Just in time for Halloween! City reopens Sybil’s Cave; site inspired Poe story

Sybil’s Cave, a man-made cave carved out of the ancient serpentine rock along Sinatra Drive, was a popular Hoboken tourist attraction in the 19th century, when “magical” spring water was sold there for a penny a bottle and wealthy people often took day trips to the Hoboken waterfront.

The cave was made famous during the first half of the century when the murdered body of a woman washed up nearby. The woman had been a popular rooming house owner in New York City, and while it was suspected that a boarder may have killed her, the murder was never solved. Many rumors circulated about the slaying, including speculation that her former fiancé killed her after getting word that she had had an illegal abortion. The man was later found by the cave after committing suicide by poison.

In 1841, Edgar Allen Poe used the real-life events by the cave as the basis for his detective story “The Mystery of Marie Roget.”

Sybil’s Cave was boarded up in the 1880s by the newly-formed Health Department because the water was unsafe to drink. It’s exact location was forgotten until developer Danny Gans of Hoboken Brownstone Company unearthed the man-made cave in 2004 at Mayor David Roberts’ behest.Since then, the city has partnered with local businesses to recreate the site, with a new arch at the entrance, landscaping, fences, and other amenities.

The project cost $106,752 from Roberts’ own money and money from a leftover city parks bond, officials said. It would have cost at least $250,000 if not for business and developer donations of time, materials, work, and funding, they said.

Of the $106,752, Roberts contributed over $32,000 of his salary this year, as well as more than $26,000 from city funds that came from his 2007 salary, according to city officials. That amount was mistakenly put in a city fund and erroneously appeared to be coming out of the city budget when it wasn’t, officials said.

More than $30,000 came out of funds left over from a $1.4 million city bond earmarked for improvements at Castle Point Park, across the street from the cave, according to Health and Human Services Director John Pope. Capital One Bank also donated $10,000 to the project.

The city said some of the final bills for services and materials may not have been received yet, so the cost may increase as those are paid.

Museum will oversee its use
Hoboken Historical Museum President Robert Foster said the museum will use the cave as a tourist attraction and educational tool, partnering with the Board of Education to make it available to students.

Foster said the site may also be used for poetry readings, film showings, and other cultural events in the future.

At the opening ceremony on Wednesday, schoolchildren were among the first people allowed to tour the cave area.

The cave extends back 17 feet. Foster said it was found exactly as it was in the 1880s when it was boarded up.

The city is testing the spring water to see if it is clean enough to drink. In the meantime, the Historical Museum provided project contributors with ceremonial Sybil’s Cave water bottles at the opening, filled with drinkable water not from the spring.

Foster thanked Roberts at the opening for making historical preservation a priority in office. He noted Roberts’ work as a councilman in expanding the historic district in town, which means that building owners along the affected streets must develop their property with regard to historical guidelines. Foster also cited the restoration of firehouses, and the rebuilding of the NJ Transit clock tower.

Heard about it growing up
Roberts said once the Hudson River waterfront was cleaned up, he always wanted to find the special site that Hoboken old-timers spoke of.

“Growing up, I wasn’t even sure this place existed,” Roberts said. He thanked the many contributors and turned the key to the site over to Foster.

Foster said it was one of his “favorite days in Hoboken” when Gans first invited him down to crawl into the newly-found cave in 2004.

“It was very mystical,” Foster said.

After the obligatory ribbon-cutting, students and others entered the cave and listened to Foster, Gans, and Gans’ partner George Vallone explain the history of the cave and the significance of the excavated pillars and walls that date back to the 19th century.

Gans said later that after Roberts asked him to look for the cave, Gans ended up removing more than 30 truckloads of dirt and debris from its mouth before being able to enter.

Che Leonhardt, a student from the All Saints Episcopal School, said was very excited to be there and said he loved seeing the old cave. “In the pillars, there were names and everything,” he said as he exited.

History
Sybil’s Cave was first opened in 1832 by Hoboken’s prominent Stevens family as part of a marketing plan to draw day trippers from New York City to the “countryside” of New Jersey.

Foster said the namesake, Sybil, was a witch in ancient Greek mythology who had the power of prophecy and lived in a cave.

For more history on Sybil’s Cave, click on this Reporter article.

Questioning the timing
Wednesday’s ceremony was not all smiles and nods. It came just a week after a state financial monitor and city officials announced that Hoboken’s overall property tax rate will rise 47 percent and that the municipal tax rate will nearly double at 84 percent. (The overall tax rate also includes county and school taxes, which did not rise as much as the municipal portion).

Some City Council members wondered last week why Sybil’s Cave was a priority when the city is in such deep financial distress. Theresa Castellano, the 1st Ward Councilwoman, said after the event that the city can’t afford to worry about the cave when the state is beginning to unveil a city worker layoff plan.

At the opening event, resident Eric Kurta heckled the mayor about the bloated city budget while the latter gave his speech.

“Thanks, mayor,” Kurta shouted through the fence. “Thanks for the budget. $100 million, thanks.”

The mayor acknowledged the taunt with a calm “Okay,” but then regained composure and began to address the school students and others in attendance.

For questions or comments on this story, e-mail tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.