There's a historic and creepy deserted village in New Jersey

There’s a deserted village in New Jersey, and some say it’s haunted. Have you ever been to this creepy historic site at the Watchung Reservation in Berkeley Heights? (Video by Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

[@saleen235]

I walk with my kids here almost every weekend. I can tell you,there’s nothing creepy about this place, It’s actually very beautiful.

[@ehouse2993]

Wanna get scared, sit in the woods there with a sandwich and wait for the bears, that’s the only scary thing

[@healthyscents]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@mommadukes7010]

No bears

[@diamari91]

Awww that sucks, i was gonna stop by there today 😂

[@kenweis2291]

Theres bears up there....Ever watch Sopranos?lol. Nj. Has things you wouldnt believe... From bears to black cats and mysterious creatures

[@lunarlight3131]

@@kenweis2291 sure there are bears in NJ but none in watchung reservation

[@smittynumber1812]

I've walked through Penn Station.... now THAT'S a place that'll scare you

[@joegarrison5911]

Smh its not even that bad inside. Just dont go outside to have a smoke though 😅

[@user-gv8vv2id7t]

@@joegarrison5911 very true

[@kaishrxmp3061]

XD

[@cynthiastevens8302]

true

[@cloudeye7]

BS! I live in Newark. I've been inside Penn a thousand times. LOL Nothing ever happens. There's cops everywhere anyway.

[@RayOutThere]

The deserted village is an incredible place. I love visiting it.

[@SL-sc5vu]

I’ve walked and passed by those houses . Let me tell you . I got chills lol

[@paxhumana2015]

I do not get chills, I see it as prime real estate, as well as a series of great renovation projects.

[@isloree5211]

where is this place

[@cloudeye7]

@@isloree5211 In Watchung Reservation.

[@ChadDavid]

I use to Frequent this place in the late 70's and early 80's we often hiked to the deserted village and cemetery as well as the Feltville Copper Mine. This was prior to the construction of I 78.

[@valerycole16]

oh wow!

[@alk9365]

Great trails to hike also the pine forest, Lake Surprise, Seely's pond, open fields, the ravine a small but wonderful natural history museum, riding stables and yes the copper mine!

[@carolynharris81]

Grew up in Berkeley Heights , know Watchung, interesting I never knew about these houses. However when my parents bought land along the Passaic River (B.H. & Chatham borders) before building they had to tear down old structures of a home that looked of the same era of time. And yes, the land taxes of today are unaffordable for me, that's why I'm in the mountains of North Carolina now. Took my memories with me.

[@andychris7647]

Same here with me Carolyn, hi Carolyn how are you doing with your family I hope you’re safe from the virus?

[@carmendee6481]

Beautiful! Too bad that in NJ the taxes are too high.

[@fanaticat1]

NJ has the highest property taxes per capita in the nation. The car insurance is high, too!

[@arethaboddy7490]

Thank you for the info I didn't know that

[@TheJuan_N_0nly]

People actually still live in some of the houses. From what I understand they aren't allowed to do any remodeling to the outside of the houses and only minor repairs are allowed. They can't sell, only pass the houses over to relatives who live in the houses with them since they began living there, and once you move out you lose the property.. My information might not be 100% accurate but I was there recently after a big storm and some of the residents were cleaning up their property, and that's how I got my info.. They also don't like people creeping around so if you go stay on the intended path.. Welcome to New Jersey. And if you really want to get creeped out, go hiking through the Ramapo Mountains at night, start out through Cannon Ball rd trail.. Lots of civil war soldiers hid out there during war time and you definitely get an erie feeling when you're out there late, even during the day.. it's not allowed after dark but no park rangers patrol after dark anyway.. There's bears, coyotes, and other wildlife so go prepared.. Good Luck..!

[@RandomShtbyAllie]

They are still owned by people but a lot of people actually do not live there at all it’s very tourist attraction and a lot of people have another home that they stay in but technically they can’t sell it as you say they only come out to make sure the property is still like 50% intact from the last time.

[@47thronin98]

Only one person lives in the house when you first walk in.

