HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
On September 6, 1833, an estimated 12,000 people watched Antoine LeBlanc hang here for ax-murdering his employers — the last public execution in Morris County. His skin was subsequently tanned into wallets, some of which still exist.
Morristown Green, Morristown, NJ 07960
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Public green, free access at all times.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved public square in the center of downtown Morristown; fully accessible.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1715 · Last Public Execution in Morris County (1833) · Antoine LeBlanc hanging drew an estimated 12,000 spectators · LeBlanc's tanned skin artifacts still extant in museum collections · Historic civic center of Morris County since colonial period
Antoine LeBlanc arrived in New Jersey from France in the spring of 1833, took work as a laborer for Samuel Sayre at the family's Morristown-area property, and within weeks killed Sayre, Mrs. Sayre, and their servant Phoebe using an ax and a club. The murders were discovered quickly, LeBlanc was apprehended attempting to flee, and the trial moved swiftly through the Morris County court system.
On September 6, 1833, LeBlanc was brought to the Morristown Green for public execution. Contemporary accounts estimated the crowd at 12,000 — an extraordinary figure for a region with a much smaller total population, drawing spectators from across the county and neighboring areas. The hanging was carried out in front of the assembled crowd at the east end of the Green, making it one of the most attended public executions in New Jersey's history.
The post-execution handling of LeBlanc's body became its own notoriety. His corpse was turned over to physicians for anatomical dissection — a practice common at the time for executed criminals and intended as an additional deterrent. Beyond dissection, portions of LeBlanc's preserved skin were made into wallets, purses, and bookbindings, some of which found their way into private collections. The Morris Museum holds an artifact made from LeBlanc's skin. This post-mortem treatment became part of the LeBlanc legend and contributed to the case's sustained presence in Morristown's collective memory.
The 1833 execution was the last public hanging in Morris County. The Green remained Morristown's civic center and is today a public park surrounded by county and municipal government buildings, restaurants, and the downtown commercial district.
Sources
The Morristown Green carries a ghost tradition that is less documented than the underlying crime but persistent enough to surface in multiple local accounts. The execution site at the east end of the Green — the area nearest the county courthouse — is the focus of reported anomalies: lights appearing at night in windows or on the ground of the Green without apparent source, and the general sense of unease that locals associate with the site after dark.
The LeBlanc case's aftermath gives the tradition specific texture. The post-mortem treatment of his body — dissection, then the making of wallets and bookbindings from his skin — was publicly known and widely discussed at the time. Some local accounts suggest the violations of LeBlanc's body in death are the source of whatever spiritual unrest is attributed to the Green. This framing is consistent with how other execution sites with post-mortem desecration are discussed in American folk tradition.
The Morris County Historical Society and the Morristown Green blog have both published accounts of the LeBlanc case that note the site's sustained reputation, without endorsing specific paranormal claims. The Green is also referenced as a stop on walking tour programs covering Morristown's Revolutionary and early American history, with the LeBlanc execution as a primary dark-history waypoint.
Notable Entities
Morristown Green is the historic center of Morris County, the site of the county courthouse and public gatherings from the colonial period through the present. The 1833 LeBlanc execution took place at the east end of the Green, in front of a crowd estimated at 12,000. The site is marked by historical context available from the Morris County Heritage Commission; the Green itself is an active public park.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Kansas City, MO
On June 17, 1933, gunmen ambushed a federal law-enforcement party in the south parking lot of Kansas City Union Station, killing four officers — including FBI Special Agent Raymond Caffrey — and the prisoner they were transporting, escaped bank robber Frank Nash. The FBI attributed the attack primarily to Vernon Miller and, controversially, to Pretty Boy Floyd and Adam Richetti. The killings outraged Congress and directly prompted legislation granting FBI agents the permanent authority to carry firearms and make arrests.
Morristown, NJ
On the night of May 11, 1833, French immigrant Antoine LeBlanc murdered his employers — Samuel Sayre, Mrs. Sayre, and their servant Phoebe — at the Sayre farmhouse on South Street in Morristown, using an ax and a club. LeBlanc was arrested, tried, and publicly hanged on the Morristown Green on September 6, 1833, before an estimated 12,000 spectators. What followed his execution became nearly as notorious as the murders: his body was used for a public anatomical dissection, and his skin was reportedly tanned into leather and fashioned into purses, a wallet, and a lampshade — objects that circulated as curiosities for decades and were discovered in a nearby shed in 1995.
Flemington, NJ
The Hunterdon County Courthouse in Flemington was completed in 1828 in the Greek Revival style and has served continuously as the county's seat of justice. Its significance in American history is primarily the 1935 trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, convicted here for the kidnapping and first-degree murder of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh. The trial lasted six weeks and drew international press coverage, earning the 'Trial of the Century' designation.