The Devil's Tree

By Crusader1307

No One in Bernards Township, New Jersey (US), is really quite sure when The Legend of The Devil's Tree began. It may go back as far as Colonial Times (18th Century AD) with the late 19th and early 20th Centuries being a part of the Story. On Mountain Road, stands an old and foreboding Oak Tree. The Tree is said to have been planted over ''The Gate to Hell''. In fact, for some reason, to ''touch'' the bark will leave One's flesh feeling ''warm''. In Winter time – despite the snowfall, the frozen powder will never gather around the truck of The Tree. One must also NEVER ''disrespect'' The Oak. Doing so – by ''word or deed'', will result in the person experiencing a Car accident or some other casualty soon thereafter. The ''causes'' range from The Tree being used by the Racist Group The Ku Klux Klan to hang African-Americans to The Oak serving a similar purpose, when a local farmer committed suicide (after killing His entire Family in the 1920s). Whatever the cause, The Devil's Tree has gained a regional ''popularity'' (especially with Satanists in the 1980s) – so much so that local Township Officials have''encased'' much of the trunk in chain link to protect it from vandalism....As if The Tree REALLY needs It!