The Jersey devil is said to live in
the Pine Barrens, a remote place
with thick forests and swamps.
[Jersey devil]
2 Urban Legends
Introduction
Even among strange creatures, the
Jersey devil stands out. Legends say
it has the head of a horse and the face
of a dog. Its wings are leathery, like a
bats. It stands on two powerful legs.
It has hooves like a goat, and its tail is
long and forked. The creature hisses
and shrieks. It attacks small animals.
Its appearance is sometimes seen as
a sign of imminent disaster.
The legends claim that the Jersey
devil was born in 1735, in southern
New Jersey. A woman named
Mother Leeds was pregnant with
her 13th child, but she had decided
that was enough. She said the
devil could take it. When the baby was
born, it sprouted wings. It ew up the
chimney and escaped into the wilds of
New Jersey. According to eyewitnesses,
it didnt stay there.
The Jersey devil, like the gure of
Satan in folklore, has some of the
features of a goat.
Did you know?
During the 1700s, in the
North American colonies,
women gave birth to an
average of eight children.
Creatures
Some people claimed that
they found Jersey devil
hoofprints near the torn
remains of dead animals.
Best Recorded Sighting
According to legend, the Jersey devil appeared a few times in the
1700s and 1800s. In January of 1909, it
made its most famous appearances.
One morning, residents woke to nd
hoofprints on their lawns and on rooftops.
Many trails just stopped. Had the animal
own away? On January 16, E.W. Minister
saw a glowing creature in the sky. A police
ocer said he saw it the same night. He shot
at it. The beast ew o.
Did you know?
Many legendary
creatures have
wings. Pegasus is a
winged horse from
Greek mythology.
He is pure white.
4 Urban Legends
On January 19, a couple in Gloucester City had a lengthy sighting. A
terrible sound woke them. There was an ugly winged creature standing
on the roof of their shed. The man put his head out the window. He
yelled, Shoo! The creature barked at him. Then it left.
The next day, a newspaper printed the story of the couples encounter.
An artist drew a sketch. The story and image created a panic. People
were afraid to go outside. The papers reported sightings in several
towns. The beast was said to have attacked a dog. It ew at a trolley. It
left the remains of devoured animals in the snow.
Drawings of the
Jersey devil showed a
frightening creature.
Creatures
Ti m e l i n e
The story of the Jersey devil started
long ago and continues to be told today.
1735
The legend of
the Jersey devil
is born.
1740
According to legend,
a minister tries to
exorcize the creature.
1800
Commodore Stephen
Decatur says he
spotted the Jersey
devil and shot at it,
but it escaped.
18161839
Joseph Bonaparte,
Napoleons brother, goes
hunting in the Pine Barrens.
He tells people that he saw
the Jersey devil.
6 Urban Legends
January 1623, 1909
Thousands of people report
sightings. Many parents keep
their children home from school.
Some schools and businesses
close due to panic.
1960
Bizarre cries terrify people
near Mays Landing, in
New Jersey. The sounds
are never explained.
1993
A forest ranger is driving along
the Mullica River in southern
New Jersey. He says the
Jersey devil blocked the road.
2015
Dave Black takes a photo of
a brown, winged creature. He
claims it is the Jersey devil.
Creatures
The Leeds family owned land in
the Pine Barrens since the 1690s.
Evidence For and Against
The story of the Jersey devil has many twists. Some events were
written down. Others are legends. There seems to be no record
of them.
Brian Regal, a historian, studied the papers of early New Jersey. He did
not nd any stories about Mother Leeds. No one talks about a devil
child. The Jersey devil is not blamed for any dead animals. In fact,
the legend does not show up until the 1900s. Were its colonial roots
made up?
8 Urban Legends
Regal says they were. He also says Benjamin Franklin might have
added to the legends. Franklin printed almanacs. So did the Leeds
family. In the 1730s, Franklin began to make fun of the Leeds. The
Leeds were interested in astrology. They studied demons. Those facts
were already hurting the Leedss business. Franklin joked that writer
Titan Leeds was a ghost. He helped to give the Leeds a bad reputation.
The Leeds family crest has winged gures on it. The wings look like
a bats. The gures have claws. They have long tails. The Leeds were
from the Pine Barrens. Are these the details that created the legend of
the Jersey devil?
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin played a major part
in the American Revolution (17751783).
He was also a scientist, a writer, and a
diplomat. As a scientist he is best known
for doing experiments with electricity.
As a writer, Benjamin Franklin is best
known for writing his autobiography and
Poor Richards Almanack . The Almanack
included a calendar, weather predictions,
poems, jokes, and astronomy. Sometimes it also featured math
