ELIZABETH, NJ — Haunted History Productions recently returned to Union County, presenting a glimpse of Historic Elizabeth. The haunted walk was on one of New Jersey’s oldest historic sites, the Snyder Academy of Elizabethtown.
The tour was led by Jane McLaughlin, artistic director and creator of Haunted History Productions.
Notable figures such as Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton studied at the academy. An actor dressed as the ghost of Hamilton greeted guests with a poem and spoke about the sacred ground, which has so much history.
Inside the church, an actor was dressed as the ghost of the Rev. James Caldwell, a Presbyterian minister who fought in the Battle of Springfield. He told the audience Caldwell was called “the pistol-packing preacher.” Together he, and the audience, bowed their heads for the countless lives lost during the Battle of Springfield.
He said, “The Rev. Caldwell was devoted to his cause. He lost his life at the hands of another American.” James Morgan shot and killed the Rev. James Caldwell after Caldwell refused to let Morgan inspect a package.
The actor continued, “the Rev. Caldwell was a devoted father, a devoted husband, a devoted preacher, a patriot to liberty and democracy.”
Moses Ogden was an American Revolutionary War soldier also killed at the Battle of Springfield. The actor representing the ghost of Ogden said, “I was deemed a hero – a hero by night, a casualty by day. I was 19. There were many young men like me that don’t have a memorial or a mention. That’s why we’re here tonight, to honor them.”
McLaughlin then directed guests to the gravesite of Ogden.
An actress representing the ghost of Hannah Caldwell, wife of the Rev. James Caldwell, greeted guests in the cemetery. “We had nine children,” she said. “James was a wonderful father and a fierce patriot. I was in my home. A British soldier saw a figure in the window. My life ended. That soldier chose to murder a woman in cold blood. They were actually looking for James. I was a casualty of war. Eighteen months after my death, they killed my husband, leaving our nine children orphans.”
Next, guests were taken to the 313-Plus Monument, which honors the 313-plus enslaved and free African ancestors buried on the grounds of Siloam–Hope First Presbyterian Church at Snyder Academy. An actor representing the ghost of “Pompey” told his story. “In the 1700s, in Elizabeth, slaves had no last names,” he said. “It was called Elizbeth Town back then. In 1790, only 12 percent of Black people were free. I was the slave of Samuel Woodruff. He wasn’t very smart. He died without a will. I got listed as property. I had a value of about 60 pounds. In today’s economy, I’d be worth $10,000. Three hundred and thirteen free Blacks and slaves are buried in the area. Nobody knew.”
In conclusion, there was an interpretational dance number representing why people stay – as ghosts – why do they not cross over?
Pauline Saxon, of Franklin Park, said the tour was “wonderful.”
Tonja Ashcraft-Foster, of Rahway, said, “It was very informative. Things like this, we don’t hear enough of. My husband was born and raised in Elizabeth. It’s good to know the history.”
To learn more about Haunted History Productions, visit: https://www.hauntedhistoryproductions.com/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta