It's Halloween season. Visit some of South Jersey's most haunted places if you dare

Kristi Kantorski is fascinated by history, especially if it involves the macabre, true haunts and the tales behind it all, she said.

Director of the Bordentown Historical Society, she has created “Harrowing History,” a 90-minute theatrical storytelling showcase  focused on true tales from the “darker side” of Bordentown’s past.

“It’s about Bordentown’s creepy, scary and often hushed history, as pulled from century-old local and national records,” she said. “It’s a cross between a play and straight-up storytelling.”

Kantorski gathered the information by poring over old newspaper clippings, obituaries, census records and more. She’s the creator, director and writer of the storytelling showcase, and is in the midst of sharing more creepy tales this season.

Storyteller James Parker reveals gripping, gruesome tales of the Camden & Amboy railroad during the 1900s in Bordentown's 'Harrowing History,' a 90-minute theatrical storytelling showcase.
Storyteller James Parker reveals gripping, gruesome tales of the Camden & Amboy railroad during the 1900s in Bordentown's 'Harrowing History,' a 90-minute theatrical storytelling showcase.

“I’ve always been one of those people — you’re in town, you go on the Gettysburg Ghost Tour or the ghost walk or things like that,” Kantorski said.

“I love the history behind those tours. Specifically, what makes a ghost a ghost? What is the tale behind the tale?''

And Bordentown is an ideal place to be if you want to unearth some hauntings.

"Bordentown has its ghost tales and there are books on the subject, so I didn’t really want to do that per say,'' she explained. "I wanted to dig a little deeper ... What’s the real history behind it? I started digging into Bordentown’s [history] — basically, it’s your murder, your mayhem, your tragedy. We even have a scandal in this season’s stories that we’re telling.

“I will not touch on any subject matter that has not been recorded in history on some level ...  she continued. "I delve through everything ... I go back and look at old local newspapers. That’s where I find some of these tales, and I start digging. I look through obituaries, census records, genealogy reports.”

Kantorski scripted the stories. Then shedesigned and built a stage for the costumed performers, as the setting where they tell the tales. This season they tell six of Bordentown’s “most shocking true tales,” she promised.

The Bordentown Historical Society's set for 'Harrowing History' is shown inside of the old City Hall building. The theatrical storytelling showcase tells the 'true stories' of Bordentown's 'dark' past. There are hauntings, murders and the stories behind them.
The Bordentown Historical Society's set for 'Harrowing History' is shown inside of the old City Hall building. The theatrical storytelling showcase tells the 'true stories' of Bordentown's 'dark' past. There are hauntings, murders and the stories behind them.

The set is in the old City Hall building at 11 Crosswicks Street. The shows run Saturdays through Nov. 6. It's been so popular that it sold out after the opening week (Sept. 18). There is a waiting list.

Last year, the season ended withthe “Bordentown Specter” tale.

“Basically, it was an 8- or 9-foot specter that wore a black shroud,” Kantorski said. “It had no hands, no feet, no facial features. It would stalk certain streets in Bordentown in November of 1877; this was reported for a month straight. People would report they were chased down the street by this thing, or it would come out of a tree or out from the fencing of a particular area. It was very creepy. I have newspaper records. It was actually reported as far away as, I think, Indiana.”

In Bordentown's 'Harrowing History', a 90-minute theatrical showcase, storyteller Leann Testerman shares the details of her cold case as the victim, Lizzie Holloway.
In Bordentown's 'Harrowing History', a 90-minute theatrical showcase, storyteller Leann Testerman shares the details of her cold case as the victim, Lizzie Holloway.

For some, a few creepy Bordentown tales will provide enough Halloween chills to last til next Halloween.

For the rest of you ghost hunters out there, we've rounded up some of South Jersey's other most haunted locales:

Absecon Lighthouse, Atlantic City

At 171-feet tall, Abescon is the state’s tallest lighthouse and the country’s third tallest. It opened in 1857.

The structure was engineered by George Meade in Atlantic City. He went onto lead Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War.

The lighthouse is said to be haunted by ghostly keepers, who watch over things.

