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New Jersey and the Devils Tower
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Devils Tower in NJ. Photo by Jackie Thresten.
New Jersey's Devil's Tower
In the exclusive, sleepy little town of Alpine, New Jersey there is a devilish local landmark known as the Devil's Tower. The estate known as “Rio Vista“ was constructed in the 1900s, and, the tower (built later as a centerpiece) was erected sometime around World War I. The owner of Rio Vista (Manuel Rionda) built the tower for his wife, so that she could view New York City across the Hudson River.
Local legend (or urban myth) tells us that Manuel’s wife decided to climb to the top of the tower one evening. The legend continues on to tell us that from the top of the tower, Mrs. Rionda observed her husband with another woman; and, she was so devastated and afraid the town’s people would talk about her being scorned, she jumped to her death.
After the death of Manuel's wife, it is reported that strange events started to occur in the tower. Manuel was afraid that his wife had come back from the dead to get her revenge, so Rionda ordered the work on the tower to stop, and, ordered the closure of an underground tunnel on the property. However, rumors tell us that eerie occurrences continued to take place inside the tower, and soon, locals began talking about what was going on at the property and it quickly became known as the "Devil’s Tower."
After Manuel Rionda's death in 1943, the local residents tried to have the tower demolished, but, after several workers fell to their death, the town stopped the demolition attempt. From there the rumors grew fast and more and more outrageous - with stories ranging from satanic rituals held inside the tower to animal slayings to a ghost that's said to have risen from the dead. (The ghost is rumored to be Rionda's wife.)
Legend holds that if you go to the tower at night and drive your car backwards around the tower three times, you will see the ghost of Manuel’s wife. And, if you walk backwards around the structure three times, legend has it that you will not see Manuel Rionda's wife, but something more sinister - the devil himself.
Directions to the Devils Tower
The tower is on "The Esplanade" which is accessible from Route 9W, approximately one mile north of the Tenafly-Alpine border. Click the link for a map of the area http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=The+Esplanade+alpine&sll=40.932982,-73.931721&sspn=0.00843,0.017982&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=The+Esplanade,+Alpine,+Bergen,+New+Jersey+07626&ll=40.932806,-73.931465&spn=0.00843,0.017982&z=15
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