The Mysterious
Basking Ridge Devil Tree
Brief
Tidbits of Bernards Township
  
Story: #1
Me
and my friends were all contemplating going up to
Devil's Tree. I had been up there one time before,
and a truly weird thing happened. It was about November
or December when I was first told about the Devil
Tree up in the mountains. I was told "Don't
touch it or something will happen to you or your
car." I had just had my car serviced though, and
had a new fan belt installed.
We went up to the tree and noticed that all the
snow around it was all melted. After we'd touched
the tree and gotten back on the road, a black truck
with some very bright lights started tailgating
me like crazy. I was doing 85mph down the VERY
winding road. I was scared. All of a sudden just
as the truck's lights and the truck disappeared,
my fan belt snaps and I had to pull over (reluctantly).
I was scared, but relieved that it was all over
with.
Then just last week we went up to the tree with
a bunch of friends. We all went up and touched
the tree. We even took a Polaroid of the tree with
a flash. When we got back to the car the picture
had developed. To our astonishment there was a
lady with a red dress on the right side of the
tree hanging from what looked like a brown noose.
We all were so freaked out. We were awe struck.
We plan on going back up there soon.
- Kirk Sporman http://www.weirdnj.com/stories/_archives2001.asp#06
Story: #2
Not far
from Chimney Rock is a tree with quite a history. By
all accounts, it is at least two hundred years old,
and it is striking in both its placement and appearance. It
sits at the bend of a long country road. Various
legends surround the tree, including that it was
once used as a "hanging tree" by the local
chapter of the KKK (yes, we had them, and probably
still do). It seems impossible now, but the
location in the mountains was probably more remote
in the past than it is now. Some attempts have
been made in the past to cut the tree down - it bears
deep scars near its base - and of course legends
surround what might have happened to those who tried
to bring the tree low. Today, the tree is on
private property, but is embarrassingly vandalized. Bottles
and cans of all description litter the area. Some
joker even put a "noose" around the low
branch.
Personally,
I don't think it could ever have been used as a lynching
tool - the ground under the tree is too uneven. But
ya never know...?
-
Colin J. Vozeh http://www.availabledark.com/html/wnj/wnj04.htm
Story: #3
According to the locals, who tell of the legend, everyone
in the vicinity of Bernards Township seems to have
a story about it. One story was, at one time a
farmer killed his entire family, then went to the
tree to hang himself. According to others, numerous
suicides and murders occurred around the tree.
Supposedly anyone who
tries to cut down the unholy oak comes to an untimely
end, as it is now cursed. It is said that the souls
of those killed at the spot give the tree an unnatural
warmth, and even in the dead of winter no snow will
fall around it.
There have been many
attempts have been made over the years to take it
down. The tree stands all alone in the middle of
a large field. Its trunk has been severely scared
by axes and chainsaws, some wounds appearing to be
quite old. Why no one has yet been successful in
felling the evil oak we can not say for sure. Nor
do we know what has become of those who have tried.
One local described
the Devil's Tree this way:
"There's a big field and right near the road is
the tree. It's the only thing in the field. Supposedly
it's a portal to hell and a sentinel guards it. He
drives an old black Ford or Chevy pick-up truck and
will chase you down the road until a certain point.
You will see headlights one second, and the next nothing
- the car is just gone."
Another local says
that the inherent unholiness of the Devil's Tree
is the result of the evil that men do, and nothing
supernatural at all.
"There is a very
evil truth to the mythology of the Devil's Tree.
At one time, Bernards Township was one of the central
headquarters of the KKK in New Jersey - they held
many demonstrations in our town and held many meetings
throughout the hills. As per KKK policy, often they
would 'lynch' local African-Americans to set an example,
not only to other African-Americans, but also as
an example of their principle and resolve.
The Devil's Tree was
more secluded in those times before the developments
spread across the mountain like a plague. It sat
in a very isolated section of woods and fields, far
from the prying eyes of the police. The Devil's Tree
was the site of many of the KKK's meetings and hangings.
The evil energy around the tree comes from the souls
of dead men and women who were killed by this vile
organization. If you look at the picture, the left
most branch extends almost parallel to the ground.
This was the hanging branch. Pretty freaky and true
stuff. When the moon is a full red harvest moon,
and the wind is blowing just right, it looks like
there might be bodies hanging from the branch, slowly
swaying in the breeze."
Mike's Comments:
This is one sinister looking tree. It is on an open
field with just the tree. It was probably more
secluded back in the day, as there are some houses
off the road a little bit. The odd thing was that
there was no snow around the tree. We kept gonig
back to the truck everytime we saw headlights comming
down the road, just in case. John's hand started
bleeding out of nowhere as we approached the tree
the second time. And John scared the shit out of
me by screaming for no reason.
Directions:
The easiest way to get here is, unfortunately no longer
easy. Chimney Rock Road in Martinsville is closed
for construction and is no longer accessible. So
the next easiest way is to get on Route 78 West.
- Take 78 to Exit 33: Bernardsville/Martinsville.
- Make a right onto CR-525/Martinsville Road.
- About 2 or 3 lights up is Allen Rd. Make a left onto
Allen Rd.
- Make your first left onto Somerville Rd. Somerville
Road goes over Route 78.
- After you go over 78, make the first left onto Mountain
Road. Go SLOW on this road, expecially in the dark.
It is very winding. Devil's tree is down the road a
little bit, around a curve.
If you have a story
you'd like to tell regarding this topic, send me
an email and I'll try to post it here.
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