Sunday, October 18, 2009

Beware Of America's Creepiest Roads



They've been called urban legends, ghost stories, creepy encounters. But they all have one thing in common—unexplained happenings on dark roads in the dead of night. If you'll pardon the use of the word dead.

Or maybe it's more appropriate than you realize. :)

Halloween is the perfect time of year to explore these creepy lanes and the unexplained happenings. Here's a sampling of some of these haunted roads.

The San Antonio Ghost Track: If you put your car in neutral on the tracks, the car will move off the tracks by itself. And if you cover the bumper in baby power, you'll find child-sized palm prints. The origin of this ghostly tale is supposedly a school bus that was hit by a train. However, be careful if you decide to check it out. There have been reports of bandits waiting in hiding for people to start their paranormal test.

The Georgia Ghost Roads: Travelers late at night along Railroad Bed Road and Old Ghost Road (Robertson Road) see a faint orange light flashing in the distance. As they drive closer to it, a man will appear who is digging a ditch…or perhaps a grave. He turns and walks toward the car, but disappears before he gets there.

Buckout Road in Harrison, NY: The shocking murders committed by Issac Buckhout are believed responsible for the area's many reports of notorious activities such as farms burning, vandalism in a local historic cemetery, and people who claimed to have been attacked by flesh-eating monsters because they parked in front of a specific red house and honked their car horn three times.

Meshack Road in Tompinsville, KY: This is supposedly the original location of the oft repeated story of the young woman in the prom dress who is walking along the road and given a ride by a young man. He gives her his coat to keep warm. The next day he returns to the house where he took her in order to retrieve his coat. The woman living there told him her daughter had died several years ago…on prom night.

Milford Road in Oxford, Ohio: The story of star-crossed lovers. The boy and girl were in love but the girl's father hated the boy. The boy would flash his motorcycle headlight three times and if he saw her porch light flash three times in response he knew it was safe to go there. One night he's killed on the road, but the flashing lights continue to haunt the area.

Mona Lisa Drive in New Orleans: A philanthropist donated a collection of statuary to the city with one stipulation. The statue commissioned to commemorate the death of his only daughter, Mona, would be placed in a special location in the park by itself. One night a car chase ended with a car crashing into the statue and shattering it. After that, rumors began to circulate that Mona lurked in the park where the statue had been, haunting innocent and unsuspecting visitors.

Archer Road in Justice, IL: Resurrection Cemetery is the site of a story similar to the Meshack Road haunting. A young man met a pretty blond at a dance. At the end of the evening, he drove her home. When they reached the cemetery, she asked him to stop. She got out of the car, walked toward the gate, and disappeared. He went to the house where she said she lived and the woman told him her daughter had been dead for five years.

Spook Hill in Burkittsville, MD: In addition to the ghostly reputation courtesy of the 1990s horror movie, The Blair Witch Project, an unexplained recurring happening here is similar to the Railroad Crossing in San Antonio. When driving up Spook Hill, if you stop and put the car in neutral it won't roll back downhill. It will continue uphill as if being pushed. The local ghostly tale claims it's Civil War soldiers who think they're pushing one of their cannons up the hill.

Shades of Death Road in Warren Co., NJ: Yes, Shades of Death Road is the real name of the street, but no one is sure exactly how the name came about. Over the decades many murders have happened along this stretch of road, each its own ghastly tale, which certainly explains why so many different ghosts haunt the area.

Do you have any ghostly tales or spooky happenings where you live?

15 comments:

Debby said...

Hell hAllow Road in Voluntown CT can be very spooky. 300 years ago, British troops killed a PEquot girl inthis area. People claim they can still hear her screams. They is another story of a witch who was killed inthe same area. it isa very creepy area.

Shawna Thomas said...

I don't know of any scary tales in my area. Sorry. Thanks for the spooky stories.

~ Lynne

Samantha Gentry said...

Debby: Hell Hallow Road is certainly a good name for a creepy place that's said to be haunted.

Samantha Gentry said...

Lynne: I don't know of any where I live either. Of course, there was the story that's supposedly happened everywhere about the escaped convict with the hook for a hand and the hook ends up on the door handle of the car of the two teenagers parked at night at the local lover's lane area. But that urban legend has been around for a long time and seems to apply to every town. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Samantha! Fun blog to read. I can't think of any around my area. :)

Sophia

Samantha Gentry said...

Sophia: Thanks. It was some fun 'facts' (and season appropriate) that I came across and wanted to share.

Jennifer Mathis said...

percy il- theres a dead end road that leads to the old cemetery. If you are out on the road a sunrise you'll hear a woman screaming. The story is she was attacked by wild dogs who killed her.

Samantha Gentry said...

Jennifer: That would be an attention getter, especially with it occurring at sunrise rather than the middle of the night. In the middle of the night it would be spooky, but at sunrise when other people are out and about it would seem more like something real was happening.

susan said...

Years ago a story was told about this large house surrounded by rod iron fence that was suppose to be haunted..every Halloween neighbors saw a head less horseman riding around the estate's grounds. It is believed to be a civil war soldier who was beheaded for unknown reasons. This is in PA. susan L.

Samantha Gentry said...

Susan: Strange lights, weird shadows, and eerie noises are one thing. But, to see a headless horseman is definitely spooky!

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

In Huntington Beach- The Bolsa Chica Wetlands- witnesses claimed to have seen an apparition of boy about 10 or 11years old. He's dressed in white and plays near the bomb shelter. When anyone would draw near to investigate, the boy would run around the corner and disappear.

Love the eerie tales.

Samantha Gentry said...

Karen: That is unsettling. How long has this been happening? Is there any speculation on who the boy is?

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

The Bolsa Chica Wetlands dates back over 8000 years. The land once belonged to the Tongva people.

They've found a lot of cogged stone artifacts. It later became Spanish ranch land(After the Spanish invaded.) Then In WWII it housed artillary mounts and bunkers. So there's a long history. I couldn't find out when the ghost appearances started. No one seems to have an exact date.

Most believe the ghost boy is one of the Tongva Indians.

Samantha Gentry said...

Karen: If the ghost boy is a Tongva indian, then his spirit has been there for a long time. He has 'seen' all the history of the area with the original Spanish explorers, Mexico's claim to California, it being part of the U.S., and the recent history since 1850 when California became a state. He could be a good 'catalyst' for a time travel story.

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

He sure could be. I hadn't really thought about all he's seen. Makes you wonder why his spirit still lingers after so much time has passed. Then again time may mean nothing to a spirit.