For three centuries the tale of the Jersey Devil has fascinated and frightened people. According to the legend, in 1735 South Jersey matriarch Mary Leeds was giving birth to her 13th child at her home in the Pine Barrens when, out of exhaustion, she cursed the unborn baby. What happened next? The child was born with wings, hooves, a tail, and a thirst for the blood of animals. While the Jersey Devil is now a hockey team mascot and folkloric legend, there was a time when New Jerseyans were truly terrified of the beast, especially when newspapers were even regularly reporting sightings. In this program, participants will explore the history and how the legend evolved over time.
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Levi Fox, Ph.D.
Public Historian
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