The Terminal At Liberty State Park Holds Spooky Stories On The Tracks

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The Terminal at Liberty State Park has more than history in its tracks, it also has a few ghost stories that have piled over the years. From ghostly ladies in white to runaway trains, the terminal at Liberty State Park is full of unverified spooky stories.

The historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal is on the list of New Jersey Register of Historic Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places. The terminal was built in 1889 and closed in 1967. In its heyday, the transportation hub served 30,000 to 50,000 commuters every day. CRRNJ went bankrupt in 1967 and the terminal was shut down and abandoned.

In the 1880s the terminal was equipped with dorms for workers, a pub and gender separated waiting rooms. A renovation in the 70s opened the terminal up for use as an events space.

The most infamous of the tales is the Lady in White. As creepy as the name is, the tale gets eerier — passersby and employees of the park have reported seeing a woman with long white hair and wearing white walking through the terminal. Security guards have tried to stop the woman or approach her, but most people who get close enough only catch her walk through the walls of the abandoned terminal.

A 2010 Jersey City Independent article interviewed Liberty State Park Historian Michael Timpanaro about the Lady in White and Timpanaro said there were no reported deaths at the station.

Another tall tale from the station is the ghost train of 1959. A 123-ton diesel train was left idling at the station with no one on board and suddenly took off on its own. The runaway train was never explained, and the tale still gets spun larger and larger to this day, with some rumoring they see the ghost train leave the station at midnight.

The terminal's spooky history has lent itself to Halloween and spooky-themed events in October most years.