Haunting in Southern New Jersey

Marianne grew up in Cape May County in Southern New Jersey and we decided to do a final haunt since it is unlikely that we will return to the area.

We headed off to the Delaware Memorial Bridge which crosses the Delaware Bay in the north west of the amp. Then we proceeded south east to Sea Isle City.

We did this journey hundreds of times over the years and it was always a relief to get off the busy I-95 on to this quiet road that led us into the wilds of South Jersey.

Usually, there was very little traffic.

Marianne knew of an attractive short cut which we used to take.

The people who live here own the surrounding farmland. We always liked looking at this house.

A swamp at the back of the house.

Sometimes we would see swans and other wildlife.

Coming in to the tiny village of Alloway which was famous for its antique shops.

Most of the houses are well kept.

Some have seen better days. The cost of restoring this one would be huge.

Detail.

Usually, the light at the crossroads was red. I hate red lights with a passion and much prefer roundabouts.

Southern New Jersey produces a  lot of fruit and vegetables. The barn usually would be busy selling the local produce but the virus has killed that off. By the way, New Jersey Silver Queen corn is really good. Once Marianne's dad took us out to the cornfield behind his house and plucked a few corns cobs and told us to eat them raw. It was the best corn I have ever eaten. The tomatoes are also really good.

A church we would pass along the way.

We used to buy apples here but they stopped selling them years ago.

Occasionally we would stop here for lunch. It was pretty basic, the food was ok.

We passed through Bridgeton where as usual there were plenty of red lights but then came to the start of the Buckshutem Road that runs for miles straight across the eastern part of NewJersey. Occasionally there would be a freight train slowly crossing the road.

It's not advisable to speed because the Police like to linger off to the side in the shadows.

A small airport.

There are quite a few small lakes in the area. They are quite pretty.

We came to Dennisville which features some very nice houses and this Purple People Eater. It has been that colour for years.

The Historical Museum where Marianne wanted to donate some stuff. Most volunteer places are shut these days because of the virus. Fortunately, we have been able to donate a lot of our stuff to the local Goodwill which has remained open.

House across the road.

Marianne emerges from the local Post Office. She left the box of goodies with them to give to the person who runs the museum next door.

Back in the late 70's, Marianne's Dad fixed this place up. I was pleased to see it was still there.

He used to live in the next house along the street.

These photos of his house are for Marianne's benefit.

This turf farm would normally be covered in grass but it must have been recently harvested.

The lot next to Marianne's mother's house. We sold it last year but it looks like the new owners have not done anything with it yet.

Marianne's mother's house. We sold it a few years ago and it looks like the owners have kept it in good condition.

It was a nice house and if we didn't like our round house so much, we would have considered moving there.

The new owners have small children and put in a fence so that they would not run out onto the busy road.

The house next door is still there. 

Marianne grew up in Sea Isle City and this is the road leading into the city. In the late 70's, Marianne's mother and stepfather were still living in Sea Isle so this was the last little segment to drive before we arrived.

Sea Isle is actually a sand island with a back bay area covered with this vegetation. It usually stinks in summer.

The bridge leading into town.

Marianne's mother owned the building and ran a hairdresser at the lower right. The family lived on the top floor.

Occasionally there are very high tides and the street floods.

We walked down to the boardwalk. Well, there are no boards, but there is a bitumen walk. It was hot but there was a pleasant breeze.

In the past few years, they must have built up this sand dune protection. Back in 1962, there was a monster storm that washed away some of the streets and buildings closest to the ocean. It was called a 100 year storm but with global warming, 100 year storms will inevitably become more common.

The boardwalk used to be lined with lots of two story boarding houses but they have been replaced with much larger luxury houses. Rental costs are enormous since they are used only in the summer months. The beach is definitely not the place to be in winter.

More of them. Generally, a group of people such as a family or friends band together to rent them. They contain numerous bedrooms and bathrooms.

To be honest, the beach is not all that attractive compared to Aussie beaches, but I am biased.

Still, it was good to have one final haunt before we leave for Australia.

Since we are haunting, we had to go to nearby Belair, Maryland to sign some papers for the sale of our house. When I first came to the USA in 1974, Marianne was living on the top floor of this house with Jean, her best friend from college.

I really liked the internal design of the top floor and could quite happily have moved in permanently. My visa to the USA ran out and I went back to Oz.

The side entrance to the top floor.

The back of the building.

Next door to the house was a Friendly's Icecream Restaurant. I took my friend Geoff there and he really enjoyed it. One thing that amazed me was that the parking lot had heating wires installed so that snow melted and cars could enter and exit easily. We always thought that the house would be demolished and the restaurant would go on and on. The Friendly's closed a few years ago and the house looks better than ever.