Creepy Stories & Legends About Route 66
Spanning a massive 2,451 miles across the United States, it's not surprising that dozens of creepy stories and urban legends have sprouted up along America's most legendary highway. Some are disgusting, some are creepy, and some you don't want to think about again while you're alone in your room. Check out the list below for the best creepy stories and legends based around Route 66.Â
Don't Check in to the Hotel Monte Vista
Hey, Route 66 is a long stretch of highway, meaning you can’t drive it all without making a few stops. But if you must stop, avoid the Hotel Monte Vista. According to Haunted Route 66: Ghosts of America's Legendary Highway, reports from that hotel indicate restless spirits like to roam the halls. Especially avoid the second floor, which is supposedly haunted by so many spirits, hotel management can’t put pets on that floor or they freak out. The scariest place might be the basement, where reports of a baby crying over and over again have been made quite a few times.
Zombie Road Is Full of Ghosts from the Past
Photo: Mike Mozart/flickr/CC-BY-20In Missouri, there’s a stretch of road that’s officially called Lawler Ford Road, but people around that area have just come to call it Zombie Road. The road was paved at some point, but now has become almost impossible to pass using an automobile. A lot of stories have come from Zombie Road, whether it be the ghost of a man hit by a train in the 1970s, or the mysterious old woman who screams at people from a house at the end of the road, but what built up Zombie Road the most was the death of Della Hamilton McCullough way back in 1876, when she was hit by a railroad car. Reports of phantom glows with bluish-white light and a translucent figure wandering around have been said to be McCullough, still haunting the place where she died
An Empty Stretch of Highway Boasts a Flaming Car
Route 666 (no surprise) is the sixth branch of Route 66 and its long stretch of road has been responsible for countless ghost stories and encounters. The scariest might come Linda Dunning, who wrote about an incident with her husband. Apparently the man was driving down Route 666 late at night and in the distance saw a burning truck flying toward him with no signs of stopping. He pulled off quickly to the side of the road and walked into the desert about 20 feet from his car in order to let the flaming truck pass. After it raced by him, he got back in his car and continued on like a smart person.
The Meramec Caverns: One-of-a-Kind Tourist Attraction, Frequent Ghost Hangout
Photo: m01229/flickr/CC-BY-20One of the many tourist attractions along Route 66, the Meramec Caverns get close to 150,000 visitors a year, not counting all the ghosts. Some of the more frequent sightings include a Native American woman who likes to stand in a distant pool of water, a woman in a formal dress most likely from one of the many galas older generations threw in the caverns, and a mysterious Man in Black, who many speculate might be the infamous Jesse James himself.
A Murderous Rampage Brings a Restless Spirit
At the Peace Church Cemetery in Joplin, Missouri, an unmarked grave apart from everyone else holds the remains of one of the most notorious spree killers of the 1950s. Billy Cook, Jr. had a rough childhood. Abused by the system, one day he snapped and went on a desperate run to Oklahoma City, killing seven people before getting arrested and executed. His body was transported back to his hometown, but the cemetery only agreed to bury him if it was in an unmarked grave. Reports tells of strange lantern lights around his grave and sometimes, if you’re unlucky enough, you might see Billy standing at the tree line, eyes filled with hate.
Cheapskate Husband Doesn’t Bother to Bury His Wife Properly and Angers Her Spirit
It’s always a good choice to honor your dead. In the Oak Hill Cemetery in Kansas (a state Route 66 passes through for only 13 miles),a man did not give his wife a proper funeral, burying her in the cheapest coffin possible and not spending anything for the service. A few days after she was buried, the gravestone cracked. The widower replaced the gravestone, but it cracked again. He replaced it a few more times, each time ending with a cracked gravestone. It forced the man to move away from the town - now there was his first good idea.
Oklahoma Has an Historic Move Theater Built on an Old Mortuary
The Coleman Theater in Miami, Oklahoma, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Once a thriving place for people to watch movies, now people can arrange tours of the restored old theater, but they might get a little more than they bargained for. According to local legend, the theater was built on a mortuary and underneath the main seating area is a crematorium. Visitors have reported extreme heat coming from that room, accompanied by unknown whistling sounds.
