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Urban Legend: The Ghosts of Slaughterhouse Canyon

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Featured Horror Mystery and Lore

Urban Legend: The Ghosts of Slaughterhouse Canyon of Arizona
In 1882 the town of Kingman, Arizona was officially established; throughout its history it had served as both a military camp and a reservation for Native Americans. It eventually experienced growth when a section of railroad was routed through the area.

The Gold Rush

The Gold Rush started in Arizona around 1858 and just like elsewhere in the western United States, it was a rough experience for those who expected to strike it rich. Once prospectors realized their chance of finding gold in Arizona was rare, they instead sought out the more common copper and silver ores. At one point, the worth of gold sank below that of copper and silver, due to its lack of prevalence in the region.

The established families that were uprooted and relocated in the west in search of wealth and success ended up being the ones who sacrificed the most. After lengthy and often excruciatingly difficult searches, many ended up starving to death.

The Ghostly Legend of Slaughterhouse Canyon

Like any urban legend that has arisen from times of extreme hardship, this story reeks of trauma spurned by sickness, starvation, heartbreak, and madness. This particular ghost story is one that swiftly turned from being a simple tragedy to macabre madness, which is why this canyon was put on the map of paranormal destinations.

Luana’s Canyon

When the first white settlers found the area, the area was named Luana’s Canyon, after the matriarch of the impoverished family who lived in a small wooden shack near the dry wash in the heart of the canyon.

Dreams of Wealth

As one might expect, living in a small shack in the desert was no easy task. One miner, notably a dreamer, wanted to be able provide a better life for his wife Luana and their children. This miner would regularly venture off into the mountains to work in the gold mines and to search for food for his family. Their lack of a regular income made it difficult to keep food on the table, so the only food the family had available to them was what the miner was able to bring back from his regular expeditions.

The miner would set of to the Northwestern Mountains on his trusty mule, but different accounts of this story can’t agree on whether the miner left home every two weeks, or if he would be gone for two weeks at a time. What is known is that this was a pretty typical experience during the Gold Rush era. Regardless of how often he was away from home, his family’s only source of food, money, and supplies was what the miner was able to bring back with him. Luana and the children could consistently expect the miner to return with what they needed for their comfort and survival.

One fateful day, the miner kissed his wife, Luana, and children goodbye and was on his way—unfortunately, that would be the last time the family would see their father. Days turned to weeks and soon Luana began to worry that something had happened to her husband. As the supplies dwindled, her concerns that her husband had fallen ill, had an accident, or worse, had been killed by wild animals, or even the victim of robbery. The miner had seemingly become another tragic victim of the unforgiving Gold Rush.

Descent Into Madness

Luana’s reliance upon her husband’s consistency meant that she had not rationed any of the supplies that her husband had brought back on his last trip, so when food and supplies ran scarce the family began to starve. Living alone in the canyon meant that the family had no other possible means of support and soon the children wither and wept in pain. Despite being pale and weak with starvation, their screams and cries echoed throughout the canyon and even traveled on the nighttime breeze. The starving sobs of her children constantly begging Luana for food began to tear her down mentally.

Each day that went by pushed Luana closer toward the brink of insanity until one day, she just could no longer stand to see her children suffer and she snapped. Unable to cope with the reality of watching her children starve to death, Luana’s psychosis drove her to do the unthinkable. One night during a thunderstorm, tormented by her children’s screams and own agonizing hunger, she put on her wedding dress and slaughtered her own children to end their suffering.

Her mind lost, she chopped their dead bodies up into several pieces, splattering the walls of the small shack with blood, which earned it the name of the Slaughterhouse. After finishing her horrible deed, she carried the pieces of her children and tossed their remains into the river. At the river she collapsed into a heap, her wedding dress soaked in the blood of the children she had slain. Luana was overcome with sadness and guilt; she remained on the river bank, wailing and screaming over what she had done until she succumbed to starvation herself, the next morning.

Slaughterhouse Canyon

Today, Slaughterhouse Canyon can be accessed by the public, it’s only a twelve minute drive from Kingman, AZ. It is said, that on quiet nights when the moon is full and the air is thick, that those brave enough to venture into the desert canyon after midnight are likely to have experiences. The dark oppressive nights allow the anguished screams of the mother and the bloody cries of her slaughtered children can still be heard throughout the canyon.

