New Jersey’s Devil Tower is located in a town called Alpine; the owner had the original estate named “Rio Vista “constructed in the 1900s, and the tower built later as a centerpiece sometime around World War I. The owner of this enormous estate, and the tower was a Spaniard man named Manuel Rionda. Manuel made his money as the result of owning a sugar cane plantation in Cuba. He built the tower for his wife, so that she could view New York City across the Hudson River.
According to locals, one night, Manuel’s wife decided to climb to the top of the tower to see the progress of work on the structure. There, from the top of the tower, she observed her husband with another woman. His wife was so devastated and afraid the town’s people would talk about her being scorned, she jumped to her death.
Legend of Devil’s Tower
After the death of Manuel's wife, strange events started to occur in the tower. Manuel was scared that his wife had come back from the dead to get her revenge, so he ordered the work on the tower to cease. He also ordered the closure of an underground tunnel on the property. However, eerie occurrences continued to take place inside the tower, and soon, even the townspeople would talk about what was going on in the Devil’s Tower.
Rumor has it that after Manuel’s death in 1943, the townspeople tried to have the tower demolished. However, several workers fell to their death, so ultimately, the town ceased the demolition attempt. The townspeople have also heard rumors of satanic rituals held inside the tower, everything from animal slayings to a ghost that's said to have risen from the dead.
Legend has it 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. If you walk backwards around the structure three times, legend has it that you will not see his wife, but something more sinister: "the devil himself."
The Ghost of Devil’s Tower
People that visit the tower claim to see shadow in the tower window, and feel burst of cold air. Some have even said that the towers clock will chime at the hour she died. Strange, the towers clock never worked.
Perhaps the ghost roaming the tower is that of Manuel’s wife looking for revenge on her cheating husband, or maybe it is the spirit of Manuel, who feels responsible for his wife’s death and cannot cross over to the "other side."
Devil's Tower Today
Today, the tower stands boarded up, in an attempt to keep trespassers away from the site. A chain link fence with gates and locks now surrounds the tower. All that is left of the Devil’s Tower is an empty boarded up shell, and no one will really know whom or what haunts the tower.
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