Ong's Hat, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ong's Hat, New Jersey
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Former village
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Along Magnolia Road (CR 644)
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 Ong's Hat, New Jersey
Location in Burlington County, New Jersey
Ong's Hat, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Ong's Hat, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Burlington |
| Township | Pemberton |
| Elevation | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| GNIS feature ID | 878993 |
Ong's Hat is a ghost town in Pemberton Township, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is also sometimes called Ong.
This small, former village is found on Magnolia Road (County Route 644). It is west of the Four Mile Circle, where New Jersey Route 72 and New Jersey Route 70 meet. Ong's Hat is also the northern end of the Batona Trail, a long hiking path.
Even though it was likely just one small building, Ong's Hat appeared on some maps as late as 2006. A local road is named Ong's Hat Road. This road, also known as Buddtown-Ong's Hat Road, was finished in 1929. It replaced an older dirt path.
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What's in a Name?
The name of this place might have originally been "Ong's Hut." This could refer to a simple shelter built by a farmer named Ong. You can read more about this idea below.
A popular folk story explains the name in a different way. It tells of a local man named Ong who loved to attend dances. He was known for his fancy clothes, especially his silk hat. The Ong family name was common among early settlers in the Pine Barrens. One of the first settlers was named Jacob Ong.
One version of the story says that at a dance, someone who was jealous stepped on Ong's hat and ruined it. In frustration, Ong threw his hat into the air. It supposedly landed and got stuck on a high branch of a pine tree. The hat stayed there for many years, becoming a landmark for the small village. There are at least four other versions of this legend. The most common one ends with him throwing his hat into the tree. Other stories suggest Ong was a tavern owner who either painted a silk hat on his sign or threw his hat into a tree after an argument.
A Look Back at Ong's Hat History
The name "Ong's Hat" was used even before the American Revolutionary War. A map from 1778, showing where Hessian soldiers camped in New Jersey, includes the location "Ong's."
According to a book called Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey by Henry Charlton Beck, Ong's Hat was once a real village. Beck wrote that around the 1860s, Ong's Hat was a busy social spot. It was known for its lively atmosphere.
Beck also wrote that a Polish couple, the Chininiskis, moved to Ong's Hat in the early 1900s. By then, only seven people lived there. The Chininiskis later disappeared. Years later, hunters found a female skeleton in Ong's Hat. Police thought it might be Mrs. Chininiski. The case remained a mystery.
By 1936, Ong's Hat was still on maps, but there was almost nothing left. Only a clearing, an old shed, and some bits of brick remained. When Beck visited, he found only one resident, Eli Freed, a 79-year-old farmer. In a later edition of his book, Beck mentioned that Freed no longer lived there. He also noted that more stories about the village had appeared.
In 1968, a letter was published in New York Times. It was written by a descendant of the Ong family. The letter claimed that Ong's Hat was never a real town. Instead, it said his ancestors lived in Little Egg Harbor in the early 1600s. They would transport their grain to Burlington, New Jersey, to be ground. They built a small hut halfway along the route where they could rest overnight. According to the letter, the name "Ong's Hut" was added to maps and slowly changed to "Ong's Hat."
In his 1944 book, Jersey Genesis, Beck himself said he had been mistaken about Ong's Hat. He called his earlier story a "fairy tale." He then agreed with the idea that the name came from "Ong's Hut," a resting spot for a farmer.
The Ong's Hat Urban Legend
The small area of Ong's Hat became the setting for a series of fictional conspiracy theory stories. These stories began in the 1980s and are known as Ong's Hat. In these tales, a group of scientists supposedly found a way to travel to a parallel dimension from a secret location in the township.
The story started with a book by Joseph Matheny called The Incunabula Papers: Ong's Hat And Other Gateways To New Dimensions. In his book, Matheny writes as if he is an investigative journalist. He tries to uncover the truth about the mysterious town, describing everything that happens there.
Matheny meant for the book to be a fun work of fiction. However, many people believed the stories were true evidence of a scientific conspiracy. They thought Matheny's denials were because the government was trying to silence him.
Ong's Hat in Pop Culture
Ong's Hat was featured in an episode of the radio show Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.
