It was a Saturday morning that Shawn and I decided to brave the Pine Barrens and put this legend to the test. We had both been very interested in the legend since our childhoods, and we were ready to go check it out for ourselves. We packed our bags complete with recording equipment, cameras, notebooks, marking tape, radios, and a global positioning unit. We were ready to go!
Knowing what we did about the legend, we had a main goal picked out for this expedition. This trip was dedicated to gathering history, landscaping, and possibly locate the remains of the old Shourds house. As we arrived in Leeds Point, the atmosphere seemed slightly different. We knew better than announce our arrival by pestering every local on their opinion of the legend, so we attempted to fit in and look as normal as possible. It seemed to work, for the most part. We pulled down a long road, right into the woods, and decided to get our feet wet - literally. Most of the woods are surrounded by marshes. Across the water, we can see Atlantic City, looking as if it were Leeds Point's opposite. It was hard to believe that such a city stood so close to a town of woods and swamps. Shawn and I had made a solemn promise to each other in the beginning of the trip: there would be no Jersey Devil pranks. When you're alone in those woods, anything can scare you severely. The last thing you need to be is spooked. So we promised not to scream unless the Jersey Devil was actually standing in front of us.
So what did we find? Not much. We know exactly where the house is not located. And that does us some good, since we began charting the area. We decided to call our woods trip short since the water had begun leaking into our boots. Then it was time for our research.
Leeds Point is an incredibly old town, probably about as old as the state of New Jersey itself. Shawn and I decided to go to the cemeteries and see what we find in connection to the names of the people from the legend. We were amazed! We found so many Leeds graves that we spent 2 rolls of film on them.
Somewhere down the road of our Jersey Devil studies, I once learned that the name of the Jersey Devil was Smith J. Leeds. One of the images (to the right) is a picture that we took of one of the graves. I know it's hard to read, but the family name is Leeds, and the last name on the list is Smith J., who only lived for 2 years (1890 - 1892)... I just thought this particular grave was very interesting.
I also found the second McCloy-Miller book, which has proven quite helpful. As for Jersey Devil sightings, well, the closest we came was a place called J.D.'s Pub... Interesting painting on the window though, isn't it? By the way, I highly recommend this place. Try the french onion soup!
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