[@AlexMartinez-me2yc]

Went there a couple of times as a teen, in the late 1980's.

[@jasminea11hh]

Was it ,... spooky 😄?! *whooOOoOo👻OoOooO” 👽🤡👹

[@privateprivate8366]

I’m sure there a lot of weird towns, like that one in PA that never stops burning underground. I think it’s called Centralia. In East Brunswick, there’s a street that is split north and south. It’s only about 1 mile long. Traffic goes through it because GPSs have probably sent people through there, as an alternate road. There are homes on the southern White Pine section, but on the northern section, Beekman, maybe there are 1 or 2 homes. They try to close that road in Spring to allow the salamanders to cross. You are not allowed to walk down this road during certain times as, there is no sidewalk. It is pitch black at night. People do have a couple of homes with horses on the southern section and around 2 corners is a sheep & goat farm. On the southern section, someone tried to build a home but, construction seemed to come to a stop, quite some time ago. Scary but, there are a lot of roads like this. Don’t know how many scary towns there are.

[@privateprivate8366]

There’s also a brand new McMansion, not too far from there that sits on Cranbury Road. I don’t think it was ever inhabited. Brick. 3 car garage. Stickers still on the windows. Grounds left to the whims of nature. Not for sale. Been sitting there since at least 2012. I assume there might’ve been issues with construction and it may have been abandoned.

[@MissMalikaA]

that's where the silent hill films are based at isn't it

[@taylorqueensbury170]

If any of this property is for sale I would like to buy it and fix up one of those houses. This is a beautiful place.

[@hazelhorsehaze]

Don’t make it all “ modern” tho please 🙄

[@gimarypeace]

In northern New Jersey that house will cost you over half a million dollar, as is......

[@cinnamonthomas3075]

If you flip the house, the property taxes will increase dramatically.

[@cloudeye7]

Lol It's owned by the county. It's part of a park.

[@vtwinmadness]

It was a Company Town. Like the old Mine Towns. There was a Company Store where they took Company Money, or credit out of your pay. You got paid in Company Money. The Company was able to keep you broke and thus working.... Hardly haunted, just old and not redeveloped yet.

[@rebeccabianchi1943]

I love Feltville. Walked it a few times. So cool and historic.

[@shad3128]

I tried to dirtbike here. County cops loved me for that. That was the scariest experience I've ever had here 🙃 no ghosts.. Just angry cops and a lot of people on Instagram here nowadays. One of the buildings they used to use as a school-house still has the stages of mitosis drawn out on the chalkboard in the basement, though. Pretty cool!

[@djlesinski7978]

Shit I get yelled at for mountain bike there. I couldn't imagine a dirt bike.

[@shad3128]

@@djlesinski7978 lmao I know, it's terrible man. I think the only reason I lasted was because I looped in around where the old lake surprise was. Not many people there when it was dredged out and the streets got closed for construction.

[@turcoboshnak]

Is it true that because of high taxes in NJ, the entire village moved to Florida :)

[@midnightrunner684]

I think I see Bigfoot looking out one of the windows

[@Voucher765]

This is in Union County and a few miles down from this village is the old Central RR Of New Jersey mainline which went to Jersey City so the village was supplied via Railroad both passenger and freight

[@brandonjimenez1863]

I definitely think this place is haunted. every time I go there I feel weird energy’s. One time me and a friend were walking a trail near the houses and I shit you not, we found a decapitated squirrel hang from a tree branch. Witchcraft was supposedly practiced there and I believe it. I think people still practice witch craft there.

[@cloudeye7]

I feel strange every time I'm there and have had first hand encounters with ghosts. I often feel like someone (something) is following me.

[@AbandonedNorthJersey]

One of the boarded up homes is filled with taxidemy trophies from the 1800`s .One of the homes was still inhabited by an old couple back in early 2000`s .

[@conservativethought1460]

I think there were one or two hold outs till the 80's, the state didn't kick them out but once they left that was it.

[@emeralddragon2010]

yeah totally untrue people are living there today

[@naturalcambion3747]

The satanic and witch stories are true. We used to have rituals and ceremonies there all the time in the 70’s and 80’s. Those were the days!

