+Lost Destinations::Witches Hollow Road+

W I T C H E S H O L L O W R O A D

There's none but witches do inhabit here; And therefore 'tis high time that I were hence --William Shakespeare

Witches Hollow Road, Roosevelt/Millstone, New Jersey

explored & photographed by: Shady

Located between the Borough of Roosevelt in Monmouth County and Millstone Township, Witches Hollow Road was yet another mysterious and strangely-named New Jersey byway, until it was abandoned, blocked off and renamed Oscar Drive on the Roosevelt side. Why? Well, nobody seems to know (or to be willing to say) why, which makes it all the more intriguing. Mwa haha haa.

There may have still been a road sign for it the day I decided to have a look, but it wasn't really much of a road anymore. A big mound of branches/leaves/twigs/debris had been piled across it's entrance, blocking what used to be Witches Hollow Road, and the wild grass had overgrown it pretty thickly... making it impassable except by foot (that's what the view looked like as we walked down the 'road' in the 3 pics above right) Even though the road itself was mostly buried in foliage, we decided to try walking down it anyway. I wanted to look for a cemetery that I had heard was hidden away on another road somewhere very near Witches Hollow...

I mean, c'mon, a cemetery... nestled in thick dark woods... adjacent to a place called Witches Hollow...... you know I was just dyin' (har har pun intended) to see it. Wild deer kept crisscrossing the path all around us as we walked along, until we finally saw the dull gleam of gray tombstones through the trees- dozens upon dozens of solemn stone sentinels lined up in rows across a grassy knoll surrounded on all sides by forest. We also saw the other road leading up to it across the clearing. Since we could now see how to get to it, we went back and brought the Shady Lady up the road and into the quiet cemetery. We like to have the getaway vehicle nearby. You know. Just in case. *wink*


It was such an eerie-yet-beautiful cemetery. There were some really unusual stones in odd shapes decorated with unique engravings and artwork, and a scattering of tombstones also peeked out from the woods, which completely encircled the silent, monument-filled meadow. Many of the tombstones had piles of small stones stacked on them, mournful tokens left behind by the visitors that still come to honor those lost. We spent about an hour wandering around examining the stones...

Later, as we left Witches Hollow and headed down another wooded road, I noticed this killer old abandoned gas station (below) off to the side, just sitting there with it's dark, empty windows and it's worn-red-brick walls covered in crawling greenery. We pulled over to get a few quick pics but since there were a zillion No Trespassing and KEEP OUT! signs plastered all over the place, we didn't linger long.

I'm glad we got to explore the place. Even though I haven't really been able to find out much of anything about it, somehow that just kinda makes it more intriguing. I have heard stories from people who told me they felt as if something was watching/following them as they explored the road, and I do admit it did have that hushed, watchful kinda atmosphere to it when we were there. I can see how it could easily get a spooky reputation.

And I'm so curious as to why it's named Witches Hollow... the 'Witches' indicates multiple witches, was that done for a reason... or was it just a grammatical oversight? Then there's the intersection of Witches Hollow and Agress Road... I dunno what that road was named for either, but it's so close to being 'aggress' ("aggress- To set upon; to attack") that it helps to lend a kind of sinister air to the crossroads.

Throw in the way that Witches Hollow Road was mysteriously blocked off, the nearby cemetery, and the big brooding vultures that roost all over the area, and it all just makes for a really creepy-cool spot to explore.

(...and speaking of the vultures, btw at certain times of year upwards of 50-60 vultures can be seen roosting on the rails of an old water tower that overlooks the area of Witches Hollow and the cemetery; people of Roosevelt affectionately refer to them as the 'Roosevelt Roosters' and it's a strange sight to see them all up there silently staring, as if they're just watching/waiting for their next meal... *eeep!*)

Do you have any background information or stories to tell about this legendary site?

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