The Devil's Tower
In 1904, sugar baron Manuel Rionda set his sights on a 13-acre parcel in Alpine, New Jersey. He named it Rio Vista, and by the time the estate was finished, it had grown to over 200 acres and was now home to several unique buildings, bridges, and a network of tunnels running beneath the sprawling property.
And while underground tunnels are a spooky addition to any home, it was the stone tower he built for his wife, Harriet, that would become the most talked-about feature of Rio Vista.
Legend says that Harriet adored the extravagant watchtower. It had a library on one side, a chapel on the other, and a large deck on top where she hosted gatherings with friends and fellow socialites. To everyone’s delight, the tower provided a spectacular view of the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline.
But one night, as the woman of the house sat admiring the last rays of evening light from atop her beloved tower, she spotted a man and woman canoodling in the distance. Being the polite hostess that she was, Harriet turned away, but not before she realized that the man looked an awful lot like her husband, Manuel.
Now, Harriet had accused Manuel of adultery on more than one occasion, but her husband had always maintained his innocence. Without any shred of evidence against him, it had always been her word against his. But that night, while standing atop the tower that her husband built as a symbol of his devotion, Harriett finally received the proof she’d been searching for.
So, after her guests left and the night stilled, Harriet looked to the glittering New York skyline one last time.
Then, she leapt to her death.
After Harriet’s suicide, Manuel’s guilt was palpable. He had Harriet entombed within the tower (although some claim it was another building on the estate), which is why, when strange occurrences began to happen shortly after her death, Manuel requested that all construction near the tower cease immediately.
Was Harriet’s spirit still roaming the halls? Was she unable to rest with so much commotion in her precious tower? Had she returned out of love…or to seek revenge?
Even after the workers went home, stories of a ghostly apparition roaming the Rio Vista grounds continued. Some people claimed they could hear a woman crying out in anguish, while others said they smelled Harriet’s signature perfume. And more than a few visitors insisted that the ghost was not friendly but an angry entity with unfinished business. Allegedly, the ones who made it to the top of the tower were shoved, assaulted, or caressed by an invisible source.
Soon, Rio Vista became known not as the jewel of Alpine but by its nickname, the Devil’s Tower.
According to local newspapers, the Devil’s Tower had become a hotspot for Satanists and people looking to conjure demons and harmful entities. Although it can be difficult to separate fact with fiction regarding what went on within the Devil’s Tower, supposedly, at the height of its paranormal activity, Alpine locals retaliated against trespassers by setting the tower ablaze. If you believe the stories, several humans died in the fire.
When Manuel passed away in the early 1940s, the city of Alpine tried to demolish the tower. But after the suspicious deaths of some men on the work crew, the demolition was suspended indefinitely.
Throughout the 1970s, The Devil’s Tower continued to attract paranormal enthusiasts and people set on conjuring Harriet’s spirit so she might finally enact her revenge. Eventually, the tower was sealed up to prevent further damage to the once-magnificent property.
Over the years, the 200-acre Rio Vista estate was parceled off and sold to the highest bidders. Nevertheless, the Devil’s Tower still stands. Even though Harriet’s remains were relocated to a nearby cemetery, people still insist that the Devil’s Tower is some sort of supernatural portal. Thanks to the intrigue surrounding Rionda’s ominous watchtower, the affluent, unsuspecting community of Alpine is continually rumored to be one of the most haunted places in New Jersey.
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