The last day of 2015 was a nice weathered day so we took a small scaled road trip to visit the following locations:
THE BLUE HOLE:
We have been at this location several times in preparation for our documentary and books concerning the Jersey Devil. The Blue Hole is oddly well known and also a local secret, it was a popular watering hole that the locals used to swim at in the 1930's and 40's. Then in the 50's or 60's (depending on who is telling the story) a storm washed out the bridge that crossed over the Egg Harbor River.
The washed out bridge on the Egg Harbor River
The watering hole is approximately 1 mile in from the nearest road, as you approach the Blue Hole it is eerily quiet, you are too far from civilization to hear man made noise and although deer and bird do inhabit the Pine Barrens, their sounds are absent here. Other than the wind and any noise that you yourself may be generating, you may occasionally hear a shotgun or rifle blast from a distant shooting range. Even the Blue Hole itself is strangely quiet and still, the water surface looks just like a mirror reflecting the sky and trees. Venturing around the perimeter of the Hole you can see the bottom which is approx 1-3 feet near the edges, all you can see is the leaves, branches and other natural debris that found its way into the Blue Hole. There is no sign of fish, turtles or any other life form in the waters.
As with many secluded locations it is a prime location and magnet for teenagers looking to get away from view of their parents in order to party, drink, do drugs and have sex. There is ample evidence with the presentation of beer cans, paraphernalia and discarded condoms.
One of several fire pits located near the Blue Hole
As mentioned above teens do come to this location for various reasons and many hunters come here to..well hunt. While walking on the sandy paths you will see various footprints and animal tracks, most can be traced back to a deer or one of the dogs that accompany hunters.
Most likely a dog print
More info can be found in our video and previous article concerning the Blue Hole
The Blue Hole article
The Blue Hole Video
ANCORA PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL:
The next stop on our year ending trip was the infamous Ancora Psychiatric Hospital. Many tall tales are based on this location, some of them true and many are false, usually the stories center around mental patients escaping from the facility. Ancora is a very popular Psych Hospital that has many legends attached to it. It is still operating and opened in 1955.
If you look up the history of Ancora you will see many sights painting some dark legends such as this one:
"(Veterans Haven) was once a town the psychiatric hospital made for patients to all live together. Many of the patients murdered each other; most of them are old vets from the war. Eventually, so many killings took place they just shut the whole town down. It has a lot of paranormal activity and the streetlights are still left on throughout the little deserted ghost town."
The sign that welcomes you to this dismal place
The junkyard was an interesting find that is located in Atco NJ, it is filled with various aircrafts, cars and locomotives that came here as their final resting place. Passing by you may notice the huge planes peering over the fence.
Many of the deceased man made modes of transportation are famous, they have appeared in several Hollywood movies and were also used by the government in disaster training stints. Also many pieces have been previously owned by the rich, the elite, the famous and the notorious war and drug lords from around the world.
SUICIDE BRIDGE, BERLIN NJ:
Located near the Berlin Farmers Market and right next to the White Horse Pike, there is a notorious history associated with this location. The underside of the bridge actually belongs to Haddon Ave and is right next to the train tracks. This bridge in Berlin NJ has been the location of multiple suicides..attempted and succeeded.
Red X marks the spot
Short Video concerning the bridge
Back in 1997 was the first time that I visited this location and was surprised to see the rope of a suicide victims still there from the previous summer. Interestingly enough, the SAME rope is STILL there almost 20 years later. At the bottom of the bridge there was the spoils of rope that could have been from the rest of the suicides that accumulated over the years.
This particular rope has been hanging since at least 1997
The underside of the bridge is marred with various tags from gangs, profanity and bored teens looking to spray paint the concrete, many of the used spray-paint cans are left behind either on the ground or at the top of the girders. Also the location is home to some homeless, and a hangout for people to come and have sex, drink or do drugs.
A squatters belongings
Located in Haddonfield NJ, this is the location that the Hadrosaurus was found in. The site was designated as a National Historic Landmark back in 1994. There is a bench adjacent to the location that people have placed toy dinosaurs on. The dinosaur was discovered in 1858 and was a benchmark find since at the time it was the most complete skeleton found. Also in 1868 it became the first skeleton to be mounted in a museum.
35 bones were found during the dig and about 20 bones were found previously that were given away as souvenirs and door stops.
The bones currently reside at the Academy of Natural Sciences after the mount was dismantled in the 1930's.
The HADROSAURUS FOULKII was in the late Cretaceous Period 73 million years ago and was discovered on the John E. Hopkins Farm located in Haddonfield NJ. The Hadrosaurus was a plant eater, which was 20-30 feet long and weighed about 3-4 tons.
The marl pit where the bones were found
In downtown Haddonfield there is a statue of the Hadrosaurus displayed just off the main road. Everyone can venture to this location and view the statue for themselves.
This short video is of only the statue.
(Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey. He is a filmmaker, a business owner, writer, urban explorer and investigator of the odd and weird, a proud parent, happily taken and a connoisseur of hot wings. Chris can be reached at AxisVideo@aol.com)
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