Similar Legends

The legend of Slaughterhouse Canyon bears striking similarities to other urban legends and ghost stories, such as the woman in white and the tragic Mexican legend of La Llorona, or the Weeping Woman. While it’s true that the stories are similar, make no mistake, they are separate legends.

What seems to be a common thread in all renditions of these stories is that the woman murders her children, but it’s the reason behind their vicious murder that varies from story to story. In La Llorona the most frequent rendition is that the mother kills her children after she finds that her husband has been unfaithful. However, every account of the Legend of the ghosts of Slaughterhouse Canyon alleges that the husband was not only a caring and loving partner, but a devoted father as well.

Personal Accounts & Experiences

Locals will tell you that it was popular when they were of high school age to load up a car with their peers and park down in the canyon by the remains of the old slaughterhouse shack. They would roll their windows down and sit in silence as they waited for Luana—inevitably, they would hear strange sounds that would prompt them to vacate the premises.

Another account recalls their experiences of hearing the stories of Slaughterhouse Canyon and their regular trips to the area with their brother. Their motives were simple curiosity and the desire to be teenagers away from prying eyes. They would have bonfires and act their age without consequence, until one night, after midnight they began to hear the wailing cries surrounding them. A quick search of the area revealed nothing, but frightened them enough to leave the canyon entirely.

Others still, primarily ghost hunters in search of the ghosts of Slaughterhouse Canyon, report that while driving down the road that leads into the canyon they would witness a mysterious woman wearing a black dress and dark veil while walking down the side of the road. Upon turning back to find her again she had mysteriously disappeared.

Sources

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Urban Legends: The UFO Sighting of McMinnville, Oregon

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Featured Horror Mystery and Lore

One of the most famous pictures of a UFO was taken in 1950 on a farm near McMinnville—this controversial photograph showed what looked to be a flying saucer in the sky and was even printed all across the country in both newspapers and magazines, including Life. The problem is, is that it has still not been disproved and there is still no one who really knows the truth of the photograph.

Timeline of Events and Investigation

1950

Photography by Paul Trent

Between 7:30 and 7:45 pm in May, Evelyn Trent was out feeding their rabbits in the yard of the couple’s farm and saw “… a good-sized parachute canopy without strings, only silver-bright mixed with bronze,” which prompted her to yell for her husband. When her husband didn’t come out, she ran into their house to find him and their camera, before they both raced back into their yard. When Paul saw the object as well, later describing it as, “a round, shiny, wingless object,” that was hovering in the sky. Evelyn would later describe what they had saw that night, “as pretty as anything [she] ever saw.”

That night, the 43-year-old farmer was able to take two photographs before the flying object disappeared into the evening mist, and there has never been a more popular photograph to ever come out of Yamhill County. The images weren’t published until about a month after they were taken, because they wanted to finish off the roll before getting the images developed, in The McMinnville Telephone Register and The Oregonian. Life magazine followed up with publishing the story and images after the Oregon publications, which allowed the entire nation to marvel over the unidentified flying object. It didn’t take long for an investigator from the U.S. Air Force to make a trip to visit the Trents on their farm outside of McMinnville. “The object was coming toward us and seemed to be tipped up a little bit,” Paul Trent offered up to the investigations officer, “it was very bright—almost silvery—and there was no noise.”

This particular investigator had heard about these kinds of stories before, it was the Golden Age of UFO sightings, after all—however, most of all the other alien sightings had been easily debunked. Unlike the others, this was no weather balloon, private planes, or otherwise obvious hoaxes.

1965

In 1965, the Air Force finally found a legitimate university with a well-credentialed physicist, Edward Condon of the University of Colorado, who was willing to thoroughly study the matter.

1967

In 1967, Condon led an exhaustive UFO study and finally finished a 950-page report under the name, “Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects,” which dismissed most of the reported sightings, but then stated that, “at least one, showing a disk-shaped object in flight over Oregon, is classed as difficult to explain in a conventional way.” This study determined that the photos were genuine and that the Trents were honest in their reports.

