Jenny – Ghost Ship and its Frozen Crew

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Featured Horror Mystery and Lore

The Last Voyage of Jenny

“May 4, 1823. No food for 71 days. I am the only one left alive.” – Was the captain’s last entry in the ghost ship Jenny’s log book. Jenny was an 1800’s English schooner that became frozen in ice crossing the Drake Passage in 1823.

Very little in this world is as fascinating and terrifying as a ghost ship. A vessel wandering aimlessly on the vast oceans instills the true meaning of being a ghost. The history of phantom ships dates back to the early 1700’s, with many pieces of ghost ship lore having no known origin date at all. Add in a frozen Antarctic passageway, and Ghost Ship Jenny takes the terror of ghost ships to another level.

Captain Brighton writing his last passage in the schooner Jenny's ship log
Captain Brighton writing his last passage – Art by David Romilly

Date of Discovery

The ship set sail in 1822 and went missing in 1823. According to Polar Record, it was rediscovered in 1840 by a whaling ship “Hope.” By the time of discovery, the ship had been encased in ice for almost 7 years. Other accounts place the discovery in 1860, however, the most commonly agreed-upon timeline is 1840. On either timeline, the frozen bodies of the crew were encased in ice for no less than 7 years or up to 27 years.

Ghost Ship Jenny’s – Frozen Crew

Frozen Crew likeness of the ghost ship jenny

The article from Globus in 1862, a popular German magazine, recaps the fantastic re-discovery of the ghost ship Jenny. As the story goes the whaling ship, named “Hope,” happened upon Jenny after the ice had broken revealing what appeared to be a fully manned ship. To the horror of the men aboard the whaling ship, the crew for the Jenny were actually frozen in place and had been for 7 years. It is reported that Captain Brighton of the ship Hope found the captain of the ghost ship Jenny still with pen in hand as he scribed the last entry. Some say that Captain Brighton properly buried the ship’s captain, crew, wife, and dog all at sea. Other urban legends state that the Jenny and Crew are still aimlessly lost at sea.

To this date the ship remains a true ghost ship as it has yet to be seen aside from reports that are nearing 200 years old. Are the crew of the phantom ship Jenny still frozen somewhere at the bottom of the ocean near the drake passage or is the ship still completing it’s doomed journey?

Ghost Ship Jenny

Ghost ship Jenny is one of many ghost ships out there, but the way in which it went missing and was re-discovered surely makes it one of the most terrifying.

Books About Ghost Ship Jenny

Seafaring Lore and Legends books including the ghost ship Jenny
Seafaring Lore & Legends including the tale of the Ghost Ship Jenny
Antarctica Vol 1 book about sea legends and the ghost ship jenny
Antarctica Vol 1 which includes information on the Ghost ship Jenny

References

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Jersey Devil

Date of Discovery

The first reports of the Jersey Devil date back to Quaker and Founding Fathers times, around 1735 reports of sightings became a known and more experienced thing. To this day people report the devil to still be roaming among us and has become a staple to many household tales.

Name

Most commonly known as the Jersey Devil but originally called the Leeds Devil

Jersey Devil Sketch

Physical Description

Over 300 years of siting’s and reports have led to main versions of the Jersey Devil’s appearance, overall they can stick to three kinds of the descriptions; a horseman, a horse-bat, and a dragon-like horse. The most common features these reports all share are deep blood red glowing eye, bat-like wings sometimes having feathers one them, claws on elongated fingers, hoofed back legs, and a combination of fur and feathers across the body and neck. Depending on the over-all “class” of the devil some walk upright on the back legs, others stay true to more of a horse like posture walking on all four legs, and finally, a combination of a more dragon-like posture using each leg individually as well as being comfortable up-right on its back legs.

Origin

Originated from Pine Barrens, New Jersey USA around 1735 this devil-like creature has made its home across all of southern New Jersey. Over the next 300 years, American’s have reported the creature making its way all across the north-eastern states, even as low as Pennsylvania. There are two main theories as to how the Devil came into existent, both led back to the Leeds family who were founding settlers of the region as well as ex Quaker members. One of the most detailed reports of the Jersey Devil’s Real Story tells the tale from a more” fact-based” style rather then a man becomes a true monster-like creature. 

Mythology & Lore

As the origin theories have some variation as to when and why the Leeds thirteenth son became Leeds Devil, most have molded legend around Mother Leeds rather than her husband’s tale. The legend started in 1735 when Mother Leeds was preparing for her thirteenth child. She was living a rather poor lifestyle with a drunkard husband who did little to provide for them. Upon a stroll through the wooded area of Pine Barrens she became so overwhelmed and exasperated with emotions, she proclaimed to the heavens “Let this one be the devil”. Unknowing of the curse she had put on her unborn child she continued through pregnancy as if all were normal. A few months later she went into labor in the Leeds Point home, and by all accounts from the midwives, everything appeared to be a normal delivery. As the womanly group cleaned and prepared the baby boy for the rest of the family to see, the child began to metamorphosis right before them into the most unholy beast. The infant grew at an incredible rate, sprouting horns from on top of its head, his fingers became talon-like claws, and feathers began to cover the large body. Leathery bat-like wings exploding from his back, and his eye began to glow bright red as well as becoming two sizes bigger. The devilish creature savagely attacked the womanly group that had just brought him into this world, before turning on the rest of the family who was just down the hall. Knocking down doors the creature hunted down all the family members it could find, only leaving few survivors before flying up the chimney and leaving a destroyed wake of rubble in its wake. It made Pine Barrens it’s home from then forward, harassing and terrorizing those unfortunate enough to stroll through its woods.

 By the 18th and 19th centuries, the name was remade into the Jersey Devil rather than the Leeds Devil, as the creature was reported more spread through-out all of the southern New Jersey area. Residents to this day report unearthly wails coming from the forests, having their animals slaughtered, seeing the glowing red eyes hiding within bushes or trees, as well as a few reports of being attacked by the creature. The Devil has been sited from New Jerseys Pine Barrens area to the Delaware Valley, Camden, Bristol, and Philadelphia, Bridgeton, and Millville, and the list continues to grow more and more as modern culture accepts and adopts the tales and myths of the Jersey Devil. Many websites now keep special listings and accounts for Devil sightings, hoping to keep the community and creature hunter culture’s involved and up to date such as Weird NJ. The culture has even used this devil-like creature as a poster child for marketing and business adventures, even naming a hockey team after it. As it grows more popular the reported sightings take on more and more descriptions and behaviors the creature shows and develops. 

Modern Pop-Culture References

Books & Literature

Movies



Is there anything we missed about the Jersey Devil? Let us know in the comments section below!

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