[@cloudeye7]

I love visiting this place, very interesting and yes it's haunted. I've had encounters there myself several times.

[@AriHoops84]

The lights turned on and I didn't set foot near them. It's really nice though but definitely spirits around the village.

[@AriHoops84]

What have you encountered?

[@cloudeye7]

@@AriHoops84 I've heard and felt someone walking behind me when there was clearly nobody there. That's happened on several occasions. I lost my keys on an early Sunday morning, when nobody was around. I did find them.. sitting on a headstone in the old cemetery. I had not set foot in the cemetery that day! The most recent time I went, I very clearly saw a man sitting in a chair on the porch of the large restored house, I looked down for a moment bc I was going to take a picture, when I looked back up he had vanished. No live person could have disappeared that quickly.

[@cloudeye7]

@@AriHoops84 Where were the lights that you saw?

[@AriHoops84]

@@cloudeye7 by the door.

[@msaqilah84]

I’m brave enough to live there. Sounds great... no neighbors lol

[@Annastasia666]

Cannot understand why this is such a big deal now. This place has been there forever and now all of a sudden everyone thinks it's haunted, etc....? Not in the least. I've been here lots of times. Nothing to see here.

[@Avalanche2]

This isnt abandoned, it's owned by union county and there are a few nice houses where politically connected hacks live for nearly nothing, like a hundred dollars a month. Last one I was aware of was the director of parks, who also makes 6+ figures.

[@Avalanche2]

@David Pekerosky Nice fairy tale.

[@alk9365]

@David Pekerosky apparently the county can own property. Either you're incorrect of Wikipedia's sources are inaccurate. "In 1882, it was bought by Warren Ackerman, who transformed it to a summer resort called Glenside Park. Interest soon dwindled as more people chose to summer on the shore of New Jersey instead. After the place was again deserted, the Union Country Park Commission bought it and included it in the Watchung Reservation, renting the houses to families."

[@LostAmongShadows]

Went to a wedding here a few months ago. It was a nice unique atmosphere

[@turcoboshnak]

Ghost wedding ??

[@mynameisnotimportant2854]

Lakewood is more creepy and scary

[@lotsoftorque3632]

You want to see scary? Go to Camden NJ. It has been rated as the most dangerous place in the entire world

[@paxhumana2015]

@@vertigo2112 , what?

[@paxhumana2015]

@@lotsoftorque3632 , if I were permitted to be unleashed, as well as had lots of money, power, and property, I would make Camden be safe without turning it into a Fascist police state.

[@lotsoftorque3632]

@@paxhumana2015 Interesting ideology, did you grow up around Camden or have some sentimental attachment to it?

[@sunshinebauer7075]

lotsof torque I’ve lived in or within 5 mins of Camden my entire life and have never felt scared walking through there. You’re just a softy

[@StephWinter1289]

Like Walpack??

[@BREAKENSTEIN]

This place isn’t creepy!! It’s one of my favorite hiking spots. The houses are so cute, just run down and abandoned. In need of some restoration/rebuilding.

[@Tntgolf-ck4ec]

why rebuild. it is history you cant rebuild history

[@willsinternet]

Totally agree, nothing scary about it at all. Everything is beautifulky maintained except the structures. Its honestly a cool place.

[@maryrose4712]

Is this near Allaire village, any one know? I saw something on TV about Allaire and it had a similar story, I always wanted to go.

[@januarysson5633]

maryrose No. Allaire is way south of where the Watchung Mountains are.

[@Suzismymom]

There are many places in NJ that are haunted. If you were planning on going to Allaire you might want to extend your visit and go to Cape May, it's one of the most haunted places in NJ. I've had many experiences in Cape May, seeing young children in old timey clothes, hearing phantom horses near the Congress Hotel as well as smelling sulphur (the hotel had burned down over a century ago, many horses were killed). Its a gorgeous town full of history and ghosts 😱

[@fanaticat1]

My husband and I got married in the chapel in Allaire state park

[@jasonhuntley4203]

it looks like the old batsto village in new gretna i went there as a kid and looking back i did feel it was haunted but not by any means of the ghosts of today's standerds more like the late 1800's early 1900 still cool to look at

[@gutentag_yall]

no, it's definitely not haunted, that's just the 3 houses off the walking trail that they are currently restoring

[@arlichar11]

there used be video on youtube about a whole street of houses that were abandoned , and like the people disapeared o r something.... i thought was in new jersey ..anyone recall ?

