Many had described the?thing as a flying two-legged creature with hooves, others as a witch named "Mother Leeds" and others yet?have said?that this Leeds woman invoked the devil as she gave birth to her 13th child (whom she named Lucas just before he transformed into?a demon and flew off into the night pines).
Even Napolean Bonaparte's older brother is said to have seen the entity while on a South Jersey hunting expedition in the 1800s. Other sighting have led to widespread panic as recently as 1960.
Lewis Stringer Campsite, Inyo National Forest, California
Located on the Kern Plateau in the Golden Trout Wilderness, this campsite is named for Sam Lewis and his wife, who ran sheep in the vicinity in the late 19th century. The site was apparently Sam's wife's favorite place and, when she died in the early 1900s, Sam cremated her body and scattered her ashes there.
Soon after, people began to report strange incidents at the campsite—and still do,?today. Campers, horsemen and trail workers alike all have ghost stories about this particular site.
Some see a glowing image of a woman dancing, others hear a woman singing and some?find their belongings strewn about or rearranged in the morning.
Skidaway Island, Savannah, Georgia
It's not just the creepy looking Spanish moss-draped oaks or eerie salt marsh that makes Skidaway Island a perfect Halloween camping spot. This barrier island—588 acres of pristine sanctuary for deer, fiddler crabs, egrets and maritime forest—lies in close proximity to Savannah, Georgia, otherwise known in many circles as America's most haunted city. The historical area has been known, for ages, for its disturbing accounts of aggravated spirits, hauntings and frightening cemeteries.
Trail of Tears State Forest, Illinois
Located in the southern Ozarks, Trail of Tears was once used primarily by American Indians who were pushed south in the early 1800s. The southernmost part of the forest played the site of makeshift, winter camps where brutal weather and conditions claimed hundreds of their lives.
Fittingly, the path of the cruel trek became the "Trail of Tears." The area was later used for a WWII POW camp.
Now the state forest's natural ecosystems are preserved there and the sad events memorialized.
Gettysburg Battlefield KOA, Pennsylvania
The site of the nation's biggest Civil War battle, part of Gettysburg Battlefield's evening events includes ghost walks. And with a living population, in 1863 (the year of the Battle of Gettysburg), outnumbered 20 to one by the dead, it's no wonder. It's even said that some Gettysburg churches needed to have drain holes drilled into their floors for all of the spilled blood.
Well-known battlefield ghosts include the Sentry, who's said to still guard part of Gettysburg College today, as well as a haunting that occurred while the battle was still going on. Allegedly, some soldiers claimed to have encountered the ghost of a man on a horse while marching toward Gettysburg. According to them, this man, who they mistook for a Union General, actually led them towards Gettysburg,?a town that now?rivals Savannah, Georgia, and New Orleans for America's?"most haunted city."
Croton Point Park, Sleepy Hollow, New York
Croton Point Park is a 500 acre peninsula stretching into the Hudson River, on the northern border of Sleepy Hollow. Not only would these soils have reverberated with the echo of the Headless Horseman's steed's hooves, but the grounds were also inhabited by American Indians of the Kitchawank tribe—among others—as early as 7,000 years ago.
The area is actually named for an Indian sachem that means "wild wind."
Croton Point was also historically known for its Shad and herring fishing and the many fishermen's ghost stories were so bountiful that the?legends?made up an entire collection called the Crawbucky Tales.
Find a Halloween?campsite today.