Condon’s study declared that it was, “one of the few UFO reports in which all factors investigated—geometric, psychological and physical—appear to be consistent with the assertion that an extraordinary flying object, silvery, metallic, disk-shaped, tens of meters in diameter and evidently artificial, flew within sight of two [credible] witnesses.”

1968

When Condon’s report was released, it was firmly established by 1968 that UFOlogy was a border science that lay well outside of the mainstream sciences. His results were, of course, argued with, because UFO enthusiasts believed that if he had confirmed the existence of UFOs, then he would have ruined his reputation.

1998

Until both Evelyn and Paul passed away in the late 1990s (Evelyn in 1997 and Paul in 1998), they maintained that their story was genuine and even modern analysis doesn’t provide absolute results as to whether or not the images can be debunked. It seems that skeptics believe it’s a hoax, whereas believers assert that it’s evidence that cannot be discounted on the existence of UFOs. The only thing that has been proven over the years since the photograph was taken, is that even under intense scrutiny it can neither be definitively debunked nor confirmed.

2004

Researcher Joel Carpenter (1959-2014) attempted to recreate a plausible UFO picture on the Trents’ farm, but it was clear the picture was shot using optical illusions to make it seem as if a near object was actually in the distance.

2013

A group of French skeptics also did an in-depth investigation and attempted to recreate the photographs that the Trents had taken–their conclusion was that the original photographs were of a small model and not of an actual UFO.

Photography by Miriam Espacio

What are your thoughts on this very long-survived UFO sighting that still refuses to be debunked with confidence? Do you believe that these 70-year-old pictures could possible be authentic, or are they the best surviving hoax that has ever been captured on film? Let us know your thoughts below!

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Vilified Voodoo Dolls: Can They Really Cause Harm?

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Horror Mystery and Lore

The Origin of Voodoo Dolls

Photography by Jean-Baptiste Dodane

While the exact origins of the Voodoo doll aren’t known, it can be tracked down from the Fon people of the region that now Benin. When slavery brought the voodoo religious practice to the Southern United States—specifically Louisiana—it brought along with it the practice of imbuing dolls with magical intent. Many sources say that voodoo dolls are not actually a practice associated with legitimate voodoo, but actual practitioners would disagree. Doll magic is a part of many magical spiritual paths, including European based folk magic, wherein people would create poppets much for the same reasons that are seen in the modern voodoo practice.

Although slaves were forbidden by slave owners to practice voodoo, it was still an extremely common practice. These dolls were frequently used in secret as a means of self-defense, it’s been speculated that this history of trauma is where the dolls originally obtained their reputation for being instruments of revenge. These days it’s not uncommon to see voodoo dolls being marketed specifically for harmful intentions, which contributes to their already dark reputation. It’s unfortunate, as many people are unaware of the common belief that the practice of darker magic ultimately brings around its own darker consequences for the user—depression, conflicts, bad luck, and overall negativity are things that using such methods can bring back. Glossing over details like this are reasons why dark and devious magic practices are often still the source of fright and horror. It wouldn’t look as good to have the main villain of a story worrying about their own comeuppance for using magic that might harm another individual.

During the reign of Marie Laveau, the Queen of Voodoo, the use of Voodoo dolls rose exponentially. Veering from the original practice of carved wooden figures, used to house spirits of those who have passed, the modern-day voodoo doll is typically a small, soft fabric doll used to represent a person who has not passed. Physically, voodoo dolls vary in the extremes, from the type of fabric, color, and pattern, the basic idea is that a hand-constructed doll is a representation of the intended target.

The Importance of Color

Photography by Claudia Brooke

Color carries incredible meanings that differ from culture to culture, where love, anger, sadness, infidelity, and more can be expressed merely by the color of an object. Even the culture of flower arrangements had a huge impact on western culture, in which it combined the shades of flowers along with the type of flower being added to the bouquet. Departing from everyday meanings of color, it’s widely believed in many different metaphysical communities that different colors represent different aspects of life and the voodoo community is no exception.

