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

Deserted Village of Feltville

In the beautiful Watchung Reservation lies a deserted and possibly haunted mysterious village.

According to the Union County website:

About 1736, Peter Willcocks built a sawmill along the Blue Brook to produce lumber, which would be needed by farmers as they settled this frontier area. The sawmill operation cleared hundreds of acres of forest.

In 1845, David Felt bought 760 acres of land and built a printing factory along the brook. He built an entire town on the bluff above the brook to support the mill operation, and by 1850, 175 people were living in Feltville. After Felt retired in 1860, other business ventures were tried but failed, and the town became deserted for a short time.

But in 1882, Warren Ackerman bought the property and converted the former mill town into a summer resort, called Glenside Park. When the popularity of mountain resorts was displaced by the advent of the Jersey Shore, Glenside Park closed in 1916.

Soon after the Union County Park System was formed in 1921, this area was incorporated into the Watchung Reservation, one of America’s first county parks. The grounds of the Deserted Village are open every day, dawn to dusk.   The Visitor Center is open Saturdays and Sundays (and most holidays) from noon to 5 p.m.

Visiting the Village is very interesting. My husband and I visited the Village on Saturday, October 28th.

You walk down a long and slightly winding road to the village.

The roads are hilly and paths are very steep in some parts. It is not an easy climb. Bring bottled water and hiking boots! I will admit that I struggled at times and didn’t go everywhere that I wanted.

There are plenty of helpful signs to keep you informed.

There is also a terrific A Self-Guided Tour brochure to keep you on the right path.

“Greetings from the Deserted Village of Feltville”

The Graveyard

There is a cemetery in the woods.

According to the Union County website:

The Willcocks and Badgley family cemetery is also located in the Deserted Village. There are an estimated 24 graves in this little modest cemetery. There are headstones of three Revolutionary War Patriots. The original headstone is of John Willcocks who died November 22, 1776. John Willcocks was a member of “Captain Marsh’s Light Horse Troop,” and was killed defending General George Washington retreat across New Jersey.

Is It Haunted?

Stories of the place being haunted are legion and go back many years.

There is the story of three sisters in 1912 who went camping, but never returned.

Then there are the stories of the 13 witches who allegedly kidnapped children and killed them. The villagers apparently hunted down the sisters, killed them, and buried them.

As the Asbury Park Press says:

Before they were executed, the witches vowed to come back. This road has been repaved and repaved over and over again and every time the bumps come back.”

There is a marvelous Weird NJ article about this place:

According to the author:

Other rumors about the area involve the stories of Satanists and witch covens that practice their rituals in the dark woods surrounding the Deserted Village. It is an area known locally as the “Enchanted Forest.” Weird NJ readers have shared many a story with us over the years about their personal experiences in these mysterious environs.

According to mycentraljersey, Deserted Village of Feltville isn’t so deserted — or haunted:

The thing is, though, the village probably isn’t haunted.

And it’s definitely not deserted.

These days, the village, which has been featured in Weird NJ, is recognized as a significant historical and archaeological site, as well as an event space that pulls in 90,000 visitors per year.

Further Reading and Viewing

Here are two wonderful videos showing areas I did not go to, and explaining more about the haunted village.

There is an excellent video from one of my favorite YouTube channels, Ray Out There. He went viral with his video about a ghost town in New Jersey.

Check out his terrific video about Feltville:

Here is another great video from MONDOdocs. He has a lot of great videos of spooky and haunted places:

Please check out my other posts:

The Historic and Lovely Town of Belvidere, New Jersey

The Sopranos’ Opening Credits and Super Bowl Commercial 2022 | Television, Music

Littell-Lord Farmstead | Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

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

The Historic Cooper Gristmill | Chester Township, New Jersey

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

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital Is About To Be Torn Down 2015 | Morris Plains, New Jersey

and check out the posts on my book blog:

Top 10 Books on My Fall 2023 Reading List

Diary of a Mad Housewife by Sue Kaufman | Book Review

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath | Book Review

Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker | Book Review

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