From the Great Swamp Devil to Bigfoot, Somerset County Has Plenty of Folklore

One of the most well known New Jersey legends has to be the Jersey Devil. But the Jersey Devil isn’t alone in its claim to New Jersey folklore fame. Michael Haynes, author of Legends & Lore of Somerset County: Knitting Betty, The Great Swamp Devil, & More Tales from Central New Jersey, will visit Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) Hillsborough Library and Mary Jacobs Memorial Library branches on February 17 and 18 (respectively) to share the stories that make Somerset County a distinct community with its own identity and character.

Haynes will present stories of ghostly encounters, monster sightings, and spooky occurrences that have put Somerset County on the map for weird activity. Tales may include an encounter with the Dead River Witch of Liberty Corner that is linked with the unsolved disappearance of a nine-year-old girl; the alleged Revolutionary War spy John Honeyman who never stopped telling tall tales about himself, even after his death; the Pluckemin orbs—more than six thousand years old—that frightened Native Americans, intrigued artists and still defy explanation. Haynes will also sign copies of his book and tell attendees where they can go in Somerset County for some firsthand folklore experience. Different stories will be shared at each program.

Haynes will be at the SCLSNJ Hillsborough Library branch on Tuesday, February 17, 7-8:45 pm. For more information or to register to attend, visit: http://somerset.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=16672&lib=

Haynes will be at the SCLSNJ Mary Jacobs Memorial Library branch in Rocky Hill on Wednesday, February 18, 7-8:45 pm. For more information or to register to attend, visit: http://somerset.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=17919&lib=

For more information about Michael Haynes visit to SCLSNJ’s Hillsborough Library and Mary Jacobs Memorial Library branches, visit SCLSNJ.org or call the Hillsborough Library branch at 908-369-2200 or the Mary Jacobs Memorial Library branch at 609-924-7073.

About Michael Haynes

Michael Haynes was born in 1966 in Plainfield, NJ, and raised in Warrenville in Somerset County. He has been a reporter for the Courier News of Bridgewater and the Somerset Messenger-Gazette of Somerville and a contributing writer to the Carolina/Savannah Morning News of Bluffton, South Carolina. He is the winner of the Robert P. Kelly Award for Feature Writing from the New Jersey Press Association. He has been a volunteer for the Somerset County Park Commission and the Great Swamp Folklore Project. His writings have appeared in the Catawba Art & Literary Journal, USCB Literary Journal, Essence of Beaufort and Weird NJ. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and their Jersey Wooly rabbit that thinks he’s Bigfoot.

About Somerset County Library System of New Jersey

Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) partners with you to connect, to explore, to share and to discover. Together we enrich lives, expand knowledge and strengthen communities. SCLSNJ branches can be found in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, Manville, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung. In addition, there are SCLSNJ Reading Stations in Branchburg and Washington Valley. Visit SCLSNJ.org for further information about library services offered at SCLSNJ.