Absecon Lighthouse is said to be haunted by keepers, who still watch over the lighthouse.
Absecon Lighthouse is said to be haunted by keepers, who still watch over the lighthouse.

Legend has it that a keeper spotted the Jersey Devil atop the lighthouse in 1905. There have been other odd happenings, which have prompted visits by SyFy’s Ghosthunters and the New Jersey Researches of Paranormal Evidence.

Over the years, people have reportedly seen apparitions, smelled cigar and pipe smoke and heard spooky laughter and footsteps in the tower.

Dimes also have appeared in odd places.

Go: 31 S. Rhode Island Ave., 609-449-1360; abseconlighthouse.org/

Burlington County Jail Museum, Mount Holly

This prison earned its place among the most haunted buildings in the state after an investigation by a paranormal team, according to the Burlington County Prison Museum Association’s website. The prison closed in 1965 after operating for 150 years.

Maureen Carroll, co-director of Jersey Paranormal Investigations, has had several experiences at the jail. Carroll, who has  investigated hauntingssince 2006. She previously worked for South Jersey Ghost Research.

“We used to investigate there,” said Carroll, whose research is done as a volunteer.

When she isn't looking for ghosts, she's spending time with cattle. Based in Lumberton, she works full-time as a dairy investigator at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

“The upstairs, I believe it was one of the death row cells, was for me the most, I don’t know if intense is the right word ... I just happened to be by myself in this one room. To me, it felt like a presence. You know how somebody gets up really close in your face? It felt like someone was getting up real close in my face, trying to intimidate me. You kind of push back on it. Eventually it backed off, so the feeling went away.”

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Scott Anderson, a former staff photographer for the Courier Post, is a paranormal investigator with Southeast Paranormal Investigation and Research Team, and has done at least two overnight sessions at the jail.

“It’s a very scary place,” said Anderson, who says he grew up in a haunted house in Mount Holly. “One night we split up, there were six of us. We all went to different parts of the prison and stayed in cells. I could hear the leather footsteps of someone walking by me and I could hear their keys jingling.”

Go:128 High St., 609-265-5476; prisonmuseum.net/

Collings-Knight House, Collingswood

Witnesses claim to have seen shadowy figures and heard unexplained footsteps and voices in what is now an historic house museum.

The home was built by Edward Zane Collings in the 19th century. The place evolved with added wings for family expansion.

Collings supposedly began construction of the home for himself and his widowed sister, Rebecca Knight, and her children on what was farmland north of Newton Creek. He had inherited it from his father in 1820, according to the museum’s website.

Is the Collings-Knight House haunted? Some say it is.
Is the Collings-Knight House haunted? Some say it is.

Go: 500 W. Collings Ave., 856-858-6205; http://ckhouse.org/

Elaine’s, Cape May

Legend has it that Elaine’s is one of the most haunted places in Cape May.

Over the years, there have been regular “Ghost Hunter Weekends” at Elaine’s, a bed and breakfast, where guests have private readings from psychics, a walking tour of Cape May’s hallowed haunts and their stories, dine with “ghosts” in the restaurant and then attend a ghost hunting session.

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The white, Victorian home has a huge wrap-around porch.

Known for its famous dinner theater ( the B&B was voted one of the Top 5 dinner theaters in the country by the Food Network, Elaine’s offers dining, a bar and a shop.

Go: 513 Lafayette St., 609-884-1199; elainescapemay.com/

Flanders Hotel, Ocean City

One of the most famous ghosts said to haunt Flanders Hotel is Emily or The Lady in White.

According the hauntedrooms.com, she’s described as being in her early twenties with long brown hair. She’s been seen all around the hotel, sometimes appearing and disappearing through walls. The hotel even has a restaurant named after the spirit.

The “Flanders Catacombs” are essentially a full basement below sea level that includes a maze of up to eight large areas.

“You would feel kind of in different rooms, different sorts of energies …,'' recalled Carroll. "One of the things that we had picked up on, I’m not sure if it was Emily or what, but there was a child that had drowned and the person that we were picking up on, she was looking for her daughter, the child that had drowned.”

Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, the hotel will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023, according to its website.

It was built on the Ocean City boardwalk in 1923 and is named for Flanders Fields in Belgium. The area now holds a cemetery with rows of graves of American soldiers, who died there in World War I.