A Man Dies Watching His Own Execution Be Set Up, Comes Back to Haunt the Place
James Phillips was a prisoner in Guthrie, Oklahoma, when he died an unexpected death. He was sentenced to hanging, but the prison hadn’t hanged someone in quite some time, so a whole scaffold had to be built. Unfortunately, it took some time and Phillips could see it being built from his cell. Soon after, guards found him dead of heart failure, citing the stress of watching his own execution come together. To this day, guards can still hear footsteps and a face looking out the window to where the scaffold was being built.
In Texas, the Legend of the Goatman Lives On
Photo: danlela/flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0In Denton, The Old Alton, aka the Argyle Bridge, was built in 1884. Today, most locals refer to it as Goatman’s Bridge. As the legend goes, a horned man-goat can sometimes be seen on or around the bridge, usually right before a disaster is reported. The creature supposedly lives in the woods nearby, waiting for unsuspecting people to pounce upon and eat. So if you’re traveling there, it might be best to avoid the bridge altogether.
A Murdered Bride Still Waits for Her Special Day
At the Catfish Plantation in Waxahachie, Texas, multiple spirits are said to haunt the grounds. None are more tragic than the ghost of Elizabeth Anderson. If the stories are true, it is said that in the early 1900’s, a jealous ex-boyfriend burst into the house and killed Anderson on her wedding day. She was still wearing her white wedding dress. Now she can either be seen in the dining room or looking out a bay window in the front room where she was killed
The Last Confederate Soldier Refuses to Die
Waxahachie just can’t catch a break. Further into the town is Becky Road, which according to legend, is where the last Confederate soldier of the Civil War was hanged. His name was Private John Henerich, and he was hanged from a tree. Years after his execution, people still talk about seeing a young man standing on the side of the road in a Confederate uniform, while some claim they can still see him hanging from the tree where he died.
Hell’s Gate Welcomes Union Soldiers
Photo: stanze/flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0In Arlington, there’s a local legend regarding River Legacy Park. It states how a group of Confederate soldiers used to capture Union soldiers and hang them on big trees looking toward a giant gate. Because of the ordeal, the gate soon became known as Hell’s Gate, as it was usually the last thing the Union soldiers saw. It’s rumored that over one hundred soldiers were killed there, and their sobs and cries can still be heard.
A Burned-Down Orphanage Still Harbors Lost Souls
In 1897, a massive fire broke out in the Buckner Orphans’ Home in Dallas. Being made almost entirely of wood, the building went up quickly, taking the lives of fifteen male orphans who were unlucky enough to be trapped inside. They were all buried in the cemetery behind the orphanage, but reports say crying can be heard along with an unexplained burning smell.
Phantom Killer of Texarkana Leaves Behind Dead Bodies and Ghosts
Not much can be said of the Phantom Killer of Texarkana because he was never caught. He showed up in a four-month period in 1946 and earned his name by only attacking at night. By the time he was through, at least seven people were killed, with maybe more never to be discovered. Although the Phantom Killer was never found, a few of his victims can still be seen haunting the places where they died.
A Headless Spanish Soldier Searches for the Witches That Killed Him
As the story goes, in the late 1600s, Spanish soldier Juan Trevino met a beautiful girl who he fell madly in love with, even though she was already getting married to someone else. Desperate, Trevino turned to two witches for a love potion. They sold him one for a high price, but the woman still ended up marrying the other dude. Furious, Trevino confronted the witches for a refund and a fight broke out when they said no. It ended with the two witches decapitating poor Trevino and burying him away from his head. Now his spirit wanders, apparently searching for the witches who killed him.
Haunted Hill Makes Albuquerque Residents Steer Clear
In the Menaul Boulevard neighborhood, everyone apparently knows that the hills in the distance are haunted. Taking a walk among the foothills at night can lead to encounters with strange lights and odd noises, including laughing and gunshots. There’s also a cave in the hills from which people sometimes claim to see a bright light emanating, but when anyone has the courage to go check it out, it always vanishes.
The Truck Driver and the Nudist Colony
In Devore, California, at the Treehouse Fun Ranch, a truck driver frequented the nudist colony there so often that he had his ashes delivered to the place once he died. His urn rested behind the counter for years, with everyone forgetting about them and ownership switching hands. Once the new owners renovated, they found the ashes and moved them. As soon as they did, ghostly events starting happening including a self-starting fire pit and severe electrical disturbances.
