If you’re looking for excellent gifts celebrating traditional culture to fill out your shopping list this holiday season here are a few projects I’m proud to have contributed to over the years.

The New Encyclopedia of Southern Folklore, Editors Glenn Hinson and William Ferris

http://uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=1639

From Bridge to Boardwalk, An Audio Journey across Maryland’s Eastern Shore

http://www.amazon.com/From-Bridge-Boardwalk-Journey-Marylands/dp/0972779639

Jersey Devil
Delve into an interactive map of Jersey Devil sightings and read the stories behind New Jersey’s legendary ‘Devil.’ The Pine Barrens of New Jersey are a desolate and remote swampland. Historic records of a screaming ‘devil’ haunting the pines have plagued the region since 1735. He is a harbinger of evil. The Jersey Devil was seen on the coast before violent storms and shipwrecks and sightings increase before a war or disaster. This map follows the birth of the Jersey Devil on Leeds Point to more recent events on the Garden State Parkway. The red markers plot the large outbreak of sightings from January 16-23 in 1909. Over 1,000 people saw the ‘devil’ that week including police officers, trolley cab drivers, a postmaster, a Trenton Councilman and a Reverend. Many of these locations are approximate, but I encourage you to try ‘Streetview’ anyway. Imagine yourself alone in the pines, in the distance a harrowing scream, coming closer, and closer…

View Jersey Devil in a larger map

Instructions:
1. Click on the map markers to reveal information windows about sightings at that location.
2. You can zoom into the markers using your mouse scroll or the navigation buttons on the left.
3. For Green Markers, after zooming in, try ‘street view’ to get a sense of what the site actually looks like. You’ll have to imagine the Devil yourself however!
Credits:
Map and Partial Content by Shelly Drummond-Demolli
This map represents only a small sample of referenced sightings. For more information I recommend two excellent resources on the Jersey Devil : The book Jersey Devil by McCloy and Miller an online list of researched sightings by date can be found on Devil Hunters.com.

Leeds Point 1735
According to legend, the Jersey Devil was born the 13th child of either Mother Leeds or Mrs. Shourds, of Leeds Point, NJ. She cursed her baby before he was born, saying he was a devil and the devil could have him. He was born a normal child, but transformed before her very eyes and with an inhumane flew up the chimney into the night. Versions of the legend vary but historic records show a Daniel Leeds as established in the area in 1699 and a Samuel Shourds on the records for Leeds Point in 1735.

Atlantic City 1740 and 1840
After terrorizing South Jersey, eating livestock and screaming in the pines, the Jersey Devil was ‘exorcised’ by a priest in 1740. This exorcism was to last for 100 years. With the exception of a couple sightings, until 1840 the Jersey Devil was fairly quiet. In 1840, the Devil went on a rampage and the region lost a lot of sheep and chickens. (Chickens btw are a favorite food of the Jersey Devil.) Residents heard screams in the night and found strange tracks in the woods during the day.

Hanover Iron Works 1800s
Naval Hero Stephen Decatur in the early 1800s saw a large winged ‘devil’ while practicing or testing his cannons near Hanover Iron Works. Decatur shot at it and the ordinance went through the creature’s wing but he continued to fly off apparently unharmed.

Bristol, PA January 16, 1909
James Sackville, a Police Officer responded to a general fracas of neighborhood dogs barking and growling uncontrollably. As he stood investigating, an uncanny feeling overcame him and he spun around to face the Jersey Devil. It was hopping in the shadows, a winged creature of peculiar features. It screamed a howl and dispersed when he ran towards it. Officer Sackville fired at the Devil who ‘hovered’ and flew off into the night.

Bristol, PA January 16, 1909
A report by E.W. Minster, postmaster of Bristol recalls: “I awoke about two o’clock in the morning…and finding myself unable to sleep, I arose and wet my head with cold water as a cure for insomnia. As I got up I heard an eerie, almost supernatural sound from the direction of the river….I looked out upon the Delaware and saw flying diagonally across what appeared to be a large crane, but which was emitting a glow like a fire-fly. Its head resembled that of a ram, with curled horns, and its long thick neck was thrust forward in flight. It had long thin wings and short legs, the front legs shorter than the hind. Again, it uttered its mournful and awful call- a combination of a squawk and a whistle, the beginning very high and piercing and ending low and hoarse…”

Burlington, NJ January 17 and 18, 1909
The night of the 17th, the Lowden Family were awakened by a creature circling the house, screaming and trying to open the door. In the morning, they found strange tracks and packed snow around the garbage can, with trash strewn through the yard. Neighbors also found tracks, some obviously leaping on rooftops and across backyards then randomly disappearing as if the creature had flown away. Burlington was inundated with ‘Devil’ fever, people wouldn’t leave the house, they cowered in fear locking doors and windows. Search parties were formed and rewards were offered but no ‘Devil’ was found.

