jerseydevil

JERSEY DEVIL

The Jersey Devil is said to be a myth of a creature that was born somewhere inbetween 1735 and 1857, and of course, in New Jersey. Most legends tell us that he was born in 'The old Shroud's house' on the top of a hill in the middle of a forest in Leeds Point (which is now Atlantic county).

In the many stories and reports found on the Jersey Devil, most seem to indicate that he was between 3 and 4 feet high, with a long neck and over 2 foot long wings. He is always said to have horse hooves, some say accompainied by crane-like back legs. Most legends tell us that the beast had a head like a collie dog, and a face like that of a horse, with small arms in the front. The picture below is the first known artist's sketch of the Jersey Devil.

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Fact

The Jersey Devil has been seen by over 2,000 witnesses over the last 265 years.

Fact

Schools and places of work have been known to close on behalf of the terrorization this beast caused on their towns.

Known to have torn sheep, chickens, dogs, and other various livestock to shreds with it's hungry jaws, the ?Jersey Devil is said to have been the son of human mother, Ms. Shrouds of Leeds Point NJ. It is said that she had already given birth to 12 children, and wished her 13th to be the devil. The child was then born mishapen and deformed. She kept her creature in the attic of the old house, and let no one know of it's existance. After long years of confinement, the deformed child supposedly flapped it's wings and escaped through the house's chimney never to be seen or heard from by the family again.

Other stories vary, saying the deformities were work of a witch doctor, or that the father himself was the devil, or the child was born human, and changed in the latter years. Any which way it went, there are still numerous reports and seemingly hard evidence of this creature's existance in New Jersey.

Sightings and footprints have been found by many high ranking people throughout the years. Once it is said that a 'Commadore Decatur' fired a cannonball at the devil while it was flying through the sky. What do you think?