Hometown History NJ copertina

Hometown History NJ

Hometown History NJ

Di: Ryan Ross and Katie Feather
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A proposito di questo titolo
 A podcast about the historic places and events that make a town someplace people call home.

hometownhistory.substack.comKatie Feather Mondiale Scienze sociali Scrittura e commenti di viaggio
Episodi
  • The Missing Cemetery of Feltville

    The Missing Cemetery of Feltville
    Nov 4 2026

    Written and produced by Ryan Ross and Katie Feather. Mixed and edited by Katie Feather. Theme music is La Danse Timide by Howard Harper-Barnes.

    Our website is hometownhistory.substack.com and hometownhistorynj.com. We’re on instagram @hometownhistorynj.

    Thanks for listening!



    To hear more, visit hometownhistory.substack.com
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    15 min
  • The Ghost Town Beneath the Reservoir

    The Ghost Town Beneath the Reservoir
    Oct 28 2026

    Written and produced by Ryan Ross and Katie Feather. Mixed and edited by Katie Feather. Theme music is La Danse Timide by Howard Harper-Barnes.

    Our website is hometownhistory.substack.com and hometownhistorynj.com. We’re on instagram @hometownhistorynj.

    Thanks for listening!



    To hear more, visit hometownhistory.substack.com
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    23 min
  • The Almost-Ghost Town of Walpack Township

    The Almost-Ghost Town of Walpack Township
    Oct 21 2026
    This episode is Part 1 of our three-part series about New Jersey Ghost Towns.By definition, ghost towns don’t exist anymore, right? No residents. No mayor. No town council. And sometimes, depending on the town, no buildings, either.Which makes researching their history a little difficult. It’s hard to ask people about a place that no longer exists. Well… anyone alive, anyway.New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, with roughly 1,263 people per square mile. But what is the least-populated town in the Garden State?That distinction belongs to Walpack Township, tucked into the Delaware River Valley. It covers 24 square miles but has just seven full-time residents. Seven! And while Walpack was never exactly booming, it was home to more than 300 people as recently as 1970.So Walpack might not qualify as a ghost town by definition. I mean, it does have a mayor and a town council. But it’s a far cry from what it once was. We could call it “skeletal,” if you prefer.To find out what happened in Walpack—and why the town is now so sparse—we sent producer Katie Feather to one of the few places where she could find a whole lot of former residents: Walpack Cemetery.On a recent fall evening, we drove west from Morris County on Route 80 then spent nearly an hour winding through the small towns of Sussex County. We were headed to the Walpack Cemetary, to an event called “Return of the Spirits” - what better way to learn about the history of a ghost town than from the ghosts themselves?Approaching Walpack on Route 206, we saw a sign for the Walpack Inn, which has been in business since 1949. Not exactly “ghost town” material.The road remained rough, riddled with potholes as if it hadn’t been maintained in decades. At last, cheerful fairy lights appeared up ahead - the only sign of human activity we’d seen in a while.The “Ghosts” of Walpack CemeteryAcross the cemetery lawn, tents glowed with fairy lights, and little white paper lanterns guided visitors from one stop on the tour to the next. The atmosphere was surprisingly cheerful—except for the ghosts.At each stop, a historical interpreter portrayed someone buried there, standing or sitting beside the person’s grave as if it were their front porch. Some were knitting, some were working with wood, and one listened to an old phonograph. Standing next to it was a “spirit” in a dusty green shirt, and a worn, floppy brown hat. He had a rubber snake draped around his shoulders.The man was portraying Hiram Trauger, who was born in 1861. Trauger made his living raising rattlesnakes, black racers, and corn snakes, selling their meat and skins. Rattlesnake hides could be made into belts and shoes, while the meat was sold for people to eat.According to Trauger’s interpreter, rattlesnake meat was considered a delicacy.“He swore up and down that, uh, rattlesnake meat, he didn’t say it tasted like chicken, he said it was a good healthful food,” the interpreter explained. “People from New York City would come out and purchase it.”When Hiram wasn’t tending to his snakes, he had another passion: music. In his home, which had no electricity, a record player provided a welcome source of entertainment.Trauger’s roots in the valley ran deep. He belonged to a family that had lived there for generations. His father had served as a soldier in the American Revolution, and the family’s presence in the valley stretched back even further, to the earliest days of European settlement in the region.Eventually, Hiram moved away, first to Strasburg, Pennsylvania, with his daughter, and later to Gloucester County, New Jersey, where he died. But even after leaving, he wanted to return to the place where his life began. His will stipulated that he be buried back home.Hiram’s story was fascinating, but we had some questions for the man who was portraying him, who told us his name was Walter Colombo. What was the story of The Walpack Inn? We wanted to know.“They've been there for many, many, many, many years - generations now.” Walter said. “And actually, they're trying to sell it.”He quickly added: “With that being said, a little plug for the Walpack Inn. I've traveled the world. I've ate at restaurants in Italy, Spain, South America, and so on, and it is the best salad bar I've ever had.”What happened to Walpack?Walter was familiar with the Walpack Inn (and it’s exceptional salad bar) because, while he wasn’t a current resident, he used to live in the area. He explained that access to the Walpack Inn had become a major problem. A damaged bridge at Walpack Center and a rockslide that closed the valley road made it difficult to get in from certain directions. Other roads were in such poor condition that driving them could be an adventure in itself.“Do you have access to a Sherman tank?” joked Walter. “Cause you’re going to need it if you’re going to drive down those roads, they’re that bad.”The ...
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    18 min
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