9. Ong’s Hat

Ong’s Hat is the wildest entry on this list, and given everything else you’ve just read, that’s a genuinely impressive achievement.

Sitting along Route 72 in the Pine Barrens of Burlington County, Ong’s Hat is a ghost town that has become more legend than location over the years.

The name itself is wonderfully odd, and the various stories about its origin, involving a hat, a tree, and a man named Ong, are somehow even odder than the name itself.

Almost nothing physical remains of Ong’s Hat today, just a few old structures and a whole lot of Pine Barrens atmosphere surrounding a stretch of road that most drivers pass without a second glance.

The place became the unlikely center of an elaborate internet conspiracy theory claiming it was the site of a secret experiment in interdimensional travel, which is honestly the most perfectly New Jersey conspiracy theory imaginable.

That story was eventually revealed to be a piece of collaborative fiction, but it layered a whole new mythology onto a place that was already plenty mysterious on its own.

Even without the conspiracy theories, the dense Pine Barrens forest gives Ong’s Hat a naturally eerie quality that doesn’t require any embellishment.

The isolation out there is real and immediate, and the quiet of the surrounding woods has a way of making even skeptical visitors feel just a little bit uneasy.

People make the trip to Ong’s Hat from all over New Jersey just to stand in the spot and say they’ve been there, and honestly, that’s a completely valid reason to go.

New Jersey’s abandoned ghost towns are full of surprises, but Ong’s Hat might just be the strangest, most unforgettable surprise of them all.

New Jersey’s ghost towns are right outside your door, so grab your curiosity, hit the road, and let a little history send chills down your spine.

LINK: https://familydestinationsguide.com/abandoned-new-jersey-towns/