i am not sure what made me think of it. but i decided to stop here. this castle was built in 1928 and in the early 70s i remember going there with my family. riding the train. seeing humpty dumpty and hansel and gretel. the old woman who lived in the shoe. the elephants that edged the winding stairs to the top turrets of the castle.


i knew that it had been abandoned. that age and vandals had broken humpty dumpty, that jack and jill had finally fallen down the hill for the last time. but i wanted to take a look. gingerbread castle had appeared in weird nj a couple of issues back so j knew of it as some creepy roadside oddity. i just wanted to show them something magical.


we pulled through the no trespassing signs and made our way through the broken boards and discarded haunted house pieces. apparently this castle is done over in the fall as a haunted house. my castle. haunted. and strewn with endless extension cords, fake cobwebs, old props and junk left from halloween.


i looked over the stone gates and there he was...not quite cracked...humpty dumpty. just like he had been on my postcards greetings from gingerbread castle! the ivy had crept over him and his shell was losing its lustre. he seemed sad to have to sit and watch as everything around him faded.


through a rusted crooked gate and hidden under a grotesque version of a fairy tale garden was the shoe of the old woman - all her many children apparently grown and gone. here and there a few colored paint cans sat next to a newly painted mural of ol' king cole or one of his court trying to restore order.


and then as i tried desparately to push through wisps and cobwebs of memories, to gain perspective next to the castle and characters that i remembered so much brighter and bigger, i saw the winding stairs. the elephants who had once climbed in in pink enamel tail to trunk were no longer there, but the steps wound round to the middle turret and we pushed our way through weeds and rubble to get inside. there was the cauldron, no longer bubbling, and the witch nowhere in sight, but her brew of bats and bones was still there. the beanstalk was still reaching to the ceiling up and up through the spiral staircase while peter pan flew over our heads. but it was dusk and the slants of sun weren't enough to bring back the magic. the columns covered in plaster confections were faded but still sweet. but i didn't remember a sleeping bag, empty cans and sneakers. seems like we weren't alone.

we made out way down through the stairs and back outside. the door groaned and squealed and the boys held my hand just a little tighter than usual. we looked back up at the turret and a string of christmas lights wound around the lollipop column was now lit in a strange blinking blue. the bushes over our head rustled and a bird screeched and swooped so close to our heads that we could feel the air move from the flap of his wings. the boys screamed, jim jumped, i froze waiting to see what it was. a large crow flew to the rooftop and sat looking down at us.

the basement was open. but in the dusk and after our quick tour we weren't brave enough to face a damp windowless tunnel with grinning fairy tale figures falling out of the darkness. next time. i am sure they will still be waiting.

i came home and found the gingerbread castle site . we are going to donate our time and jim's talent. i am going to contact the owner and try and find out as much as possible about the history of the castle. my memories are as faded as the remaining characters, but i am sad that it has become something less than a charming fairy tale and more like a frightening carnival clown. the restaurant is open and running and they are working on a restoration.

(please go to the site. donate if you can. send anyone with memories, pictures, memorabilia of this place to me. i am going to collect as much info as possible and possibly put something together)