About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "Sins Of The Earth: Part Three - Beneath The Mountain" from The Devil Within covers the founding of Jefferson Township, New Jersey, on February 11, 1804, and the sprawling iron industry that reshaped the surrounding mountains. The episode is the third installment in the Sins Of The Earth series, which examines the region's industrial history as a backdrop to later events.
Named for President Thomas Jefferson, the township emerged from a rugged landscape of mountains, forests, and lakes that concealed a growing network of mines, furnaces, and charcoal hearths. The episode traces the industrial expansion through Milton, Oak Ridge, Lake Hopatcong, and the neighboring ironworks of West Milford and Rockaway, describing how iron ore was pulled from ancient bedrock, forests were cut to fuel furnaces, and waterways and roads were altered to support the growing economy. The Morris Canal's role in transforming regional transportation and commerce is also examined.
The episode considers what remains of that vanished industry today — abandoned mine shafts, forgotten charcoal hearths, and crumbling foundations now hidden beneath forest growth — and draws a careful distinction between evidence of historical industrial activity and proof of environmental contamination. The investigation is framed as groundwork for later episodes addressing the January 1988 murders connected to Jefferson Township, though no established link between the industrial history and those events is claimed.
Hosts and release
Branden Morgan hosts the show. The episode runs 26 minutes and was released on November 13, 2026.
