The Union Hotel
The
Union Hotel has an unusually sordid history. What appears to be a
relatively standard-issue historic inn, located in the heart of a
town that looks not unlike many other historic townships in New
Jersey, is in reality a location of notable historic significance,
and the epicenter of countless urban legends. Though the restaurant
and pub which occupied the old hotel's ground level closed in 2006,
the upper floors which contained the hotel rooms were closed over 50
years ago. Understandably the decades of vacancy have taken their
toll, and the rooms and corridors on the second and third floor are
falling further into decay with every passing year. The difference
between the ground floor and the upper levels is surreal, and knowing
that these dark rooms were slowly decomposing for decades, right over
the heads of the bar patrons drinking below, is somehow unnerving.
Present day places the Union Hotel as a location of much interest for two very different reasons. The first is based in history, being as the inn served as the media headquarters during the Lindbergh trial of the 1930's, which took placed in the courthouse directly across the street. All of the national news from those days came from the Union Hotel, which was booked solid with reporters from across the county. The second, and arguably more popular aspect of the old place, is found in the numerous accounts of paranormal activity that seems to plague the inn. A recurring tale, told by many former patrons and employees of the now vacant inn, involves the apparition of a small girl who is often seen/experienced around the main stairwell area. Whether these stories stem from the real-life murdered Lindbergh baby is unknown. Some claim it to be the spirit of the murdered Lindbergh child, as the boy was so young at the age of his death that he could easily be mistaken for a girl of the same age. Others claim the child spirit to be of a completely different origin, one that to this day is unknown. Regardless, if spirits do indeed dwell here, their existence may prove to be a lonely one – After numerous failed renovation plans, the Union Hotel remains as empty as it did when it shuttered in 2006. The longer this old building sits unused, the more likely that it too will be giving up the ghost.
Present day places the Union Hotel as a location of much interest for two very different reasons. The first is based in history, being as the inn served as the media headquarters during the Lindbergh trial of the 1930's, which took placed in the courthouse directly across the street. All of the national news from those days came from the Union Hotel, which was booked solid with reporters from across the county. The second, and arguably more popular aspect of the old place, is found in the numerous accounts of paranormal activity that seems to plague the inn. A recurring tale, told by many former patrons and employees of the now vacant inn, involves the apparition of a small girl who is often seen/experienced around the main stairwell area. Whether these stories stem from the real-life murdered Lindbergh baby is unknown. Some claim it to be the spirit of the murdered Lindbergh child, as the boy was so young at the age of his death that he could easily be mistaken for a girl of the same age. Others claim the child spirit to be of a completely different origin, one that to this day is unknown. Regardless, if spirits do indeed dwell here, their existence may prove to be a lonely one – After numerous failed renovation plans, the Union Hotel remains as empty as it did when it shuttered in 2006. The longer this old building sits unused, the more likely that it too will be giving up the ghost.
You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.
The stairwell where most people claim to have seen the figure of a little girl.
This room was pitch black, save for the sunlight entering in through the exposed wood lath, where the plaster had fallen away.
The ornate buzzer above the light switch would summon a member of the hotel staff.
The attic looks to have possibly house additional rooms at one time. The walls have been removed, and the windows since boarded.
Looking out a window, at the courthouse where the Lindbergh
trial took place.
View of the Union Hotel from the steps of the courthouse.
This is an older video of ours. When watching, you may notice that it has a different "feel" to it than our current-day films. This is because the style of our cinematography has progressed over time, and our equipment has changed and improved throughout the years. We have chosen to leave our older videos available for viewing online to illustrate the evolution of our work.