Though you may believe the real horrors of Hoboken reside in your Canvas grades tab, there have been plenty of uncanny events in the area. Picking up from last year’s article covering Arthur’s Cavern, the Brass Rail, and Sybil’s Cave, we’re taking a look at Dutch ghost ships, Hessian soldiers, and… monkey-men?
There exists a tale of witches and ghouls 33 years older than Hoboken itself, called “The Storm Ship,” an 1822 short story by Washington Irving. Irving, better known for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle,” wove eerie tales into his home and the surrounding area. When it was still known as Pavonia, a settlement in New Netherland, Irving painted a picture where Hoboken was a locale where one could spot a ghostly ship plying through troubled waters, wholly unidentifiable and inhabited by a crew in Dutch dress. Now, I realize this is just fiction; what readers really want is scary true stories. But rest assured that Irving’s stories drew from established folklore and mixed with local legends and sightings.
Irving derived inspiration from real tales of the ghosts of Hessian soldiers contracted to fight for the British during the Revolutionary War. Known to be fearsome opponents (particularly to the scrappy Americans), these German troops fought with a high level of discipline and technique. Serving to further their intimidating reputation are folk stories of the ghosts of these men haunting the areas where they died for decades to come. There have been reports of apparitions, the sound of unexplainable hoofbeats and military drills, and, of course, headless horsemen, particularly around Elysian Fields. Even creepier is the true story of a Hessian soldier decapitated by a cannonball around, coincidentally, Halloween of 1776 during the Battle of White Plains.
If the ghosts aren’t cutting it, Hoboken’s got a more classic monster story for you. In 1982, this town was swept through with a terror of the so-called Hoboken Monkey-Man, an apelike humanoid that targeted children. Legend said it stalked and ambushed kids on their way home from school, attacking them violently. It wasn’t just the average local legend that came and went, either; the degree of hysteria was so great that the Hoboken Police Department actually had to establish a task force solely dedicated to catching even a trace of this creature. Their efforts were to no avail, but children, the most vulnerable victims to both the creature and its legend, remained frenzied. The hysteria was further spurred on by a chilling eyewitness account from a man known only as “Jack D,” who spotted a monkey-like creature hanging from a tree near Sinatra Drive (then River Road). The phenomenon was never explained and can surely be chalked up to childhood delusions and parental intimidation, but the real fright is the truth of it: Monsters are everywhere, even in our crowded urban environment.
And, by the way, can we talk about how creepy the name Elysian Fields is? No wonder there are ghosts around here. Stay safe, everyone.
