The Devil's Tree

A massive oak tree standing alone in a field has been called one of the most haunted places in America by Thrillist Magazine. The isolated tree has accumulated dark legends over generations.

In an open field along Mountain Road in the Martinsville section of Bernards Township, Somerset County, a solitary oak tree stands in isolation, scarred at its base by deep axe marks from repeated attempts to cut it down. The Devil's Tree, as it has been known for generations, is estimated to be at least two hundred years old and has accumulated a web of dark legends that have made it one of the most recognized haunted landmarks in New Jersey.

The most persistent story connects the tree to the Ku Klux Klan, which had a documented and strong presence in Somerset County during the 1920s, holding large rallies and cross burnings in the area. According to local accounts, the tree's isolation in an open field made it an ideal gathering point, and legend holds that it was used as a lynching site, particularly targeting African Americans. While no hangings at this specific tree have been verified by historical records, the Klan's well-documented activity in Bernards Township and the surrounding hills lends the story an uncomfortable plausibility. A separate legend claims that a local farmer murdered his entire family and then walked to the tree to hang himself from its branches, cursing the ground beneath it.

Those who attempt to damage or destroy the tree are said to suffer terrible consequences. Accounts describe axes falling from hands, people experiencing sudden and unexplained illnesses, mysterious car accidents on the drive home, and in the most extreme versions, death. The deep scars at the tree's base testify to the many failed attempts to bring it down, yet it remains standing. Visitors who disrespect the tree -- whether by urinating on it, carving into it, or making disparaging remarks while nearby -- reportedly experience misfortune shortly afterward.

One of the strangest aspects of the legend involves the ground around the tree. No snow is said to accumulate at its base, even during the coldest New Jersey winters, as though the soil radiates unnatural warmth. A nearby boulder known as Heat Rock is also reported to be warm to the touch regardless of the season or time of day. Some believe the tree sits directly above a portal to Hell, and that the warmth comes from below. Others attribute it to the souls of those killed at the site, their suffering generating a heat that no winter can suppress.

The tree is also said to have a guardian. According to accounts documented by Weird NJ and others, a mysterious figure driving an old black Ford or Chevrolet pickup truck will appear and chase anyone who lingers too long near the tree after dark. The truck's headlights will pursue visitors down the road until reaching a certain point, at which the vehicle simply vanishes -- headlights visible one moment, and nothing the next. Visitors to the field report overwhelming feelings of dread and malevolence that intensify the closer they get to the trunk, with some describing a pressure against their chests or a sense of being watched from the treeline at the field's edge. The Astonishing Legends podcast and numerous paranormal investigators have featured the tree, and it was named the most haunted location in New Jersey by at least one ranking. The tree endures, its scars growing deeper with each failed attempt to destroy it, its legends only growing darker.