The Legend of the Jersey devil, possibly one of the oldest legends of our nation, is the very root of all New Jersey folklore.

The tale of the Jersey devil; originated in America's pre-revolutionary war era, when New Jersey was still governed by British authorities. The story began in the quaint, little manor of The Leeds family, one of the original families to settle in New Jersey. The Leeds lived parallel to a vast swamp along the Mullica River in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey.

In 1735, Jane Leeds, already a mother of twelve, found herself pregnant with her thirteenth child. The burden of raising twelve children weighed heavy on Jane. The arrival of her thirteenth child, she knew, would bring far more strain on their resources. 'Lord, I hope this one's not a child,' she pleaded, having exhausted all hope for her unborn baby's future. 'Let this one be a Devil!

And so, as the tale goes, on a stormy night in 1735, Jane Leeds gave birth to her thirteenth child. However, her newborn was not a child at all. With large, leathery wings, talon-like claws, a deconstructed face that looked more equine than human and eyes that glowed a fierce red, her baby was born the monster she had wished for.

A brief time after its birth, the monster greatly increased in size and grew dark, thick hair. Shortly after, no one in the Leeds household could be spared from its malice. The creature, Jane Leeds thirteenth-born child, desperately attacked its mother and all who resided in the Leeds manor. It then retreated, raging mad, up the chimney, collapsing the chimney structure altogether.

Ever since that night in 1735, there have been thousands of eyewitness accounts, detailing the appearance of a devilish creature that had been spotted roaming the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.

Is the New Jersey legend mere child's play and campfire stories or an unexplainable phenomenon that holds more weight than you originally imagined'

A few accounts of New Jersey devil sightings are listed below:

• Legend has it that naval hero Commodore Stephen Decatur visited the Hanover Iron Works in the Pine Barrens in 1800 to test the plant's cannonballs. One day on the firing range, he noticed a strange creature winging overhead. Taking aim, he fired at the monster and, while some say that his shot struck it, the Devil continued on its path.

• Joseph Bonaparte, former King of Spain and brother of Napoleon, made a sighting of the Jersey Devil while hunting on his estate in the early 1800s.

• In 1840, as the minister warned, the Devil returned and brought terror to the region once again. It snatched sheep from their pens and preyed on children who lingered outside after sunset. People all across South Jersey locked their doors and hung a lantern on the doorstep, hoping to keep the creature away.

• The stories continued to be told and the lore of the Devil was recalled throughout the 1800's, although actual sightings of the creature were few. Then, in 1909, the Jersey Devil returned again and literally thousands of people spotted the monster or saw his footprints. It became so bad that schools closed and people refused to go outside.

• On January 19, 1909, Mr. and Mrs Nelson Evans of Gloucester were awakened by a strange noise. They watched the devil from their window for 10 minutes. Mr. Evans described the creature they saw: It was about three and half feet high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse's hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on them. It didn't use the front legs at all while we were watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the window and say, 'Shoo', and it turned around barked at me, and flew away.

• A short time later, the creature struck again. This time, it attacked a dog belonging to Mrs. Mary Sorbinski in south Camden. When she heard the cry of her pet in the darkness, she dashed outside and drove the Devil away with a broom. The creature fled, but not before tearing a chunk of flesh from the dog. Mrs. Sorbinski carried her wounded pet inside and immediately called the police. By the time that patrolmen arrived, a crowd of more than 100 people were gathered at the house. The crowd was witness to the piercing screams that suddenly erupted from nearby. The police officers emptied their revolvers at the shadow that loomed against the night sky, but the Devil escaped once again.

• Eyewitness accounts of the Devil filled the newspapers, as well as photos and reports of cloven footprints that had been found in yards, woods and parking lots. The Philadelphia Zoo offered a $10,000 reward for the capture of the Devil, but there were no takers.

• In Gloucester City, a man watched the Jersey Devil cavort on the roof of his woodshed for 10 minutes. He described the creature as "three and a half feet high, with a head like a collie and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse's hooves".

• The most recent sighting of the creature was said to have been in 1993 when a forest ranger named John Irwin was driving along the Mullica River in southern New Jersey. He was startled to find the road ahead of him blocked by the Jersey Devil. He described it as being about six-feet tall with horns and matted black fur. Could this have been the reported Jersey Devil - or some other creature altogether? Irwin stated that he and the creature stared at one another for several minutes before the monster finally turned and ran into the forest.

  Since 1993, there have been only a few, isolated sightings of the New Jersey Devil. It seems as though our modern day practice of converting natural areas to commercial and residential 'playgrounds' may have driven the monster so far into hiding that it has vanished from humanity altogether.

  The sudden disappearance of the Jersey devil and the lack of modern day eyewitness accounts and sightings lead many to believe that the Jersey Devil was nothing more than a creation of New Jersey's early storytellers.

  Some, however, still can't help but question the eerie stillness of the Pine Barrens and the bounty of stories that this place has bred since its colonization.

  For, behind every tall pine, the Jersey devil may lurk. In the dead of night, the sound of hooves tip-toeing along desolate, moon-lit paths may wake you in your sleep. You many hear his heavy breath on your neck or his screeching howls in the distance. Whether you believe in him or not, his legend is strong. His existence still lives in the minds of the people.