The Mysterious History of Ong's Hat

Post date: December 14, 2022

By Peter Wolff

The Pine Barrens of New Jersey are a vast expanse of pine trees that lie clustered together and reach up to the sky above. Within the ocean of trees lies multiple towns of the past, each abandoned for a different reason. These deserted settlements often spark unique conspiracy theories and lead to indefinite conclusions as to the origins of the town and reasons for its abandonment. One of these abandoned settlements which lies within the Pine Barrens is the small town of Ong’s. Located in present day Burlington County, Ong’s was once a small village that served as a social hub for early Pine Barren settlers during the start of the 19th century. Ong’s would ultimately be abandoned by the mid 20th century.

While nothing remains where the town of Ong’s once stood, it is still evident that there once was a settlement of sorts in the Burlington County area as there is a road named after the founder of the small town, Jacob Ong. The road name, “Ong’s Hat” has resulted in disputes on the internet over the years as to how it got its origins. Local folktale states that the road was named after an incident involving Jacob Ong where a jealous woman who was in love with Ong stomped on Ong’s favorite hat. It is then said that Ong left in a fit of rage and tossed his flattened hat into one of the pine trees where it remained for several years. The second tale which is supposed to detail why the road is named, “Ong’s Hat” states that it was simply a minor spelling error and was supposed to be named, “Ong’s Hut” after Jacob Ong’s home. The mystery over the name of the road is not the only mystery surrounding the town of Ong’s however.

In the late 1980’s, American author Joseph Matheny wrote a fictitious book series called, “The Incunabula Papers: Ong's Hat And Other Gateways To New Dimensions.” This novel described the town of Ong as though it possessed supernatural qualities and would allow its inhabitants to travel to different dimensions across the galaxy. The book also makes the claim that the members of the town fled to another dimension when the government tried to harness the town’s interdimensional capabilities which resulted in its abandonment. While the author himself admitted to the book being purely fake and for entertainment purposes only, some people use the book as a way to, “factually” explain the abandonment of the town.

Even though the town of Ong’s history is mostly unknown and theorized, it is the folklore and legends that give an old town a sense of character, allowing the town to live on. Just like the town of Ong’s, there are several other ghost towns which litter the world and have their own unique image and tales surrounding it allowing it to live on long after it is dead.