Ghostly Tales of Two Rivers: Accounts along the Navesink and the Shrewsbury has received its ISBN and publication day grows closer. The book begins with an introductory chapter, Ghosts of the Two Rivers Peninsula, which introduces the reader to the six categories of paranormal phenomena documented to be found here.
We first meet the intelligent /interactive ghosts. These specters interact with humans, and seem to have purpose to their behavior. Nearly all these ghosts exhibit the same personality in death they displayed in life. One account here is of three Red Bank youngsters who tempt fate by exploring an abandoned house only to find it is a house possessed. It is a confrontation with the spirit world they will soon not forget.
Then we met the crisis specters! These ghostly spirits make a one-time appearance. Some say the departed only want to say goodbye, others who have experiences with such phenomena are not so sure. Here you will meet a set of Rumson twins, separated by death….or are they?
Before you can catch your breath, you meet the residual ghosts of our peninsula. These spirits are reliving their final moments on earth over and over again. They don’t seem to be aware of humans at all. Among the spirits you will meet is the residual spirit of Red Bank’s most famous unsolved murder, the 1892 specter of Lizzie Farrow.
Yet another group of our paranormal neighbors are those spirits who cannot cross over. Some are afraid, some have unfinished business, and some don’t even know they are dead. One such spirit is that of a Lenape brave named Ahchintak who not only defied the settler’s confiscation of his home in 1775, but remains there to this day -persistently and aggressively protecting his Navarumsunk homestead. By all accounts he is a spirit not be toyed with.
Then, there are those manifestations which are not human at all. Both possessed objects and animal spirits have been documented here on our peninsula. A grandfather’s old-time piece, an old doll, or a neighborhood’s favorite dog can disperse spiritual energy to where it is least expected. One long-standing account is of a town mutt from Fair Haven, who lovingly protected his favorite neighborhood in in life and continues to guard local youngsters today long after his death.
Finally, this first chapter introduces you to living ghosts & photographic specters. Here you learn of a Monmouth Beach grandmother who makes her final appearance at a family reunion a year after her death. And should you happen upon your own doppelgänger, here on the peninsula, don’t be at all surprised.
Our little peninsula is the home to a wide variety of ghostly and paranormal phenomena. All one needs to do is to look carefully, listen, and keep a sharp eye out for our paranormal neighbors.