A Haunting in Seaville, New Jersey
By Janet Yunghans
When Kathy and Joe Martino purchased the historic Seaville, New Jersey home that would become Feathered Nest Gifts and Garden Accents in July 2021, past employees pulled them aside and told them about the hauntings.
Kathy and Joe were somewhat skeptical at first, but now they are convinced that they share the historic building with at least one benevolent spirit.
Three years ago, the couple was eager to restore the structure and set up their gift shop. They live nearby and were determined to save the pre-Civil War building they had admired for so many years. Built in 1828 by Amos Corson, it opened as Corson’s Tavern until 1834, lending its name to what is now adjacent Corson’s Tavern Road. Since that time, it has been a mixture of residential and commercial uses and once served as a doctor’s office and maternity hospital for a number of years.
“Customers have told me that they knew of forebearers that were born in the main room upstairs,” Kathy recalled.
The building has functioned as a gift shop over the past 30 years and has a reputation in the local community for being haunted.
“Every shop employee I’ve ever met has had an experience with a spirit,” said store manager Linda Fox. She had worked for the previous owners since 1994.
Most believe the spirit is a woman who manifests in a variety of ways. Some hear voices or unexplained noises. Others feel taps on the shoulder or just a strong presence. All agree that the spirit is friendly and means them no harm.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the experiences are completely acceptable to all.
“One former employee was convinced that the ghost resided in the basement,” Linda said. “Every time she worked, she would pour salt across the threshold. We would get used to coming into work the next day and taking time to vacuum up the salt.”
Both Linda and Kathy agree that the basement door refuses to stay closed. It is an older door with a sliding latch that seems to open itself on a regular basis. They will close and latch it and return a few minutes later to find it unlatched once again.
Feathered Nest employees aren’t the only ones who have had encounters in the historic building. Although he was skeptical at first, Kathy’s husband Joe is now a believer. One day early on, he was behind the downstairs counter and thought he was conversing with Linda as she worked upstairs. He could hear a woman’s voice but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. He finally asked, “What is taking so long?” He again heard a response from upstairs, but couldn’t understand her reply. At that point, Linda came in from outside where she had been working in the back garden. Of course, she knew nothing about the conversation.
On another occasion, Linda and Kathy were working on different floors of the store. They heard a loud thump and each thought the other had taken a fall. They called out “Are you okay?” only to find that neither had caused the noise.
“We looked everywhere to find what had fallen, but everything was in its place,” Kathy said.
Sometimes a customer takes notice – especially those with a sensitivity to spiritual energy.
“We have had numerous occasions where customers approached us asking if we are aware of spirit energy in the house. They always associate it with a positive force,” Kathy explained.
House Magic
It is this positive energy that has Kathy and Joe convinced that their kindhearted spirit is helping them make a success of the store.
“I like to call them coincidences,” Kathy wistfully said. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s almost as if the house is helping us.”
She gives an unusual example.
“One day we would be talking about something obscure, like a platypus. Who talks about a platypus? Later that same day, or maybe the next day, a customer would come in and say ‘I know it’s a long shot, but do you have anything that might have a platypus on it?’
“On another occasion we might be chatting about a customer that we haven’t seen in a while and then they walk in,” Kathy said as Linda nodded in agreement.
Before they opened, Joe built a special counter from a repurposed antique door that he found buried in the basement and lumber stored on the property. His carpentry project was much easier than expected because every time he needed a very specific piece of wood of a certain size, he found it at the top of the lumber pile out back.
“It was incredible,” Kathy recalled. “Everything we found and used was already notched and cut exactly to size.”
The team now refers to these common occurrences as “House Magic.”
Kathy and Joe have made some tentative steps toward identifying their ghost. One of their loyal customers is Hope Waldron, a local psychic and oracle reader. After asking their permission to read the house, she reported “energy and vibrations from a strong female presence.”
In the meantime, Kathy, Joe and Linda continue to share their experiences of “House Magic” with each other and their customers. They plan to start a journal to record the coincidences that Kathy says are so frequent and specific that they go well beyond what can be considered “normal.” They feel real affection for their benevolent spirit and are grateful for her presence.
The Martinos also welcome any community members who may know more about the history of their house and their ghost’s identity. They are open to conversations with ghost hunters who may wish to conduct further tests.
And of course, they welcome visitors to explore their beautiful gift and garden shop. You never know what you might find (or hear!) as you search among their many treasures.