorestown, where it was later seen by at least two more people.
• 21st (Thursday) — The creature attacked a trolley car in Haddon Heights, but was chased off. Trolley cars in several other towns began to maintain armed guards, and several poultry farmers found their chickens dead. The devil was reported to collide with an electric rail in Clayton, but was not killed. A telegraph worker near Atlantic City claimed to have shot the devil, only to watch it limp into the woods. The creature apparently was not fazed as it continued the rampage through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and West Collingswood, New Jersey (where it was supposedly hosed by the local fire department). The devil seemed poised to attack nearby people, who defensively threw any available objects at it. The creature suddenly flew away -- and reemerged in Camden to injure a dog, ripping a chunk of flesh from its cheek before the dog's owner drove it away. This was the first reported devil attack on a living creature.
• 22nd (Friday) — Last day of sightings. Many towns were panic stricken, with many businesses and schools closed in fear. Fortunately, the creature was seen only a few times that day and did not attack.

During this period, the Philadelphia Zoo posted a US$1,000,000 reward for the creature's capture. The offer prompted a variety of hoaxes, including a kangaroo with artificial wings. The reward remains available to this day. Woodbury highlighted in Gloucester County. ... Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Philadelphia opposite Burlington, N.J. on the Delaware River. ... The City of Burlington highlighted in Burlington County. ... Gloucester City highlighted in Camden County Gloucester City is a City in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. ... Haddonfield redirects here. ... Motto: Its Where You Want To Be Location of Collingswood within Camden County, New Jersey. ... Moorestown Township highlighted in Burlington County. ... Haddon Heights highlighted in Camden County Haddon Heights is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. ... Clayton Borough highlighted in Gloucester County. ... Atlantic City redirects here. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... The Philadelphia Zoo, located in Fairmount Park on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, was the first zoo in the United States. ... Species Macropus rufus Macropus giganteus Macropus fuliginosus Macropus antilopinus A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning large foot). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the Red Kangaroo, the Antilopine Kangaroo, and the Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroo...

In addition to these encounters, the creature was seen flying over several other towns. Since the week of terror in 1909, sightings have been much less frequent, but did not end by any means. In 1951 there was another panic in Gibbstown, New Jersey, after local boys claimed to have seen a screaming humanoid monster. As recently as 1991, a pizza delivery driver in Edison, New Jersey described a night encounter with a white, horselike creature. In Freehold, New Jersey, in 2007, a woman supposedly saw a huge creature with bat-like wings near her home. In August of the same year, a young man driving home near the border of Mount Laurel and Moorestown, New Jersey reported a similar sighting, claiming that he spotted a "gargoyle-like creature with partially spread bat wings" of an enormous wingspan perched in some trees near the road. In January 23, 2008 the Jersey Devil was spotted again this time in Litchfield, Pennsylvania by a local resident that claims to have seen the creature come barreling out of the roof of his barn. The person wishes not to be named at the moment. There are currently several websites and magazines (such as Weird NJ) which catalog sightings of the Devil. Gibbstown is a census-designated place located in Gloucester County, New Jersey. ... For the SpongeBob SquarePants episode, see Pizza Delivery (SpongeBob SquarePants). ... Map of Edison Township in Middlesex County Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex County Settled 1651 Incorporated March 17, 1870 (as Raritan Township) Government  - Type Faulkner Act Mayor-Council  - Mayor Jun Choi Area  - Township  30. ... Freehold, New Jersey is made up of two municipalities. ... For other uses, see August (disambiguation). ... Mount Laurel Township highlighted in Burlington County. ... Moorestown is the name of several places in the United States of America: Moorestown, Indiana Moorestown, Michigan Moorestown, New Jersey Moorestown, Pennsylvania (See also Mooresville. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Cover of Weird NJ. Weird NJ (WNJ) is a semiannual magazine that chronicles local legends, ghost stories, folklore and anything considered weird in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

A bizarre rotting corpse vaguely matching the Jersey Devil description was discovered in 1957, leaving some to believe the creature was dead. However, there have been many sightings since that time.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Legend of the New Jersey Devil. New Jersey Historical Society (October 26, 2000). Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
2. ^ The Legend of the New Jersey Devil. BBC (December 1, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
3. ^ ^{a b} Moran, Mark and Mark Sceurman (2004). Weird N.J.. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-3979-X. 
4. ^ ^{a b} http://www.leftfield-psi.net/crypto/jerseydevil.html
5. ^ McNab, Chris. Mythological Monsters. New York : Scholastic, Inc., 2007. (ISBN 0-439-85479-2)

is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN (sometimes pronounced is-ben), is a unique[1] identifier for books, intended to be used commercially. ...

Further reading

• The Jersey Devil, by James F. McCloy and Ray Miller, Jr., Middle Atlantic Press. ISBN 0-912608-11-0
• Tales of the Jersey Devil, by Geoffrey Girard., Middle Atlantic Press. ISBN 0-9754419-2-2
• A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America, by Donald Culross Peattie, pp. 20–23.
• The Tracker, by Tom Brown, Jr.
• Jersey Devil, was the name of an episode of the X-files

Geoffrey Girard is an award-winning fiction author whose works have appeared in several best-selling anthologies and magazines including Apex Digest and Writers of the Future. ...

External links

• NJ Devil Hunters — A group that organizes hunts for the creature. Home to a large catalog of sightings from the 18th century to the present.
• Weird NJ's History and Eyewitness Accounts of the Jersey Devil
• Land of the Devil — The World's Largest Jersey Devil website
• Channel 6 Action News special on the Jersey Devil
• NBC40 (WMGM-TV) Atlantic City covers the Devil Hunters during Phenomenal Week 2008
• The Jersey Devil Fact Sheet — A compilation of Information on the Jersey Devil. Created by Bruce A Fox
• The Legend of the Jersey Devil — New Jersey Pinelands Commission
• "What is the Jersey Devil" - a good summary as well as fun activities for all ages to explore the Jersey Devil myth in New Jersey, from the New Jersey Digital Highway, the cultural heritage portal for New Jersey's libraries, museums and archives.
• "The Jersey Devil" — Elk Township (Local Area Mythology)
• The Jersey Devil of the Pine Barrens
• Weird New Jersey
• Leeds Point Feature Film about The Jersey Devil
• South Jersey Tourism Corporation
• Jersey Devil video game
• Jersey Devil Productions Filmmaker Louis Bottino's production company that creates South Jersey inspired horror films, including 2005's Lake's Edge
• New York Times article, Oct. 29, 2007
• Jersey Devil A feature length motion picture rated PG-13
• The Jersey Devil A Jersey Devil 3D model distributed by Content Paradise; created by Sixus1.