[@blookysugar7592]

I haven't been there in years, but I just ran all around the place. In fact, I passed it today

[@HIGHWAYATMIDNIGHT]

Me and my buddies were in those buildings a decade ago. The only odd thing was that one building had all this taxidermy stuff in it. I’m talking tons of it! Foxes, deer, elk, antlers and all kind of shit. It wasn’t on display on the walls either. It was just piled throughout the place... Skillman Mental institution was real deal creep to the creepyieth power though! Sad they tore it down. We had some super scary things happen there.

[@jonathanmareilly6157]

Some other abandon "villages". Fort Monmouth's Howard Commons patch.com/new-jersey/longbranch/fmera-mulling-proposals-for-howard-commons-officer-ho09ec63c325 Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital www.abandonednj.com/New-Jersey/Marlboro-Psychiatric-Hospital/

[@fanaticat1]

I'm in central NJ, not far from either of those places.

[@cloudeye7]

I used to go visit someone in Marlboro Hospital, believe me it was way more creepy when it was up and running than it is now.

[@chromxrobinandcorrinxcamil9031]

Hmm, very interesting. Will have to keep this place in mind.

[@astridwastfelt7136]

On tik tok, ” where_is_everybody” there is a guy who are there please help him!! He is just a child, I live in sweden so unfortently i can’t help him.. but you who live near to that neighberhood please pass by and help him♥️ Im so scared for him.

[@rafaelabreo9988]

I will love to see this place who will love to come in the night time

[@veronicatalavera9454]

Rafael Abreo I wanna go😂🙋

[@orphelinalilas3877]

It beckons me,even with music. Lavina,1986 legal wife@Sebastian Bach@Skid Row.

[@PAPIOSO908]

If wanna get scared look at the bathroom at Christmas tree shop in brick nj location sometimes

[@edwardmarshall4768]

hay where in NJ is at

[@cloudeye7]

Watchung mountains

[@turekjames1274]

I owned a haunted house in North Plainfield. Oh the things that happened.

[@unknownwhore1216]

Isn’t this the town that guy in TikTok says he lives?

[@johnsajeth1018]

I would love to live there but the taxes would be too damn high!

[@fanaticat1]

Yes!

[@veronicatalavera9454]

were is exact location I wanna go😂😂😂😂

[@MarkRuslinzski]

Me to

[@yesicaturis3393]

berkeley heights

[@benjaminstopper8401]

It’s right off of 78

[@benjaminstopper8401]

Glenside ave I believe

[@OliviaRos3]

Let's go together 😂😂😂🙌🏽

[@pmac6445]

Haha ive been on the haunted hayride there, it sucked, i wanted to go in the actual cemetery there

[@Mr.White10-65]

Its on the trails and there's maybe 5 tombstones.

[@diamari91]

I drive past this village almost every day now and i had NO idea... There are signs and everything 😂

[@lasenoritacometa1977]

Visit??? I’d want to live there and have my own farm ☺️

[@yankeedoodle6293]

That sounds cool. I’ll join you. :)

[@fanaticat1]

I'd like to join you, too!

[@lasenoritacometa1977]

@@kvooo765 so ?

[@lasenoritacometa1977]

I’m always ready 😌 and I know what it’s like to live among wildlife when I used to spend my teenage years at my dad ranch in Mexico, now there was A LOT of wildlife there .. scorpions, and coyotes and pumas OH MY 😆

[@cloudeye7]

It's owned by the county. And its surrounded by miles of woods, no farm land.

[@dalesmith4026]

I hike the trails of the reservation around these houses all the time, there is nothing creepy about it.

