Local legends of phantom cars, ghosts, and murders provoke curiosity for the unknown.

Have you ever had that uncomfortable moment while driving down a back road when you thought you really should’ve taken a different route? Felt that tug at your gut saying, “Turn around! If you keep going something bad is going to happen!” You start believing that there’s someone or something out there in the dark waiting to jump out at you or you begin to wonder if you really are alone in your vehicle. Mike has.

“I was out near Los Angeles driving in the desert and hadn’t seen light for hours. Suddenly, for a second, I saw a man standing on the side of the road.  And then he completely vanished. I didn’t stop for anything! It’s freaky. Your mind starts to play tricks on you and you wonder if what you’re seeing is really there or just a figment of your imagination.”

Every small town has a local legend, told and retold, like a phantom ghost car that chases you for miles or a spooky spirit that likes to show up in your review mirror. What makes these stories so intriguing is that without even having been there, your imagination can totally set up the scene. In your mind you can see yourself driving down the dark road,  waiting for something paranormal to occur. It’s the build-up to the unknown that makes the picture in our minds more terrifying than what’s actually happening. (No matter how many versions of the story there are.)

So gather round, y’all. We’re gonna tell you a few ghost stories before lights out.

Seven Sisters Road- Nebraska City, Nebraska

If you’re sensitive to sibling drama, you’ll want to stay off this old road, the locale of one of the most gruesome legends to come out of the wholesome farmlands of Nebraska. An hour south of Omaha is Nebraska City. Ask anyone in this town of 7,000 and you’ll be cautioned to avoid Seven Sisters Road.  Legend has it that almost 100 years ago, a brother and his seven sisters were living in the hills outside the city. For reasons no one has ever known, one night the brother came home palm-twitching mad, poisonous thoughts swirling through his mind.  Slipping deeper and deeper into psychosis, the darkness finally overtook him, and unimaginably, he dragged each one of his innocent sisters to a separate hilltop and hung them all. While no one knows what happened to the brother, locals warn unsuspecting visitors that strange things happen on the road that curves through those seven forlorn hills.  Many brave souls who have dared to drive out there report cars suddenly drained of power, engines stalling and headlights dimming as if in warning to get away, the hills aren’t a place to be at night. But if you insist, and you park your car out on the road for long enough, you may just hear the wailing screams of those poor sisters out in the distance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jogger’s Hill- Thornton, Colorado

Let this be a warning:  If you’re in Thornton and you’re headed out for an evening drive, let somebody know where you’re going.  Or better yet, just don’t go. About 20 minutes north of Denver in the foothills, less than one hour outside Golden Gate Canyon State Park sits this Colorado town. The story goes that one night, a jogger was out on a solo run on Riverdale Road, which leads to a popular hilltop overlook with a great view of the city lights.  Out of the quiet night came a speeding car, careening into the jogger, who was left to die alone in the darkness on the side of the road. Forever restless and angry at his fate, they say the jogger haunts this back road, looking for his killer in every passing car. He especially likes to creep up on people who park at the top of what is now called Jogger’s Hill. Word is, if you kill your lights and engine, he’ll think you’re the one who hit him. Folks have reported hearing sounds of quick feet running toward them followed by angry fists beating the sides of their cars and handprints appearing on the windows as though the jogger is outside trying to get a look at his killer inside. Seriously, don’t go up there.  Okay, we warned you

Cuba Road- Barrington, Illinois

What could possibly be scary about lingering in the most haunted cemetery in Illinois? Plenty. If you find yourself an hour north of Chicago, driving past White Cemetery, maybe keep driving. The spirits there have been known to wander outside the gates since the 1820s. Police and other reliable eyewitnesses have reported seeing all kinds of vanishing objects, from people to floating black phantom cars and even a house that was supposed to have burned down under mysterious circumstances. Locals say if you see the house, don’t go in or when it disappears into the mist, you’ll disappear with it. Forever. There have been sightings of a woman with a lantern, seemingly looking for a ride but then quickly vanishing behind the sunken headstones. Hazy figures lingering beside the trees and near the perimeter of the cemetery are a common occurrence out there too. So if you’re driving along Cuba Road and you happen to see someone out there, whatever you do,  DON’T offer anyone a ride. Chances are they’re already on the other side, heading back and looking to take you with them.

Route 44 – Rehoboth, Massachusetts

Possibly the most frightening local legend in these parts is the one about the elusive phantom hitchhiker who has been violently scaring drivers on Route 44 just east of Providence for the past 30 years. Described as a six feet tall, bearded, red-headed man, with dark lifeless eyes, he matches the description of a victim who years ago died in a terrible crash on that stretch of road.  Locals warn against offering him a lift because of those who have had some bad experiences. One woman talks about her encounter with the red-headed hitchhiker, remembering that when she stopped for him, as he reached for her door handle he suddenly evaporated, and then her car engine died. Frozen with fright, she could hear his maniacal laughter long after he had vanished from sight.

Many folks in town will tell you to never, under any circumstances, drive Route 44 with anything less than a full car because one of the most common ways to see this phantom hitchhiker is in your rearview mirror as he appears in the backseat. Just as you look up and see him staring at you, he disappears, but then all by itself, your car radio will start scanning stations so fast and loud that your car will begin to shake.  And through the radio static, you’ll hear that laugh.  Anyone up for a little New England road trip?

Gudgeonville Bridge- Girard, Pennsylvania

This story is set just south of Erie, Pennsylvania on a covered bridge built around 1868. Stretching 84 feet across Elk Creek, the Gudgeonville Bridge claimed its first life a little over 100 years ago. Legend says that a farmer named Obadiah Will was delivering a mule to a nearby farm when the animal suddenly began acting strangely. It led Obadiah down the road to the entrance of the covered bridge but stopped short, unwilling to cross. Frustrated, the farmer snapped the reins a few times to get the mule moving, but to no avail. The balking mule refused to take another step. Unable to turn around on the narrow bridge or to go forward, Obadiah grew more and more enraged, flogging the poor beast until he literally beat him to death. It is said that after having so brutally killed the animal, the farmer unhitched him from the wagon and buried him along the bank of the creek. Years later, a young girl playing along with Devils Backbone, the cliffs above the creek, fell to her death and drowned in the rushing water. When her family went to look for her, all they ever found was her left shoe. Today locals say that if you park on the Gudgeonville Bridge and roll the windows down, you can hear the clanking of hoofs — the mistreated mule approaching your car. It’s also said that along the banks walk a young girl, wearing just one shoe. Don’t linger too long, or she may get her hands on your shoe. Maybe with your leg still attached…

 

Has anything spooky or unexplainable happened to you while driving on a haunted road? Tell us about it in the comments below!