“The Devil on Washington Rock” is a localized New Jersey legend that blends the “Devil in the Dancehall” tale with haunted roads and highways motifs. The Washington Rock from which the legend takes its name is now a state park operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry. It is so named because George Washington famously used its overlook in 1777 to monitor British troop movements during the Revolutionary War. To date, few scholarly attempts have been made to fully inventory “The Devil on Washington Rock.” It has been given brief write-ups in S. E. Schlosser’s Spooky New Jersey and Sean Mosley’s Creepy Scary Stories but still lacks a rigorous folkloric analysis.
The tale of “The Devil on Washington Rock” occurs in two parts: the appearance of the devil at a party and a frightening encounter with the devil on a dark road. The legend begins with a college-aged female awakening from what she believes is a dream. She remembers attending a delectable party complete with great food and company. Rumors began to spread within the party that the devil was due to arrive, but the young woman shrugged off the news until the devil himself—a tall, handsome, blond-haired man in this case—actually shows up. His mere presence in the doorway puts the other partygoers in immediate awe, despite his apparent ordinariness. The devil eventually makes his way to the college student’s group. She immediately knows this is no joke; the devil was indeed right before her. Frightened, the young woman grabs a Bible sitting on a nearby end table and throws it at the devil. For a terrifying moment, the two lock eyes. The penetrating evil, anger, and outright malevolence emanating from the devil’s eyes petrifies the woman. Just then, she awakens, trembling for the rest of the night.
This part of “The Devil on Washington Rock” shares affinities with “The Devil in the Dancehall,” a legend of Mexican and American Southwestern origin. Several differences, however, are worthy of note. First, “The Devil on Washington Rock” has been stripped of overt religious trappings. Second, the devil does not dance, but rather, socializes with other party guests. Third, the devil is not given away by physical features (e.g., cloven feet), but by his evil aura. Fourth, the devil does not disappear in a plume of smoke, but sees the story’s protagonist awaken.
In the second half of the legend, the female student is visited by her family to help her clear out her dorm room for the end of the semester. During a boisterous and carefree car ride home, the family patriarch turns onto Washington Rock. As the family car ascends a steep hill, a noisy motorcycle, driven frantically, begins to tailgate them. Eventually the family pulls away from the motorcycle and reaches the top of the hill where George Washington once stood. Their vantage point enables them to see the entirety of the park, which is now dark and seemingly tranquil. Soon, all the car’s passengers notice a lone cart sitting underneath the park’s traffic light.
The college student recognizes the vehicle’s occupant as the devil from her dream. Even though she did not tell her family about this dream, they too are petrified by the evil exuding from the man. As the family approaches the cart, tensions rise and no one utters a word. Just then, the engine of the family car cuts out. The father attempts to gun the motor as his daughter begins to pray they get out alive. Finally, the engine catches and the family speeds away. Shaking profusely, the student looks back and notices the motorcycle pull up to the devil in the park. The last thing she hears is the stalling of the bike’s engine. In due time, the family arrive home intact, and the encountered is never spoken of again. The fate of the motorcycle driver remains unknown.
The final part of “The Devil on Washington Rock” borrows from haunted highways stories in the vein of Seven Hills Road in Endicott City, Maryland. In such legends not only do travelers bear witness to supernatural vehicles, but they are chased or menaced by them. In “The Devil on Washington Rock,” however, the demonic vehicle is not summoned as a result of reckless driving but is simply present.
Today, Washington Rock is a scenic tourist attraction. “The Devil on Washington Rock” only receives momentary mention in collections of local scary stories and hauntings. Beyond that the legend does not receive much attention and plays no role in promotion of the park.
Todd K. Platts
See also Dancing with the Devil; Pata de Gallo; Scary Stories
Further Reading
Brunvand, Jan Harold. 1981. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings. New York: W. W. Norton.
Glazer, Mark. 1984. “Continuity and Change in Legendry: Two Mexican American Examples.” In Perspectives on Contemporary Legend: Proceedings of the Conference on Contemporary Legend, edited by Paul Smith, 108–127. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic.
Schlosser, S. E. 2006. Spooky New Jersey: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore. Guilford, CT: Global Pequot Press.