A fire in 1927 destroyed 12 blocks of Ocean City’s waterfront, but the hotel survived.

Go: 719 E. 11th St, 609-399-1000; theflandershotel.com/

Fort Mifflin, Philadelphia

Paranormal investigator Scott Anderson published a photo essay book, “Fort Mifflin:Philadelphia’s Hidden Gem.”

Anderson has spent countless hours at Fort Mifflin, many times overnight, and has “experienced everything you could possibly experience as far as ghosts go.”

Guests explore the Gunpowder Room during a paranormal event at Fort Mifflin in Pennsylvania.
Guests explore the Gunpowder Room during a paranormal event at Fort Mifflin in Pennsylvania.
An airplane flies over Fort Mifflin (Pa.), a popular place for paranormal investigations.
An airplane flies over Fort Mifflin (Pa.), a popular place for paranormal investigations.

“I’ve been touched. I’ve been pushed. I’ve been yelled at. I’ve seen things,” he said.

Anderson said investigators  make voice recordings and experience a lot of electronic voice phenomena (EVP) at Fort Mifflin, located on the Delaware River near the Philadelphia Airport.

“I get a lot of different voices,” he said. “You don’t hear it but when you play back the recording, it’s there. I’ve had a little girl laugh a couple of times. I haven’t seen her. But Rebecca (Brumble), who’s the leader of my group, has seen her.”

Go: 6400 Hog Island Road, 215-685-4167; fortmifflin.us/

Gabreil Daveis Tavern Museum House, Glendora

William Schuck, an artist and craftsman, died in 1976 and left the property to Gloucester Township. The three-story brick and fieldstone Georgian-style structure is listed on both the state and national registries of historic places.

Carroll was doing a public ghost hunt as a fundraiser a few years ago for the museum house and everyone was sitting in what had been Schuck’s bedroom.

“We’re all sitting on the floor and the rocking chair started rocking by itself,” Carroll said.

“…That was a Revolutionary War tavern. I believe it was a field hospital at some point. The last owner was Mr. Schuck, so he’s one of the presences that remain there. There’s another spirit we have encountered named Joseph. We tend to get activity when members of the historic society come and read letters that they’ve found from former residents like in the 1800s.”

The house, built in 1756 near Big Timber Creek, often housed boatmen, who used the creek to move products.

Go: 500 3rd Ave., 856-228-4000; facebook.com/glotwphistory

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Greenfield Hall, Haddonfield

The Kings Highway mansion, listed on the National Historic Registry, is the headquarters for the Historical Society of Haddonfield.

There have been multiple reports of strange happenings and ghostly sightings at the historic hall.

During the Revolutionary War, more than 1,200 Hessian troops camped on the surrounding fields of the property on Oct. 21, 1777, and their leader slept in the home. They failed in their attempt the next day to take Fort Mercer at Red Bank. More than 1/3 of the Hessian troops died.

Greenfield Hall, an 'uncommonly large' home for its era, allows plenty of room for spirits to rattle around, at least according to the stories 'Haunted Haddonfield' author Bill Meehan Jr. has heard.
Greenfield Hall, an 'uncommonly large' home for its era, allows plenty of room for spirits to rattle around, at least according to the stories 'Haunted Haddonfield' author Bill Meehan Jr. has heard.

Haddonfield resident and historical society member William Meehan leads Haunted Haddonfield Walking Tours in the month of October, which start at the house.

Meehan’s book “Haunted Haddonfield” originally came out in 2002 and a “Haunted Haddonfield Volume II”, also published by the historical society, is now available with more haunting stories.

Go: 343 Kings Highway East, 856-429-7375; haddonfieldhistory.org/greenfield-hall-history/

Old Town Hall, Mullica Hill

The Harrison Township Historical Society holds a popular guided Mullica Hill Ghost Walk each year and ghostly Old Town Hall is one of the stops.

Old Town Hall was built by the Town Hall Association in 1871 and served as the township’s seat of government for nearly 100 years, according to the historical society's website.

A number of small businesses were housed in its downstairs rooms. A second-floor auditorium held dances, lectures, graduations and services for the Mount Calvary Baptist Church.

