South Jersey Legends & Lore

From the Pine Barrens to the Shore, the natural beauty of southern New Jersey is shrouded in local legends and lore passed down through the generations by way of oral tradition.

Deep in the woods of Colliers Mills, the mysteries of a place called Jack Davis keeps travelers at bay in the Bermuda Triangle of the pines. The state's most famous legendary creature, the Jersey Devil, is often described as making its home among the pines. It is said that there is a hermit of Oswego Lake who guards the pines as a great mystical white stag. In the swamps of South Jersey, local legend tells of Hessian Island, a historic secret outlaw hideout of Pine Robbers, established by renegade soldiers from the Revolutionary War. Local author William J. Lewis colorfully presents tales, legends, lore and reflections from South Jersey and the Pine Barrens.