i found myself on higbees beach (or higbee beach) in cape may, new jersey right about at sunset. now there are tales of this beach being haunted and people claiming to see spirits roaming the sands. joseph higbee (the original owner of the estate and hotel the stood on that very spot) died in 1872, followed by his brother, thomas, in 1879, who left their entire state to their niece, etta gregory. in his will, joseph asked to be buried near the hotel with his grave lined with brick and flagstone, and the grave was sealed shut with a large marble slab, with joseph's information etched in it. upon her death in 1937, etta's will stated that her uncle tom (thomas higbee) be exhumed and buried with her in a family plot located at cold spring cemetery. the grave was to be filled with sand taken from higbees beach. the graves can still be seen today at the church which is in cold spring village. there have been many reported sightings of a man in a long coat, sometimes accompanied by a black dog, usually being seen at dusk walking the sand. now the day of my visit, i had heard tales of the 'haunting' which prompted my going there. there wasn't a soul on the beach. completely deserted. i was alone. i think. since the sun was setting, i didn't want to get caught out on the beach alone in the dark and have to stumble along the wooded path in the pitch black, i grabbed a few shots and high tailed it out of there.
now, i can't guarantee that this scenerio would have played out the same if i had known of the whole story prior to my visit and i am extremely thankful to have gotten off that beach before the sun set any further. i thought about staying and watching it set, but i got a weird feeling and decided it was time to go. is good old uncle tom still roaming the sands? was he not happy being moved and found his way back to his resting place of choice? who knows, but i am not about to find out. on to my next adventure...
