Weird New Jersey: Did you know the Garden State was once the Garden of Eden?

6:55 AM,
Mar. 30, 2014

Bernarr McFadden

Written by

Vince Chesner
| Weird New Jersey

Though its official nickname is the Garden State, there have been a number of people throughout New Jersey's history who have envisioned it as more of a Garden of Eden -- a paradise for the body, mind and spirit.

They have sought to establish new and different social orders outside the confines of mainstream culture and in some cases have succeeded, albeit only for a brief time. Some have claimed to discover the Fountain of Youth here, others have advocated enlightenment through physical fitness or sexual magnetism. They have invented new languages and even new religions to suit their own ...