Port Monmouth, Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey
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| Photo: Wikipedia |
Standing on the windswept shores of Sandy Hook Bay, the Seabrook‑Wilson House — better known locally as the “Spy House” — is one of the oldest surviving homes in New Jersey and one of the most intriguing haunted locations in the Garden State. With roots reaching back to the early 1700s, this battered clapboard farmhouse carries with it centuries of American history, folklore, and ghostly legend.
History of the House
The Seabrook‑Wilson House began as a modest cabin constructed in the early 1700s and later expanded by the Seabrook family and, later, the Wilsons. Over roughly 250 years, generations of ship captains, merchants, and local leaders called this home. It remained a private residence until the early 20th century.
Port Monmouth grew up around the old homestead as salt marshes and farmland gave way to steamboat commerce and fishing piers. By the early 1900s the house was operating as an inn and boarding house before falling into disrepair. In the 1960s concerned locals worked to save it, and it later became part of the Monmouth County Park System, now preserved as a historic site within Bayshore Waterfront Park.
Legend of the “Spy House”
The nickname “Spy House” grew out of local lore rather than documented fact. In the 1960s, a caretaker promoted the idea that the home had served as a tavern during the Revolutionary War where British troops gathered — and that colonial sympathizers used the opportunity to glean military secrets from drunken soldiers. While this makes a compelling story, historians have found no evidence that the house was a tavern at that time or that it played an official espionage role.
Haunted Stories & Paranormal Sightings
Despite the murky origins of the Spy House tales, the Seabrook‑Wilson House grew a reputation for being haunted — and some of its ghost stories have become legendary in the New Jersey paranormal community.
The White Lady: One of the most enduring figures seen in or around the house is a woman dressed in white — sometimes said to be searching for a crying baby or wandering through empty rooms.Ghostly Boy: Visitors have reported the sight of a small child peering from upstairs windows as though watching those below.
The Sea Captain: Another specter often reported is an old sailor or sea captain wandering the property or the house’s interior — a haunting perhaps tied to the property’s maritime past.
Captain Morgan: Rumors have grown over time that a British revolutionary soldier nicknamed Captain Morgan met a violent end in the basement, and that his spirit lingers there — a story reinforced through anecdotal accounts of cold spots and sudden chills deep beneath the house.
Some visitors and paranormal enthusiasts claim to have captured strange phenomena such as disembodied voices, footsteps, or unexplained feelings of being watched. However, skeptics note that many of these reports are anecdotal and difficult to verify.
Today’s Spy House
Today, the Seabrook‑Wilson House is preserved as a historic landmark within the Monmouth County Park System’s Bayshore Waterfront Park. The house is open seasonally for tours and educational programs and stands as a testament to early American architecture and coastal life.
Although local historians have refuted many of the war‑era spy tales and some ghost stories, visitors continue to be drawn to the site by both its age and its legends. For some, it’s a tangible piece of America’s colonial past; for others, it’s a place where spirits of the past might still linger.