Fabric and Pin Color

When it comes to the actual intention of the Voodoo Doll, one of the most important aspects is the color of the material the doll is made out of, as well as the clothing that the doll is dressed in. The colors with which the doll has been crafted directly correlate to what the doll is meant to be used for. As an example, a doll made of, or clothed in yellow fabric represents things like success, confidence, and attractiveness. Using black fabric for the doll would represent dispelling negative habits, grief, poverty, and bad luck—keeping in mind that a doll made from and fully clothed in black fabric would be used in what is considered “black” magic, which would result in the kind of magic that is often over-represented in television, movies, and books. So what about the pins that you stick in the doll? Well, unbeknownst to many, the color of the pins also holds significance, and the meaning of pin color actually varies more than you might suspect.

How Are They Used?

The concept of these dolls isn’t lost on most people, but the intention of them is frequently confused with how they are portrayed in movies and popular culture—diverse as this spiritual practice is in reality, Hollywood loves to vilify practices that are outside of what is deemed the normal scope of religious practices. This isn’t necessarily meant to be an affront to such practices, the practice of painting it with such broad evil strokes is because of how deeply submerged the actual spiritual practices are in mystery. Modern media portrays voodoo dolls being used by witch doctors, black magic practitioners, and pins that cause pain when placed, but the truth is far more interesting. When exploring this practice in-depth, we see that these dolls are meant to convey the intention of the user, for a full spectrum of uses—not just the dark aspects.

Artwork by Mary Farnstrom

When the user is attempting to manifest their intent, they can use various personal objects for the target. Handwriting samples, locks of hair, a picture or piece of clothing, and even bodily fluids can be pinned to, or stuffed into the doll in an effort to pinpoint the target person—whether that person is alive or dead. To further manifest the doll as a representation of the target, the user may focus upon the intended person during meditation or spells, either by placing it upon their altar or while holding it. Additionally, specific herbs are often stuffed into the dolls and oils are also used to anoint the doll before use.

What is done with voodoo dolls once they have been used for their purpose? The final step when using a voodoo doll is as much of a variable as what the doll is made of. There are a few methods for finalizing, some elect to toss it into a river, or lake if available to them, others bury them in the ground, where still others may burn them. Each of these avenues is a symbolic reference to ending a particular spell—to give the doll up to a rushing river would be helpful in sweeping everything the doll represents away with the moving water; whereas burying would imply wanting a solid result, allowing the doll to disintegrate slowly and over time in the earth that surrounds it. Burning a doll has be the most profoundly symbolic way of disposing of the doll, where it is literally turned to ash and the manifestation is carried away into the air through smoke.

It’s not difficult to understand the illustrious dark connotations that voodoo dolls carry outside of the spiritual practice, as it’s steeped in mystery and misunderstood history.

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Why You Should Never Buy a Dybbuk Box on eBay

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Lifestyle

This Dybbuk box was for sale on Etsy.

For hardcore paranormal believers, the subject of haunted objects holds a lot of fascination.  Is it possible for a demonic spirit to be encapsulated in an inanimate object? And if so, what happens if you become the owner, and you open it?

We did a little research in January to see how many Dybbuk boxes were actually for sale on eBay.  At the time of writing, there were 367 Dybbuk boxes for sale on eBay, and each of them came with a ‘caveat emptor’ or buyer-beware warning like: “dangerous apparition attached” and “do not open”.

We’ve all heard about people who experience disruptive and even life-threatening encounters with the paranormal by accident; they move into a house, use spiritual messaging like a ouija board or tarot cards, or visit a haunted location and something ‘hitches a ride’ back home with them.  But would you ever willingly purchase a haunted object and bring it into your house?  Let us know in the comments below. 

What is the Judaic History and Culture Surrounding Dybbuk Boxes?

Dybbuk boxes were used in the Hebrew faith for thousands of years, but they were not something that was talked about publicly.  Imagine a situation where a family or home was infected with a benevolent entity; the Rabbi would come to your home, study it and then determine the intervention which would seal the demon in the box. 

However, in the Jewish faith, these Dybbuk boxes were never intended to be passed on to another individual. In fact, if your family had a Dybbuk box, it was like having an entity that had attached itself to your household; a curse that could last generations.  And so, the Dybbuk box and the existence of them were a secret among devote Hebrew families; they hid the box, and they protected it from being opened or damaged.  

