The legend of Bud's Grave is a complicated one, and one of the most famous weird spots in New Jersey. Located in Highlands not far from Sandy Hook, Bud's Grave was a memorial to something, or some one. What that was, no one seems to really know for sure.
Located on the side of heavily forested hill, the site was covered with toys, stuffed animals, dolls and assorted objects that were nailed to the trees.
One legend says that it was a tribute to a boy who had died, and his father put these toys in the yard in hopes that the boy would be lured back. A strange act of grief perhaps. Some say Bud was buried there among his toys, and others say that was the spot where Bud was killed. Local legend has it that on some nights Bud's ghost could be witnessed playing in the pile of toys.
Bud, it is said once lived in the house across the street from the roadside tribute. The man who put these items out there actually did live across the street, but it seems that nobody ever asked him why he built this legendary monument.
Bud's Grave became quite a tourist attraction for the local population. Many a teenage outing called for a late night stop at Bud's Grave.
"My brother and I would lead these tours of the grave for our bored acquaintances," said Erick Z., a Highlands resident.
"Over the years the hoax was continuously challenged, and last I heard, the whole thing was a Jersey Shore prank. The old man who lived there was apparently an eccentric sort who put this shrine together as some weird goof."
A local elementary school was even involved with the legend. One story says that the school's children were asked by their teacher to write a story explaining why the toys and junk were put there. One of the students apparently concocted the tale about the father's sorrow over his lost son.
Bud's Grave was so well known by the young folks of the area that a picture of it was even featured on the album cover of the local rock band In Between Dreams.
Today, the only remnants of Bud's Grave are a few odd items nailed to a tree. Sadly, it is now a mere shell of its former local legend status.
Weird NJ