New Jersey is one of the most historic states in the U.S.; because of this, it definitely has its fair share of abandoned and forgotten communities.
The village known as Ong's Hat in Burlington County can be found within New Jersey's Pine Barrens. This small community can be seen on many maps throughout history, some of which date back centuries. The earliest findings are on a map made in 1778. According to local legend, the town had just a handful of houses as well as a hotel and thriving dance hall. As industry changed and the landscape of America shifted, the town slowly became completely abandoned.
There is also a rather peculiar piece of history that surrounds this abandoned town. A Polish immigrant named John Chininiski and his wife lived in Ong's Hat. One day, his wife reportedly disappeared without a trace, and shortly after John went missing as well. Years later, a single skeleton was found in the woods nearby. Police to this day have been unable to identify who the skeleton belonged to and it remains an intriguing local mystery.
In the 70s and 80s, an even weirder phenomenon was discovered within Ong's Hat. According to a handful of conspiracy theorists, Ong's Hat contains a portal to another dimension. Princeton professors who studied quantum physics theories headed to the area in the 1970s where they are said to have discovered inter-dimensional travel. These perplexing discoveries inspired a book titled Ong's Hat: The Beginning.
Whether or not you believe in these theories, it is certainly a fascinating piece of New Jersey history. To learn more about the abandoned town of Ong's Hat and the book that was written about this area, be sure to check this site out here.
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