The Jewish faith actually downplays demonology, but there are many examples within the historical religious texts that provide instructions on dealing with demonic manifestations.  Demons in Hebrew text are called Sheydim.  The first Sheydim of course, was Lilith. 

In Jewish mythology, a Dybbuk is actually a malicious spirit that is believed to not be demonic, but the disenfranchised soul of a dead person. Dybbuks can possess people to accomplish a goal, such as revenge or in the act of bringing someone to justice for a horrific crime.  This is another reason why the Dybbuk boxes were not always feared in the Hebrew faith, but respected.  

From that perspective, the box represented insulation of the spirit from influence (or preventing it from possessing someone).  But the Dybbuk itself may be a close family member also who passed on; the perspective of the box and entity is much different in the Hebrew faith.  And very different from the horror movies and occult accounts that proliferate the web today, about haunted boxes and Dybbuk demons. The rough translation of the word “Dybbuk” in Hebrew means “to cling”. 

If you are interested in learning more about Judaic demonology and mythology, check out the podcast “Throwing Sheyd” by Miriam Brosseau and Alan Jay Sufrin. 

Are Dybbuk Boxes Truly Sealed?

So, assuming you believe that a benevolent entity is trapped inside a Dybbuk box, how exactly do you prevent the spirit or demon from escaping the box?  We can imagine that the idea of having a Dybbuk box as part of your paranormal collection of lore may be appealing, but probably less so if you think there is a possibility that it can get out, and start causing real problems for you. 

One thing you will notice about Dybbuk boxes for sale (and historical write-ups about them) is that they are always sealed with wax.  But not just any kind of wax.  The ritual for sealing a Dybbuk box involves a Rabbi or a Priest and incantations, followed by the sealing of all possible exits for the entity from the box by white wax.

White candles are known in lore and ancient religions for having a cleansing and purification power, that repels negative energy and provides protection.   All colors on the spectrum are derived from pure white light, which has the power of consecration.  White reflects no light and has virtually no ability to absorb energy (white candles conduct less heat than other colors of wax).  Therefore (if you believe the lore) the white wax acts as an impermeable barrier preventing the entity or spirit from leaving the box. 

Now you know why so many Churches worldwide use white candles in temples and places of worship.  For more than 2,000 years, white candles have been used in all faiths to repel evil, and prevent demonic influence from harming people. 

Can a Dybbuk Box Influence You If It Is Not Opened?

There are many fascinating stories about people who have purchased or inherited what they believe to be an authentic haunted Dybbuk box.  Again, is not the box that is the problem; it is what was sealed inside of it. 

The internet is full of spooky stories about people who purchased a Dybbuk box, only to have it arrive at their home with a crack in the box (due to damage in transit).  Those individuals share some spectacularly creepy paranormal experiences, that were so disturbing, they either resealed the box and sold it to someone else or they buried it far away from their home, to protect themselves (and others) from the benevolent influence inside the box. 

Some signs that people have reported around Dybbuk boxes (which may indicate authenticity and an evil or unquiet spirit inside) are:

  • The smell of cat urine, rotting eggs, or sulfur. 
  • Nightmares of demons, the box or the box breaking open. 
  • Unexplained scratches, burns or welts on the body of the owner or anyone who touches the box. 
  • Unusual bad luck, feeling emotionally drained, or unusual feelings of anger toward those in close relationships with you. 

The most internet-famous case to date is the story of the Dybbuk box that was owned by a man named Kevin Mannis, in 2001.  Mannis purchased the wine cabinet from an estate sale of a woman who was originally from Poland.  The granddaughter of the deceased woman insisted that Kevin keep the box (but never open it), even after Mannis tried to give the box back to her, as it had been in her family for generations. 

While Kevin Mannis owned the Dybbuk box, he stored it briefly in his restoration shop. He received a call from his employee that someone had broken into the basement and was ‘smashing up the place”.  When Mannis arrived, he went into the basement (where the box was stored) and found the lights broken and shattered, and a thick scent of cat urine.  His employee left after the examination of the basement and never returned. 

Kevin wanted to refurbish the wine cabinet as an antique and give it to his mother. After he cleaned it up, his Mom arrived at his shop to go out to lunch, and he gave her the box as a gift.  After she returned home, a family friend called him to say that his mother was found in a chair with an expressionless face, crying but otherwise unresponsive.  At the hospital, she was unable to speak, but they gave her a spelling board to point out letters so she could communicate. 

