Ghosts on the Coast

Ghosts on the Coast 🔎 Investigating and documenting creepy history, cemeteries, ghosts, myths, legends, & true crime.
đź“Ť Based in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
⏳️ Est. 2015.

Ghosts on the Coast is a New Jersey-based paranormal investigating team and web-series, and also a fundraising partner with the Strauss Mansion Museum. Episodes can be found on YouTube. The group has close connections to history and historic sites-- the founder is a historian and lecturer at Brookdale Community College, while the entire team volunteers or serves on the Board of Directors of the At

lantic Highlands Historical Society, which is housed at the 1893 Strauss Mansion Museum. The group is available for investigations at your location as well as paranormal workshops and lectures.

08/27/2026

If you have ever driven down Morningside Avenue in Keansburg and wondered how an empty lot exists without houses on it, that's because there is a cemetery here. ⬇️

Known legally as the Beacon Beach Cemetery, it first appears in the historical record in 1931 on a tax map and in a newspaper article in 1932. This mentions a barn on the property belonging to the burial ground, which also appears on several Sanborn Fire Insurance maps in the 1920’s.

When Ed Raser cataloged it in 2002, he noted that a source from 1946 confirmed the existence of headstones but the land itself was already neglected-- overgrown and not cleaned in decades. In 1996, a search of the site turned up one single headstone fragment. The land was being used as a hangout and playground. He estimated less than a dozen interments. It still shows on current maps as “cemetery exempted”.

Beacon Beach was a nearby waterfront summer resort and club in the early 20th century. There is an urban legend confirmed by Keansburg Historical Society President John Swartz (who grew up on Morningside Avenue) that this site is a Native American burial ground, but if headstones were present, that is likely not the case.

There are no burial records or documents showing anything other than this cemetery exists. Despite no headstones or identities of who may lie beneath the earth, the land is very well-maintained by Keansburg borough.

We thank John for taking the time to meet with us for this project.

08/26/2026

Our tour of Cedar View Cemetery in Lincroft began with John telling us how there is actually a second, semi-undocumented cemetery towards the back of the property. ⬇️

This came to light during his research and finding three headstones of individuals who do not appear related to Cedar View. They are near the woods where this suspected second burial ground is. Further research from John shows two different names for this piece of property: Lincroft Cemetery and the Paupers Cemetery.

The original road also ran a lot farther than what would be considered Cedar View. He said they have attempted to look for headstones or markers but it is so overgrown that it became impossible. John did add that the “eventual goal is to clean up that area because if there are people buried back there, they deserve to be respected”.

Overall, Cedar View has roughly 50 remaining headstones, with the estimate that there are over 200 interments. Some grave markers are still being discovered, most recently two years ago.

08/26/2026

Cedar View Cemetery in Lincroft, New Jersey has approximately 200 graves ranging from 1864-1954, though many headstones and names have been lost to time. It represents one of the largest African American burial grounds in Monmouth County. ⬇️

In 1850, a former slave-owner named John Crawford sold this land to 14 African American men for the express purpose of using it as a cemetery. The area was divided into 24 equal lots. The map of the original layout still exists today and was crucial to identifying where graves are located whose headstones may have gone missing.

There are at least 13 Civil War veterans here, including two who died during the conflict: Elijah Reeves and Jacob Wall. Some were present at the climactic Siege of Petersburg. The US Colored Troops also played a key role in blocking Robert E. Lee’s escape route in April 1865 and forcing his surrender at Appomattox.

Following the last burial in 1954, the grounds became overgrown and forgotten towards the latter part of the 20th century. They were rediscovered in 2015 and have been rehabilitated ever since.

Thanks to the Friends of Cedar View Cemetery, ongoing support from Middletown Township and St. Leo the Great Church, and donations of both money and physical labor from viewers like you, it is in much better condition than other sites we have visited.

We will have a bunch more history videos from our tour with John Smack in the coming days

08/25/2026

Cedar View Cemetery of Lincroft, New Jersey, is a story of hope, abandonment, and resilience. Established in 1850 as an African American burial ground, it became forgotten by the mid-20th century, only to be rediscovered in 2015. ⬇️

While we filmed several history videos, we were allowed to conduct a paranormal investigation in addition. Nothing like this had ever been done on the property before, so we were intrigued if we would find anything.

There is still a lot of evidence to sift through, but we have a preview at the end of this video. When I ask, “How did you die?” two separate male voices respond “consumption” within a matter of seconds. When Max asks again, to confirm, the entire EMF tripwire lit up.

As of right now, we are planning on a 10 or 12 part series, which will be a blend of history videos (including our tour with John Smack) and clips from the paranormal investigation. We definitely recorded more reactions and responses than we were expecting.

08/25/2026

There are approximately 7,000 shipwrecks stretching from Sandy Hook to Cape May, making the entire Jersey Shore a watery graveyard. ⬇️

The Garden State has 23 lighthouses, big and small, but progress to build them was not nearly as rapid as the ships that were going down.

For example, the Castel Del Ray sunk after running aground on Sandy Hook in 1705, killing 132 of 145 sailors. The famous lighthouse was not built until 1762.

Farther down the coast, residents of Absecon wanted a lighthouse for decades prior to the 1854 wreck of the Powhattan. This ship, damaged on the shoals near Harvey Cedars, which caused it to break apart, suffered a total loss of passengers and crew. The estimated fatalities were 311.

