The Legend of Buckeye Billy

If you ever find yourself in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, do yourself a favor and visit the town of Lambertville. This cozy town of less than 4,000 people sits on the Delaware River in the Southwestern portion of Hunterdon County, which lies in central New Jersey.

Lambertville was officially declared a town in March of 1849. The new town was prosperous thanks largely to its placement next to both the Delaware River and the Delaware Raritan Canal (which runs parallel to the Delaware River). A macabre side note: In order to construct the Delaware Raritan Canal, approximately 4,000 Irish immigrants were hired to dig out the canal. During their work, a cholera outbreak struck and dozens of workers died after contracting the disease. Their bodies were buried along the canal and they remain there to this day.

Today, Lambertville is known for fine dining, antiques, and being wholly historic. Really. By 1978, practically the whole town had been declared part of the Lambertville Historic District. Furniture in need of refurbishment and farm to table dining aren’t the only things you’ll find in Lambertville, you may also find…ghosts. And you may not be so happy to find them.

Perhaps the most infamous legend / ghost story to come out of Lambertville, is that of Buckeye Billy.

Let’s go back to the 1930s. It was autumn and the evening felt cool and crisp. Football season had arrived and Lambertville High School was hosting their arch rival…the New Hope Buckeyes. New Hope (Pennsylvania) is a small town that sits on the Delaware River opposite of Lambertville. For this most anticipated game of the year, students from both sides of the river packed the small town stadium and cheered loudly for their respective teams. The marching bands played enthusiastically from the sidelines. Both teams were giving their all. When one team scored, the opposing team scored soon after. The game was tied and tensions were higher than ever. In an effort to break the tie once and for all, each member of both teams was dedicated to giving their all to the game. Each team wanting more than anything, to be victorious.

The New Hope Buckeyes gained possession of the ball. The Buckeye who held the football raced for a touchdown, knowing he could secure victory for his team. As he approached the end zone, he was tackled. Cheers from Lambertville rang out. As the players began to stand up, one laid motionless on the field…the tackled Buckeye. The coaches and concerned faculty rushed to the player’s aide only to find out, he was beyond help. Due to the force of the tackle, the Buckeye broke his neck, his head twisted almost completely around.

Horrified onlookers could do nothing but stare and scream. The game was called. The final score had Lambertville tied with New Hope, but no one seemed to care.

The parents of the deceased Buckeye, petitioned the school district to eliminate football on the grounds that it was too dangerous. Some locals remember that football was “banned” for some time in New Hope, PA.

By 1955, the old Lambertville High School building had become obsolete. The old building was simply too old and too small to accommodate the rising number of students. The class of 1955 was the last class to graduate from the old “school on the hill”. The doors were closed and everyone moved to the new school, South Hunterdon Regional High School.

Old, decaying, abandoned schools are an ideal place for teenage explorers and burnouts. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. The old Lambertville School became the place for hordes of teens to congregate and drink, smoke weed, and get into trouble. But some teens got into more trouble than they bargained for.

One night, a group of teenage boys traveled to the old school. After some drinking, one of

the teens began to tell the others the tale of the Buckeye Billy, the football player who died years ago. The other boys in the group reacted the way most drunk teenagers do, they laughed it off and didn’t appear to take the legend seriously.

Eventually, the boys found their way to Lambertville High School’s football field. The boys boldly called to the dead Buckeye, challenging him to a race...they laughed, until the wind around them began to whirl. The temperature dropped suddenly and drastically…and then silence. At the other end of the field, a pair of glowing, red eyes could be seen. The eyes were accompanied by a voice… barely a whisper…“Run across the football field from end to end or die”.

One of the teens, took off running, moving as fast as his legs could carry him. As suddenly as he began moving, he stopped abruptly and fell. His shocked friends looked on, waiting for him to get up, but he never did. The voice of the red eyes rang out again, “Run across the football field from end to end or DIE”!

The remaining boys took off running. They ran as fast as the possibly could, not looking back for fear of what was behind them. The boys didn’t stop running when they reached the other end of the football field. They ran all the way home to their respective houses, locked the doors, and hid. The next morning, they told their parents what happened.

When the football field was searched the following day, not one but two bodies were found. A second boy had been taken by the Buckeye while the group ran ahead, trying to escape the same fate. Both of the boys who died on the night before were found with their heads turned almost completely around.

Legend has it that after this incident, the school was fenced off and No Trespassing signs were posted all around the property, but this didn’t stop the local thrill seekers from trying to get onto the grounds. Everyone wanted to test the Buckeye Billy legend for themselves. Eventually, the decision was made to knock down the decrepit structure; Lambertville High School was finally torn down in October 2012. Police director Brice Cocuzza has said that the legend of the Buckeye (and other supernatural phenomena) kept people coming back to the abandoned school however, according to Cacuzza, the legend of the dead Buckeye is completely false.

So, if you’re ever in Lambertville, NJ, stay for the scenery, antiques and dining, but avoid the former grounds of the “old school on the hill”. Even though Lambertville High School has been reduced to rubble, some say Buckeye Billy remains on the grounds to this day, waiting for his next challenger.

Resources

1. https://weirdnj.com/stories/lambertville-highschool-2/

2. https://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/2012/10/haunted_high_school_reduced_to.html

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambertville_High_School

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambertville,_New_Jersey

5. Photos: Renee Kiriluk-Hill for NJ.com