She typed out two sentences: “no gift” and “hate gift”.  Mannis gave the box to his sister (who was curious about it too) and after a week she returned it to him claiming that her home smelled like jasmine flowers and cat urine.  He gave the box to his girlfriend to sell for him (as he was afraid to touch it again) and the middle-aged couple who purchased it, left it on his front door with a note saying “this has bad darkness”.  

He returned to his mother and found her sitting in a chair, expressionless, crying, and totally unresponsive. She was rushed to the hospital, and it turned out she had had a stroke and lost her ability to speak for a time. During this time, she could only speak using a spell board on which she would point to letters to spell out words. When he asked her how she was doing, she spelled out, “No gift.” When he said he’d given her a gift, she emphasized, “Hate gift.”

He then gave the box to his sister. She kept it for a week and gave it back. He gave it to his brother and his brother’s wife, who kept it for three days and returned it. The brother said it smelled like jasmine flowers, and his wife said it smelled of cat urine.

Kevin gave it to his girlfriend, who soon asked him to sell it for her. He sold it to a middle-aged couple and three days later found the box sitting in front of his shop with a note saying, “This has a bad darkness.”

While Kevin Mannis owned the box, he reported being tormented by a malevolent spirit:

“I find myself walking with a friend, usually someone I know well and trust at some point in the dream, I find myself looking into the eyes of the person that I am with. It is then that I realize that there is something different, something evil looking back at me. At that point in my dream, the person I am with changes into what can only be described as the most gruesome, demonic-looking Hag that I have ever seen. This Hag proceeds then, to beat the living tar out of me.” — Kevin Mannis

The Kevin Mannis Dybbuk box has changed hands and currently belongs in the private collection of haunted objects and paranormal expert, Zak Bragans from the television series “Ghost Adventures”. 

Do you think Dybbuk boxes are real, or a hoax? Have you ever been in a room with one and had a paranormal event that you can’t explain?  Share your story with us, and leave us a comment about your haunted object experience.

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Zombie Road: A Trail of Terror

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Horror Mystery and Lore

The “Zombie Road” trail, located in Glencoe, Missouri, has over a century’s history of death and paranormal activity. Though it’s only two miles in length, traveling it at night it can seem like an endless road of terror. With tales of shadowy figures, blood-curdling screams, and non-human entities, Zombie Road is chock-full of unexplained phenomenon. Even in its heyday, the winding road and dense woods held an eerie vibe of constantly being watched by something.

Eerie bridge along the Zombie Road

Stories of Zombie Road continued to grow through the years, one being the “Zombie Killer”, a deranged man living in a shack just off the road who hunted and killed young lovers. Other chilling stories continued to surface and spread, including ghosts, vanishings, and strange noises. One of the most spine-tingling stories is about the ghost of a man hit by a train who is said to now haunt Zombie Road. This legend becomes all the more terrifying with the real story of Della Hamilton McCullough. It is said that in 1876, Della was hit and killed by a passing train car on the tracks in Glencoe, Missouri. There are no other records of anyone else hit by a train and dying near Glencoe. Is this then Della Hamilton McCulloughs’ spirit that haunts the Zombie Road tracks? If you go, perhaps you can call out to Della.

Many visitors also claim strange experiences near the old homes towards the end of the trail. One legend mentions the ghost of an elderly woman who screams at people from the doorway of one of the old houses. But the closer you get, the old woman disappears. The houses here date back to circa 1900 when the area around Glencoe served as a resort community. Could these be the screams of a past resident? Many believe so.

Photo taken on Zombie Road of supposed Shadow Figures

Legends abound of American Indian and Confederate rebel spirits, packs of child ghosts, and the tortured souls of working men killed in industrial accidents on the nearby railroad. While the sensation of being watched may be dismissed by the spooky surroundings alone, the weird sounds, and inexplicable footsteps heard here, cannot completely be ignored. Though Zombie Road is now paved and has been remade into a bike trail and jogging path, the eerie lore and legends still loom heavily on the land. If you visit, be vigilant. Spirits cannot be paved over.

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