Bodies washed up on beaches along Long Beach Island, Brigantine, and present-day Atlantic City. Many were recovered at the inlet seen in this video, taken from the top of the Absecon Lighthouse, built as a direct result of the Powhattan in 1857.

08/24/2026

In the summer of 1926, residents of Monmouth County got a break from daily news of Prohibition shootouts and raids when a leopard escaped from Middletown’s Twin Brooks Zoo. ⬇️

The property was situated on Route 35 near Twin Brooks Avenue and Woodland Drive. It opened in 1925 and also featured lions, tigers, monkeys, snakes, a black bear, an elephant, and a variety of birds.

When the Singaporean leopard escaped on August 2, Middletown was flipped upside-down into chaos. It made all the local papers and the front page of the New York Times. Radio stations terrified residents with stories of the prowling beast devouring livestock and pets. Hunting parties were formed that scoured Monmouth County, with extra attention paid to Chapel Hill, Nut Swamp, and Brookdale Farms.

The Zoo’s owner, Oliver Holton, offered a $100 “dead or alive” reward for its capture. A store in Red Bank held contests with toy leopards hidden as prizes in special packages. The Department of the Interior sent a quart of catnip oil hoping to lure the animal. The New York Times eventually called the incident a hoax.

For any animal that went missing, the leopard was blamed. Other large animals were shot in the hysteria. Finally, it was trapped and killed in October. After two months on the loose, it made its way to Island Heights in Ocean County. The dead body was brought back to the zoo and put on display. Admissions soared to see it.

The zoo suffered one more catastrophe in 1927 when a wolf escaped and viciously killed the owner’s two year old son Thomas. He closed the location shortly after.

📖 “Prohibition on the North Jersey Shore” (2010) by Matthew Linderoth; “The Short Unhappy Life of Holton's Twin Brook Zoo” (1987) by Middletown Township Historical Society.

08/23/2026

In September 1910, the Grand Army of the Republic held its only New Jersey reunion and encampment in Atlantic City. ⬇️

18,000 members of the Union veterans organization gathered for five days of parades, speeches, and activities on the famous boardwalk and piers.

Noteworthy guests included Vice President James Sherman, and Generals Nelson Miles and Dan Sickles, who was confined to a wheelchair from his wounds. Determined to stand on stage, he was helped by four of his former soldiers. But perhaps it was a Confederate veteran invited to be a guest speaker who stole the show.

Hilary Herbert, who after the Civil war became the US Secretary of the Navy under Grover Cleveland, spoke to the massive crowd, “Had I been told when I was in Antietam, that in years to come I would stand side by side with Federal soldiers and grasp the Stars and Stripes with them, I would have been insulted. But I love the old flag now."

A marker at the Absecon Lighthouse, designed by Union General George Meade, commemorates this historic event.

Tonight, we had the incredible opportunity to conduct a paranormal investigation of the historic Cedar View Cemetery in ...
08/23/2026

Tonight, we had the incredible opportunity to conduct a paranormal investigation of the historic Cedar View Cemetery in Lincroft, New Jersey. We met representatives from their organization in June at Middletown’s Community History Day and offered to film documentary videos.

They agreed and said while we were there, we might as well bring the paranormal equipment along!

We do not typically investigate cemeteries anymore, with the exception of a few places that are ingrained into local lore as being notably haunted. Our content changed gears in recent years to be primarily history. Still, to be asked to investigate such a location is a tremendous honor. There was a profound curiosity from all who were present to see if any ghostly activity might be recorded.

Cedar View Cemetery is an African American burial ground dating to the mid-19th century. It is an important and oft-overlooked part of Monmouth County history, and we have been visually documenting as many of such locations as we can over the years. This includes Middletown’s Red Hill and Union Baptist, Crystal Stream of Navesink, Midway Green and Union Prospect in Matawan, Locust Grove in Eatontown, and the Enslaved Burial Ground of Tinton Falls.

This land was purchased by 14 African American men from a former slave-owner in 1850. Many of those interred here were born into slavery, though all died free. There are an estimated 200 burials at this location (with only 50 or so headstones), including at least 13 veterans of the American Civil War.

“Haunted History: The Spirits of Cedar View” will be the latest entry into what has become our most popular series. As always, you can expect a blend of history documentaries, a tour of the cemetery, and clips from our paranormal investigation. We would like to thank the Friends of Cedar View Cemetery, specifically John Smack and Yvonne Reeves (both of whom have relatives buried here), for allowing this to be possible. Donations to their organization can be made through their website.

08/22/2026

The Belford Burial Ground has undergone some changes since my last visit a year ago. At that time, it was in good condition but had no sign. Research showed that it went by five different names across two Find a Grave pages.

New signage has been added which displays three titles for this cemetery (though others can be found online): Belford Burial Ground, Old Plank Road Burial Ground, and Covert-Compton-Halsey Burial Ground. It was used from 1829-1956 and contains more than 70 burials

Family names of local notoriety include Halsey, Seeley, Truax, Covert, and Compton-- there is also another cemetery for them on the wet side of Route 36 in Belford. Several military veterans are buried here, including two Civil War soldiers.

As is the case with many residential neighborhood cemeteries, it is tucked between two houses and in a very unassuming location on Church Street. The grounds are well-maintained, and even headstones which have toppled over have been reinforced by wood, presumably so they can be reset at a later date.

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27 Prospect Circle
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
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