Every New Jerseyan has heard of the Jersey Devil. The infamous cryptid (creature whose existence has not yet been proven) is the stuff of legend. Often described as a winged biped with hooves, horns and the face of a horse, accounts of its appearance do vary. Many of us grew up telling tales of the terrifying demon spawn around campfires and under covers, but it’s only been somewhat of a dark fairy tale to us.

The legend of the Jersey Devil originated centuries ago.
Wikipedia/Nathaniel Ewan
The story goes something like this... In 1735, Mother Leeds, a pine barrens native, gave birth to her 13th child. Some say she was a witch and that the child's father was the devil himself. Born on a stormy night, the baby was anything but human. It killed the midwife and flew off into the woods. For years it tormented local children and farmers, killing livestock.

Researchers theorize that the story began as an attempt to discredit the Leeds Family by political rivals or local Quakers who did not approve of their non-Quaker religious beliefs. Known as the Leeds Devil until the early 1900s, sightings were occasionally reported. Even Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Joseph claimed to have spotted the winged devil.

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However, sightings were pretty rare... until 1909.
Wikipedia/Philadelphia Newspaper
From January 16th through the 23rd, New Jersey newspapers published hundreds of claimed encounters with the Jersey Devil from all over the state. Reports even spanned as far as Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania; the sketch shown above was published by a Philadelphia newspaper. Reports claimed that the creature attacked a trolley car in Haddon Heights and a social club in Camden. Camden police are purported to have fired on the creature, but it was unaffected.

People were in a panic and schools all along the Delaware River Valley were shut down. The Philadelphia Zoo even offered a $10,000 reward for the creature. While some refused to go to work, vigilantes went out to hunt the Devil. But then, it disappeared and life went back to normal.

What caused everyone to go crazy that week? Was it mass hysteria? Did the Jersey Devil actually exist? Some believe that the culprit was a Sand Hill Crane – a giant bird with a nasty temperament. Whatever it was, history often forgets the week that the Jersey Devil was “real.” For more New Jersey lore, read my previous post on 16 Urban Legends In The Garden State.

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