The latest from the Sussex County Historical Society Facebook page…
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Sussex County Historical Society - NJ
Sussex County County Historical Society, Hill Museum
82 Main Street
Newton, NJ 07860
973-383-6010
http://www.sussexhistory.org/
127 years ago on February 13, 1899, Sussex County had a blizzard. The following photographs from the George Watson Roy Collection show downtown Newton after that blizzard.
The Historical Society has updated the book store on our website. We are currently offering a Sussex County Sampler. This is a group of four publications. First is High Point of the Blue Mountains by Ronald J. Dupont Jr. and Kevin Wright, the definitive history of High Point from prehistory through the Kusar family to the development of the park. Next we have a reprint of the classic That Ancient Trail by Amelia Stickney Decker about the Old Mine Road. For the cemetery fans we have Behold and See, As You Pass By, a selection of epitaphs from the Old Cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church of Sparta 1787-1924 written by Mary Elinor Eppler. And last we have a pamphlet Sussex County Place Names by Myra Snook. It lists some of the early place names in the county with a brief history. To order go to our website www.sussexhistory.org/ and click on the “shop” tab and make your selection. PayPal is accepted.
The Old Pig Drover of Logg Gaol 🐷🐖![]()
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In the mid-1800s, Sussex County knew a man who seemed to come from nowhere and belong everywhere.![]()
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They said his job was to herd pigs from Sussex County to Newark—or so everyone believed. ![]()
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No one truly knew where he came from or where he belonged. ![]()
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He went by a name that sounded half like a joke and half like a warning:![]()
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“The Old Pig Drover of Logg Gaol.”![]()
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W. H. Vail, in The Old Pig Drover of Logg Gaol, called him “an exceptionally curious character,” and from the beginning made it clear that this was no ordinary man. ![]()
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Farmers believed he possessed “a kind of witchery in his mode of driving pigs.” ![]()
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His little flock—sometimes as many as thirty—would run before him or follow behind him with “a docility perfectly astonishing.”![]()
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The secret, Vail tells us, was simple and brilliant. ![]()
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The Pig Drover carried a bag of shelled corn slung carelessly over his shoulder, dropping kernels little by little as he walked. ![]()
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Over time, the pigs learned the rhythm. ![]()
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They trusted him. ![]()
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What looked like magic was patience, intelligence, and kindness.![]()
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Logg Gaol became a usual stop on his journeys, and eventually the very center of his pig-droving operations. ![]()
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While in town, he transformed into something else entirely.![]()
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From the balcony of the Logg Gaol Tavern, the Old Pig Drover held court.![]()
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This was an age before daily newspapers, when books were scarce and stories were how communities gathered. ![]()
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The Pig Drover was burly in appearance, laughter-loving, and, as Vail wrote, “in a high degree had the gift of inciting others to laugh.” ![]()
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His arrival was always the occasion for a great gathering of the story-loving public. ![]()
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People came from miles around to hear him tell lavish, fantastic tales of life in the South.![]()
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For a time, he became a local celebrity—equal parts entertainer, mystery, and working man who slept in fields beside his pigs.![]()
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But folklore rarely tells the whole truth.![]()
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Behind the pig drover and raconteur was another man entirely. ![]()
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His real name was Samuel Fulton. ![]()
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He was not a drifter by nature, but a wealthy Southern gentleman from Tennessee who had lost his fortune after the War of 1812. ![]()
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Distraught, embarrassed, and heartbroken, Fulton left his home and family with hopes of rebuilding his life. Instead, he found work on farms and, eventually, refuge in reinvention.![]()
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So Samuel Fulton disappeared—and the Old Pig Drover was born.![]()
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As his fame grew, it drew the attention of suspicious members of polite society. ![]()
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Vail records their quiet unease:![]()
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“That man is not what he pretends to be. He has a history.”![]()
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Letters were written to friends in the South. His former identity was confirmed. And after that, something changed.![]()
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The storytelling stopped.![]()
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Years passed. ![]()
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Fulton was long presumed dead. ![]()
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But his son—who never gave up hope—eventually found him working on one of the Blair farms. ![]()
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He brought his father home to Tennessee, where Samuel Fulton lived out the rest of his life with his family, leaving behind the persona that had once made him unforgettable.![]()
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History remembered him briefly.![]()
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Folklore remembered him forever.![]()
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A pig drover.![]()
A storyteller.![]()
A fallen gentleman.![]()
A man who reinvented himself when the world left him no other choice.![]()
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#TheOldPigDrover #SamuelFulton![]()
#LoggGaol #Johnsonburgnj![]()
#SussexCountyNJ #NJFolklore![]()
#WHVail #ForgottenHistory![]()
#OralTradition #19thCenturyAmerica![]()
#WorkingClassHistory #HauntedByHistory![]()
#StorytellingBeforeNewspapers #hauntedplaces #SussexCountyHistory![]()
#WeirdNJ
Support local history while enjoying a delicious breakfast! You are invited to the Sussex County Historical Society’s Flapjack Fundraiser at Applebee’s in Newton on March 7, 2026, from 8:00–10:00 a.m. Bring your family and friends for a fun morning supporting a great cause.![]()
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Proceeds from this event will support the restoration of the Old Newton Academy and the Tully House, two significant landmarks that reflect Sussex County’s rich history.