[@lazarussolomon3541]

Well if im ever homeless or on the run I think I will stop by

[@ambulance_boy3834]

I made a video tour of this

[@samyazastarrlove9306]

Ive been there i found graves behind a house

[@47thronin98]

Lol it's weird seeing the place that I go to smoke weed sometimes on a random KZbin video.

[@DanKirchner5150]

felt like a good idea at the time

[@kaishrxmp3061]

Clean the house up and I’ll live there

[@kwnewark]

You want to see Abandoned Demonic Crap show NEWARK ANY PART🤐

[@kwnewark]

@@cloudeye7 please!!! Silly!! I also lived in Newark!!! So let me give you a run down!!! Mother was hit in.leg with a stray bullet, brother was shot in the back because he didn't want to buy a gun, other brother who is no longer with us shot 7 times!! Not to mention how many times a gun stick in my face just for cheap a** jewelry!!! Glad your experience was peaceful🤐

[@bernardm.3205]

Why is it creepy?

[@bettercetacean]

I don't know. Anything that's abandoned is haunted by ghosts apparently

[@renysimone3312]

There are witches in Watchung

[@cloudeye7]

Its surrounded by miles of woods and mountains, that whole area is haunted.

[@watimdoingwithmylife]

First time in Jersey huh 😂

[@siriusmined3709]

Not haunted

[@VenomSnake420]

Time to establish communism here

[@Julia-cb8wm]

This is New Jersey, it's too late for that, Comrade.

[@No_nonsense302]

AKA....The Village

[@prunar]

Why pander to people’s stupidity?

[@groovyschmoops6911]

What’s scary is this annoying high volume xylophone music

[@LongnailsNJ]

OMG yes... I’ve driven down that street 🙈😳🙈👌🏼 YEARS ago!!!!! And it was CREEPY AF!!! The one house supposedly(there was a big tree stump on side of house) and was said to be where they “sacrificed” people 😳😳 all houses seemed to be abandoned back than except for one house we drove passed... a car was in driveway the door was left open but no one seemed to be around at all! The worse part about going down this street was.... it was a dead end street... you wound have to turn back around!!! Never forgot about that place “Desserted Village “ and not too far from there... is “Surprise Lake” if I’m not mistaken.... years ago alot of ppl mysteriously disappeared from there.

[@nenehurtevan]

April Smith really I was at that lake about a month ago I walked down and parked on a higher level. I have no idea where this is I am in scotch plains minutes away.

[@rafaelabreo9988]

Hey guys people can just go and see this place

[@cloudeye7]

It's actually just a path, they don't let you drive through there. But it's definitely creepy and haunted.

[@chrismcpherson1204]

Absolutely nothing creepy about it or History ‼️

[@kenweis2291]

Theres some real creepy stuff in n.j.

[@TheJewishtraveler]

How come people from New York seem to be so worried ?! Well the end of the tunnel is New Jersey!!

[@mrspoido]

Watching? Can't even spell it name correctly. Nice job nj.com!

[@richardcheng1777]

"Watchung" is the correct spelling. 🙄

[@ERizzo5]

Richard Cheng lol who’s mans 😂

[@ritirons2726]

Can’t even spell “it name”??????

[@mrspoido]

They obviously fixed it because it clearly said Watching.

[@John-vc9vd]

This is what NJ looks like post-Murphy era, deserted and abandoned.

[@WIMIRANDA]

you sir are an idiot. Injecting politics into everything you read or see. I bet you spend your whole day trolling the internet to inject your asinine comments. Get a life dude.

[@obermeierro]

go away you troll. Stop being an idiot

[@conservativethought1460]

@@WIMIRANDA What are you a little girl ? lighten up liberal clown

[@conservativethought1460]

You have me laughing, especially the way you triggered these liberal crybabies !!!

[@therobloxvisoristheonlygoo8133]

Imagine not being a anarcho monarch

[@liamfoster3813]

Tru gem

[@Jason-fz1zd]

Nothing scares me I am forever dammed

[@isaiahquiah]

Horror movie

[@krestaleonard2128]

Boo!

[@KarboneWolfoxide2]

Give it back to the Indians.