History

Grovers Mill And The War of the Worlds | West Windsor, New Jersey

Grovers Mill New Jersey building

Grovers Mill and the War Of The Worlds

It was on October 30th, 1938 – Halloween Eve, also known as Mischief Night.

Part of the regularly scheduled Mercury Theater of the Air, the radio program aired a modernized play version of H.G. Wells’ classic science-fiction novel, The War of the Worlds

It was delivered as if it was a regular broadcast interrupted by news bulletins. It was interspersed with occasional comments about it being an adaptation of a literary work.

Was It Real?

Listeners were advised that a large object had fallen on a farm in Grovers Mill, New Jersey, not far from Princeton. 

Startled listeners heard that 7,000 soldiers had been killed fighting alien invaders.

There were reports of people shooting at the water towers in the park.

Panic grew – at least in the East Coast. How much hysteria was caused nationwide is still a subject for debate. Newspapers wrote of widespread hysteria. 

It even made from the top of the front page of The New York Times!

Today it is considered highly unlikely that thousands of people around the country were really that frightened. 

Snopes considers it doubtful. But there were some people who were genuinely frightened.

It Happened In New Jersey?

The invasion was supposedly occurring in Grovers Mill, New Jersey, then a very rural part of West Windsor, New Jersey. 

 This area near and around Princeton is affluent and well-educated and has grown exponentially since then. It is sometimes called Princeton Junction.

 

Grovers Mill New Jersey building


Martian Landing Site Monument

 

It is located in lovely Van Nest Park

You can read about it in Roadside America and Atlas Obscura.

 

 

Grovers Mill New Jersey sign

 

Grovers Mill New Jersey sign

 

GroversMillWestWindsorNJ5

 

Grover’s Mill Coffee House

 
There’s also a fun coffee place nearby: Grover’s Mill Coffee House.

Yes, they use the apostrophe in the name. Most references to the area do NOT use the apostrophe. I have no idea why.

The Coffee House was profiled in an NJ.com article in 2015

It is a very inclusive place, including an “All Species Bathroom” which you can see in the last photo.

Grovers Mill Coffee

 

Grovers Mill Coffee painting

Grovers Mill Coffee sign

Grovers Mill Coffee sign

Grovers Mill Coffee bathroom sign

It Is Part Of American Popular Culture

There have been several interesting documentaries about this event, including this one narrated by James Cameron:


You can also check out:

 

 Painting the Barn

War of the Worlds: When Martians Invaded New Jersey!

Mars Attacks!  75 years ago, ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast put nation in a panic

Historical Society of West Windsor

You may also want to check out:

The Haunted Deserted Village of Feltville and the Enchanted Forest 2023 | Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

First Presbyterian Church of Oxford at Hazen and the Spooky Graveyard 2023 | Belvidere, New Jersey

Littell-Lord Farmstead | Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

The Clara Barton Schoolhouse

The Historic Cooper Gristmill

Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!

 

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