Tags: Ocean County, Ruins

Pics from 8/02 & 11/05

Not really sure where the name “Pickerel” came from; a friend of ours told us that’s what he called it, and I guess we were tired of saying “the woods by Clemente’s house”. These woods, found between Hooper Avenue & Fischer Boulevard in Toms River, were a stomping ground for me since my freshman year in high school. There were always strange things to be found back there, since the place is a dumping ground for slackasses who can’t be bothered to go to the actual dump. More interesting, though, were foundations and what looked like some sort of fountain or pool made of concrete. We knew some sort of building was back here at some point, but just what? It would take 9 years to find out.
About 6 years later I returned to take my first (and really bad) batch of photos and post the place on the site. 3 years after that, a friend of mine learned the true identity of the ruins in the woods…and we returned yet again.

Kids have done some interesting things in these woods over the years. In 2002 a big portion of the place was a paintball arena made of logs and the various trash lying around. Now it seems that’s all gone, and in its place we found a bunch of hangouts and forts, some built right on top of the foundations and rubble from the place’s original incarnation…which I’ll get to in a bit.

We were impressed with this one….not only are there stairs, but the back is like a log cabin.

OK, so what about the “pool”, and what about the foundations? Turns out decades ago, this area was a sort of theme park called Wild West City. Yes, I’m aware that there’s one up north somewhere. Whether the 2 are related or if the park was simply moved up north, I don’t know yet. We don’t know when exactly it closed or how long it was open, but from the sound of it, it closed in the early 60’s. Other than the pool/fountain/whatever it is and the occasional foundation, nothing is left of the park.

Painted on the side of the “pool”. Who you gonna call? Black power!

Old pics of the “pool”:

Trashed van that used to be off the trail:

If I find out any more about this seemingly forgotten Wild West City, I’ll be posting it. If anyone knows more about it, feel free to drop me a line. I’d love to hear about it.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Tags: Cemetery, Ocean County, Pine Barrens

First found 8/02
New pics from 2/04

This place is another good example of rumors leaving stuff out, yet adding other stuff in to make it seem like more that it really is. I heard about this one for over a year before finding it. When I worked at a wholesale store, my friend there used to talk about all his trips out in the Pines and up to Forked River Mountain. He then mentioned something about a hidden cemetery near Double Trouble State Park that he never could find. It was out in the woods outside of the park. There was also supposed to be all kinds of security around it at night. I’d ask him about it once in a while, but he’d just tell me the same thing: he still hadn’t found it. One time, one of the other workers there overheard us talking about the cemetery. She told me she knew where it was. She goes to the cranberry festivals the park has each year, and she told me it’s right in the park off a side trail. Of course, I didn’t know WHICH trail. Now it was just trial-and-error. I attempted 2 or 3 trips to find the graveyard. The first few trips I chose the wrong trails and followed them for a good distance.

It took me a few times to find it, and when I finally did, I had mixed feelings. I was relieved that I finally found it and proved the rumor true, but then disappointed for a few reasons. First off, it’s not a very big cemetery; maybe 10 stones, if that. Secondly, it’s not really hidden. It’s off a side trail maybe 30 feet or so. The trees do hide it though, so you have to be looking for it to see it. I thought about it afterward, and I decided the cemetery’s not so bad afterall. If it were bigger, that means it’d be easier to find and it wouldn’t be as odd. I think a small, secret graveyard off a side trail is more exciting anyway.

I was told by someone that the cemetery used to be part of the park’s tour, but it’s not anymore. There aren’t even any signs with site information. The trail and graveyard aren’t included on maps. There are concrete blocks with holes in them, showing evidence of an old fence around the perimeter of the graveyard.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Tags: Destroyed/Demolished, Ocean County

Written 8/02

This is more of a tribute than anything, to something that I unfortunately never got to know more about.

I don’t know exactly why I’m writing this up. I just feel I have to. This may not be a ‘true’ landmark to most people, but it sure is for me. Living in Toms River and going to elementary school in Bayville, I passed it every day. On the way home, I’d see it again, and just stare at it. It was empty, soulless, yet at the same time seemed very alive. I heard a few tales yet never really knew anything about it. Such was my almost 2 decade fascination with the Fordham.

The Fordham was an old ferry that was docked in Beachwood for longer than anyone could remember. It was just plain ugly; big, rusty, nasty yellow paint….and just creepy-looking – probably because it was surrounded by more modern-looking boats. The thing was archaic; I think I was awestruck simply because it didn’t fit in. It was definitely the ugly duckling of the boatyard, but they put it right up in the front, just yards from Route 166. Simply put, it was odd.

This is what has been told to me about the Fordham. It ferried bodies across the river to a potters field in NY (where they buried unclaimed bodies). Somehow, it ended up down in the marina in Beachwood. My mom’s friend worked at the marina years ago and had to occasionally go on the Fordham. He said some weird stuff happened while he was aboard and that it was indeed haunted.

The ferry was destroyed earlier this year. Apparently it was leaking oil and the owner was being fined for it. I remember seeing it the entire top leveled. It looked like it was just a floating black stage. A few days later it was gone. And it’s never coming back.

This is all I know about the Fordham. I can’t find any information about it: when it was brought down here, why it was never restored, or if it really was a ferry for a potters field. I don’t even have any pictures of it.

If you have any info about the ferry, pics, or know of any articles, please let me know.

Popularity: 3% [?]