Mullica Hill's Old Town Hall, was built in 1871 and is maintained as a museum of the Harrison Township Historic Society. A paranormal investigator said he was able to verify a 'male presence' at the reportedly haunted site.
Mullica Hill's Old Town Hall, was built in 1871 and is maintained as a museum of the Harrison Township Historic Society. A paranormal investigator said he was able to verify a 'male presence' at the reportedly haunted site.

The landmark building is listed on the National and New Jersey State Registers of Historic Places and recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress.

In 1971, the Harrison Township Committee created the Harrison Township Historical Society to preserve and develop a new purpose for the building, which was reinvented as a historical society museum.

Go: 62 South Main St., 856-478-4949; harrisonhistorical.com/

Scottish Rite Auditorium and mansion, Collingswood

The ghost of William Hurley is said to haunt this mansion.

A furniture store magnate, Hurley purchased the property in 1909 and his family was the last to live in the mansion, which is adjacent to the Scottish Rite Auditorium and Collingswood Grand Ballroom. The property is leased and run by the Collingswood Foundation for the Arts. The foundation staff refers to Hurley as “the gentleman.”

Many people believe the ghost of former Scottish Rite mansion resident William Hurley turns lights on and off, opens and closes doors and occasionally is seen in the mansion.
Many people believe the ghost of former Scottish Rite mansion resident William Hurley turns lights on and off, opens and closes doors and occasionally is seen in the mansion.
The Scottish Rite Auditorium mansion was built by William Hurley, and many people believe he still haunts the house today. This office was formerly Hurley's bedroom, and a staff member reported seeing Hurley's ghost walk in there.
The Scottish Rite Auditorium mansion was built by William Hurley, and many people believe he still haunts the house today. This office was formerly Hurley's bedroom, and a staff member reported seeing Hurley's ghost walk in there.

“Orbs” have been seen in photos, and performers at the Scottish Rite Auditorium have reported sensing spirits.

Go: 315 White Horse Pike; collingswood.com/things_to_do/arts_and_events/scottish_rite_theatre.php

Smithville Mansion, Eastampton

The mansion was once the home of Hezekiah Smith, an inventor and industrialist from Massachusetts, who came to New Jersey in 1865, purchased the village of Shreveville for $20,000 and renamed it Smithville, according to the mansion’s website.

Smith expanded his woodworking machine company on the property.

Smithville Mansion is the backdrop for a a story of scandal, family drama and ghosts. Many have reported seeing the ghost of Hezekiah Smith, who ran the factory town in the mid-1800s.
Smithville Mansion is the backdrop for a a story of scandal, family drama and ghosts. Many have reported seeing the ghost of Hezekiah Smith, who ran the factory town in the mid-1800s.

“That’s another place that’s fairly active,” Carroll added. “…There’s a lot of history around Smithville Mansion, even the outlying buildings. In the schoolhouse on the second floor, there’s always a lot of activity.”

She remembers an incident about six years ago when she was doing an investigation with SJGR there.

“We had a motion detector set up outside a room,” she said. “One of the investigators saw a pair of disembodied legs walking in my direction. A minute later, my motion detector was triggered. It was one of these situations where an investigator sees something and we have equipment backing it up.”

Go: 803 Smithville Road, 609-265-5858; smithvillemansion.org/

Whitall House, National Park

The 18th-century Quaker homestead, originally owned by James and Ann Whitall, became a temporary field hospital for soldiers injured in the Revolutionary War during the 1770’s.

Ghosts of the dead soldiers are said to haunt the attic.

The Perceptive Paranormal Research group investigated the house and reported ghosts touching them, a dizzying feeling, and evidence of strong paranormal activity.

Go: 100 Hessian Ave., 856-853-5120; facebook.com/whitallhouse/

Celeste E. Whittaker is a features reporter for the Courier Post, Daily Journal and Burlington County Times. The South Jersey native started at the CP in 1998 and has covered the Philadelphia 76ers, college and high school sports and has won numerous awards for her work. Reach her at 856.486.2437 or  cwhittaker@gannettnj.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey has its share of haunted places, say paranormal experts