On October 30, 1938, Jerseyans tuned in to a radio broadcast saying Martians had landed in Jersey and were marching to invade. The War of the Worlds had begun. On that now famous evening, radio listeners may have tuned in to the Columbia Broadcasting System’s “Mercury Theater on the Air.” If they missed the disclaimers or tuned in late, they would have believed Martians had landed in Grovers Mill (West Windsor Township).
On Mischief Night, Cabbage Night, Goosey Night, or whatever you call it – October 30 –
RE-LIVE the WAR OF THE WORLDS.
How a Pencil, a Road Map, and a Young Orson Welles Put Grover’s Mill, New Jersey on the Map
Sometimes history is made by accident, and few places can claim a stranger brush with fame than the little farming community of Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. The story began in 1898 when British author H. G. Wells published The War of the Worlds, a science-fiction tale about Martians invading the English countryside. Forty years later, a young, ambitious 23-year-old actor and director, Orson Welles, decided to bring the frightening story to American radio. Welles and his Mercury Theatre company turned to playwright Howard Koch to adapt the novel for American audiences. But Koch had a problem. If Martians were going to invade America, where on earth should they land?
As the story goes, Koch stopped at a gas station along New Jersey’s Route 9W and purchased a road map. Searching for a believable location, he spread the map out, closed his eyes, and randomly dropped his pencil onto it. The point landed on a tiny community called Grovers Mill, just outside Princeton. Koch liked the name, and Princeton’s nearby scientific reputation made the setting even more convincing. And just like that, an ordinary New Jersey village became the landing site for an imaginary Martian invasion. On Sunday evening, October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre performers brought Koch’s script to life over the CBS radio network.
With convincing news bulletins, reports of strange explosions, and descriptions of terrifying Martian machines emerging from a farmer’s field, listeners were transported into what sounded like a national emergency. Some were frightened enough to believe the invasion was real. By the next morning, Grover’s Mill had become famous, all because of a writer, a road map, a pencil, and one unforgettable Halloween-eve radio broadcast.
The Broadcast
Produced by 23-year-old Orson Welles, this fictional broadcast claimed that alien invaders killed 7,000 soldiers and marched through the Watchung Mountains and into the swamps of northern New Jersey toward New York City. Panic among listeners and phone lines at the NJ State Police lit up. In the end, there were no Martians, no destruction, and the small Village of Grovers Mill remained fairly quiet except for a few bullet holes in the wooden water tower. Make time to listen with family and friends; it runs about 55 minutes.
Grovers Mill in West Windsor, New Jersey
Grovers Mill is an unincorporated community in West Windsor, New Jersey, located at Clarksville Road and Cranbury Road. It’s about 4 miles southeast of Princeton, 6 miles northwest of Hightstown, and 12 miles northeast of Trenton. On October 30, 1938, Grovers Mill, NJ, became famous due to Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds.” Presented as a series of realistic news bulletins, the broadcast depicted Grovers Mill as the initial landing site of a Martian invasion. The broadcast caused a stir; some listeners believed it was real, sparking pockets of panic, especially in New Jersey and New York.
The event was a fascinating example of the media’s power and the impact of realistic storytelling. Today, Grovers Mill commemorates this unique piece of history with a monument and annual celebrations.
Movies:
From Radio Panic to the Silver Screen
After Orson Welles’s unforgettable 1938 radio broadcast of a Martian invasion in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, H. G. Wells’s science-fiction classic eventually made its way to Hollywood—not once, but twice in major motion pictures. Each film introduced the terrifying story to a new generation, moving the invasion to different parts of America.
The first major film adaptation, The War of the Worlds (1953), was released in 1953 by Paramount Pictures. Produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, the movie moved the Martian invasion from New Jersey to Southern California, beginning near the fictional town of Linda Rosa and culminating in a devastating attack on Los Angeles. Its groundbreaking special effects earned an Academy Award and helped establish the film as a science-fiction classic.
More than half a century later, director Steven Spielberg brought the story back to theaters with War of the Worlds (2005), released on June 29, 2005. Starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, this adaptation brought the action back to New Jersey, starting in Bayonne and following a father and his children as they fled the alien invasion toward Boston. The filmmakers actually shot portions in Bayonne, Newark, Howell, and other New Jersey locations. Although Spielberg did not return the Martians to Grovers Mill, his film brought the invasion back to the state that Orson Welles had made famous in 1938.
The New Jersey connection: The original 1898 novel was set in England, the famous 1938 radio broadcast centered on Grover’s Mill, the 1953 movie shifted to California, and Spielberg’s 2005 version returned to New Jersey, bringing the fictional invasion nearly full circle.
Take a Special Drive
Visit Van Nest Park at 218 Cranbury Rd, West Windsor Township, NJ 08550 (aka Grovers Mills). Bring your phone and play the recording on-site. Lots of great historical fun! The celebration takes place the last weekend of October at the West Windsor Arts Center in West Windsor, New Jersey. The Broadcast Bash and a Martian Bike Ride commemorate the anniversary of Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds radio play. Tickets and more information are available on the West Windsor Arts website.
- Artists Eric Schultz and Robert Hummel will discuss and display their art.
- Halloween crafts and snacks
- Mini-Martian mascot sculptures
The Historical Society of West Windsor has also organized a Martian Bike Ride that explores Grovers Mill and the sites mentioned in the War of the Worlds broadcast. The nine-mile guided tour begins at the Grovers Mill Coffee House.
“This includes visiting the infamous water tower. According to legend, a drunken farmer shot at it thinking it was an alien,” said Paul Ligeti, President of the historical society.
I remember my Mom told me about this. She was a teenager when this broadcast happened. She remembered sitting around the radio with her parents and siblings listening to it. They were so scared because they thought it was real