Glouchester City, NJ January 19, 1909
Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Evans were awakened around 2:30 am by strange noises in the night. They reported watching the creature for almost 10 minutes on the roof of their shed. Mr. Evans described it as “about three feet and a half high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse’s hooves. it walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on them. It didn’t use the front legs at all while we were watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the window and say, ‘Shoo!’ and it turned around, barked at me, and flew away.”

Burlington, NJ January 20, 1909
A Burlington policeman saw the Jersey Devil describing a creature with eyes ‘like blazing coals’. The policeman considered it an encounter with a “Jabberwock.”

Pemberton, NJ January 20, 1909
Reverend John Pursell, after seeing the Jersey Devil, claimed he had “never seen anything like it before.”

Moorestown, NJ January 20, 1909
Two men, John Smith and George Snyder, chased the creature into a nearby pit. They described it in detail as, “ three feet high…long black hair over its entire body, arms and hands like a monkey, face like a dog, split hooves and a tail a foot long.”

Trenton, NJ January 21, 1909
Mr. William Cromley was traveling home in a horse and buggy when his horse began panicking. Alarmed, he got out of the buggy to see, “A sight that froze the blood in his veins and caused his hair to stand on end.” He saw a creature he described as a “beast of fur and feathers, about the size of an average dog, with the face of a German Shepherd, from which glowered large, sparkling eyes. ‘’ The creatures spread its wings and flew away.

Camden, NJ January 21, 1909
Members of the Black Hawk Social Club in Camden, NJ heard strange noises outside the club at 1 am. One member, turned to find the Jersey Devil looking through the back window. The club panicked and when the man tried to scare the creature away, it flew off into the night with a dreadful scream.

West Collingwood, January 21, 1909
Two men call the fire department regarding an “ostrich” sitting on top of a friend’s house. The firemen shoot the hose at the “ostrich” and the water knocked it down at first. Then it turned and charged at the crowd which had gathered. The men began throwing things at it, but the creature finally spread his wings and soared over them into the night.

Atlantic City, January 21, 1909
A report by a telegraph lineman states, “In an isolated spot in the Jersey Pines, about five miles from Pleasantville, at a place known as Beaver Pond, one of the linemen, Howard Campbell, was detailed on a piece of work a little distance from the rest of the men on duty. After walking a little way into the woods, his attention was attracted by something coming down the path toward him. He became so frightened by the unusual appearance of the thing that he straightway made for the nearest telegraph pole. Letting out several yells for help and losing his wits entirely by the time he reached the top of the pole, Campbell threw himself out on the mass of wires between the two poles and was lying there helpless by the time the rest of the gang, including myself, had arrived. Seeing the ‘Terror’ on the pole, I raised my gun and fired. One shot broke a wing and it fell to the ground, uttering hideous screams; but before anyone could collect his wits the thing was up and off with long strides and a sort of hop, dragging one wing, and then disappearing into the pine thicket. We got ropes and other tackle and helped Campbell down from his precarious position. As nearly as I can describe the terror, it had the head of a horse, the wings of a bat and a tail like a rat’s, only longer.”

Salem, NJ 1927
In 1927, a cab driver on his way to Salem got a flat tire. He stopped to fix the tire. As he was doing this, a creature that stood upright and was covered with hair, landed on the roof of his cab. The creature shook his car violently. He fled the scene, leaving the tire and jack behind.
Lower Bank, NJ 1950
A driver is chased in his vehicle by a two legged creature which keeps pace with him at 50 miles per hour.

Gibbstown 1951
The Jersey Devil terrorized Gibbstown for two days in 1951. It began when one young boy saw a creature looking at him through the window. He was so scared he screamed and went into convulsions. Another boy experienced the same thing the next night. Numerous people heard the screams of the ‘Devil’ and one man claimed it almost grabbed him in the woods. People went out in search of the creature, running wild through the woods with weapons. Police ended up arresting anyone they found in the woods and signs were put up saying the ‘Jersey Devil’ was a hoax. They did find strange tracks in the woods.

Mullica River 1966
Excerpt from “The Jersey Devil” by James McCloy & Ray Miller:
“…attributed to the Jersey Devil was an extraordinary mangling of dogs and livestock near the Mullica River in April, 1966, when Steven Silkotch found his poultry farm ravaged by a ghastly night intruder. To his astonishment, he found strewn about and cruelly mauled the carcasses of 31 ducks, 3 geese, 4 cats, and 2 large dogs, one of which was a 90 lb. German Shepherd. The unfortunate Shepherd’s thick collar was chewed to pieces, and his body dragged a quarter of a mile from the scene of the attack.”

Manahawkin, NJ 1973 .
“It was summer and eleven or so at night, and we were down there getting drunk and silly, maybe four couples. There was good light because there was a very bright moon. There was a crashing in the brush right next to the road, (which dead-ends at the bay with a broken down wooden bridge from early 1900′s) and a large black animal that appeared almost like a BIG deer with big black wings came out, and swept those wings down and cleared the hoods of the cars! We actually heard the wing brush the windshield of the one car. Needless to say, we all tumbled into the cars and went back to a better-lit area! But even the next day when we all sobered up, we all could describe the same thing, right down to the red eyes.”
From ‘Devil Hunters’ sighting listings http://njdevilhunters.com/pers1973.html

Wharton Forest, 1993
A boyscout troop and their leader had an encounter with the Jersey Devil and reported it to Devilhunters.com. “Whatever it was, it was large, between 6 to 8 feet high, with orange-yellow eyes that seemed to burn into the back of my skull, and a set of wings unfurling and curling back up on its back. It appeared to have dark skin, somewhat like a fur. It seemed to have claws that hung out in front of the body, much like the velociraptors from Jurassic Park. The belly ended a couple of feet above the ground, with two legs like that of a horse for which it stood on reaching the ground. I was lucky enough for there to be just enough light from the moon and from the dying fire to be able to make out what I did in the dark. The air around me became quite stagnant. I felt almost a paralyzation come over me, as if I could not react or move at all. After what seemed like hours, but was only a few seconds, I attempted to shake my friends awake and close the cover of the tent for fear that whatever it was, it was trying to get in. My flashlight was at the foot of my sleeping bag, but I made no attempt to reach for it, for fear that I would actually see whatever it was … I finally closed the cover and hid inside my sleeping bag, praying that it would go away. I then heard what sounded like hooves walking over rocks and twigs, and a rustling in the bushes further over to the left of my tent, as if whatever it was was clambering away. I finally mustered up the courage to take a quick peek outside of the tent and saw nothing outside.”
The troop went canoeing the next day but felt like they were being stalked.

Manahawkin, NJ 1977
Screams are heard by scouts and ‘something’ was seen at the lake in Manahawkin. Police are called in to chase down the ‘Devil’ swat team style. This is not the only incident in Tuckerton area this year. The Jersey Devil terrifies campers at Sea Pirates campground, shaking their trailers and screaming. And chickens are raided at a nearby farm.

Chatsworth, NJ 1977, 1978
In 1977 a woman saw the Jersey Devil eating blueberries in the summer in Chatsworth and in 1978, a group of teenagers spotted the ‘devil’ who had red eyes and stank.

Atlantic City, NJ July 2, 2000
“My friend and I were driving home from Atlantic City after giving a sizable donation. I had just exited off the Black Horse Turnpike and was on the Garden State Parkway. About 200 yards from where we just got on the parkway, I saw something standing on the right side of the road looking across to the south bound lanes. I noticed that it was not a man although it stood upright. What puzzled me were two large bat like wings protruding from its back. As we got closer, I asked my friend what it was and he had no idea. All of the sudden, it leaped from the ground and started to fly over the marshland to the right of us. We were only driving at about 50 mph so we watched as it flew off towards the ocean.
Although I cannot describe any facial features I did notice its tail which was rather long, its large wing span and also the fact that it had arms and legs. It actually fascinated us more than scared us because of course living in NJ all our lives we heard stories of the Jersey Devil but never thought we’d actually see anything. You can choose to believe me or not, it’s totally up to you, all I can say is that I wasn’t drunk and I know what I saw was not a giant bird or a deformed human.” From Devil Hunters http://njdevilhunters.com/pers2000s.html

Smithville, NJ October 25, 2004 Moss Mill Rd. and Rt. 9
From the Galloway News GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Marie Castellano claims perfect eyesight and sobriety. She also claims that she saw the Jersey Devil flying down Moss Mill Road and Route 9 Sunday night. “I saw a winged animal flying down the middle of the road and cling to the pole on the corner near CVS,” said Castellano. “I stopped my car in the middle of the street and reached for my cell phone to call the police.”
Castellano said that before she could dial 911, the creature jumped off the pole and started walking on its hind legs toward her car. In a panic she hit the gas and took off passing within inches of the beast. “It was tall, had glowing red eyes and large black rubbery wings tucked behind its back,” she said. “It made a loud screaming sound.”
Castellano added that she looked in the rear-view mirror and watched the beast fly over the trees on the side of the road. She arrived home and told her husband Anthony about her frightening experience and he stopped her from reporting the sighting. “I picked up the phone to call the cops but he said they would think I was nuts,” she said. “I got some rest and went back to the corner, but I didn’t see anything that would prove the Jersey Devil had been there.”
Castellano is not going to be deterred. She said she is going to go back to the location every night at 9 p.m. until she finds the Jersey Devil or somebody else who may have seen it. She is certain she did not see a deer, a large eagle or any other form of animal. “My husband thinks I saw a deer and my headlights made its eyes turn red,” she said. “I know what I saw.”

From the Galloway News
Hazlet, NJ May 25, 2008
“End of May around the 25th 2008 At the exit near Hazlet, I was watching odometer which reached 120666. There were police coming, I could hear the sirens. It was dark and a black Honda had wrecked. The car had hit an SUV and was on the opposite side of the road. The Jersey Devil was on the roof of the car moving in slow motion, the tail was touching the ground it was so long. He was grey. I was praying but he screamed at me, he growled, telling me to leave. He had pointed ears. He was like a giant bat with a pointed tail. He was more like a dragon, with the face of a cat or bat, not so much like a horse as people say. He was moving forward. I almost turned back but he was screaming to go….” From personal oral history.

Click here to view a short Youtube Video of net mending in Rock Hall, MD

Join the Crew of the schooner ‘Chance’ a venture privateer vessel in support of the Revolutionary War!

Belford, NJ

Grant Writing and Development Services.  I have extensive expertise in grant writing and offer exceptional grant matching consulting services.  Please click on my ‘Grant Writing’ page to learn more about how I can help you reach your development goals.

“How can I qualify for Government Grants?  S. I. M. P. Squirrels in my Pants”  Lyrics to Squirrels in my Pants from the cartoon Phineas and Ferb

While Candice on Phineas and Ferb is singing the song because she does have squirrels in her pants, the lyrics are quite accurate.  When people or organizations make the decision to seek grant support, they often run willy nilly looking for any grant they can find in the false hope that they will be one of the ‘winners’.  I can’t stress enough the need for a focused approach to grant seeking.  Researching the grant is critical to your development efforts.

The absolute first step to a successful  grant application is understanding the purpose and priorities of a grant opportunity.  You may have a wonderful theatre production planned, but if the grant priorities are teaching children to read, don’t waste your time.  (Or theirs for that matter!)   Find a grant opportunity that is a better match for your project or organization. 

Do your research. Find out exactly what it is the business, foundation or government program wants to support.  Who did they fund in the past?    This information is available on websites, in brochures and at the Foundation Center but you need to read the documents.  Federal and State Government grant information is well documented and extremely detailed.   It may be tedious, but take the time to read the Grant Guidelines,  the Mission and Vision statements,  Long Range Planning documents and any announced Funding Priorities for a grant cycle.  Review the organizations they funded in the past.  Look over the successful projects they offer as examples.  Call the program managers if you have any questions.  Hire an honest consultant like myself to help research a good match for your organization.

Remember, grants are not free money.  They are a financial investment in a relationship.   Finding the right match for your project will insure the success of both organizations.