The legend of Black-Eyed Children, or B.E.K., is a modern urban legend of mysterious, ghastly, ghostly evil children who appear late at night with solid black eyes. It apparently first dates from Texas folklore in the mid-1990s. It is the ominous horror scare of the obstructed gaze of deep black eyes from young kids as images of demonic and devilish possession. Although a relatively “new” legend, they have been reported worldwide.

The original Texas legend was told by Brian Bethel, who claimed to have met the black-eyed children when he was out paying his cable bill in 1996 while living in Abilene, Texas. He stated he was sitting in his car outside a strip mall writing his check, and then a group of teenagers, wearing hoodies and possessing black eyes, came standing in his car – they asked him for a ride to their mother’s house to get money for movie tickets. However, the movie was already running, and the teenagers sounded older than the kids. He was scared and sped away when, looking back, the kids disappeared. He wrote about the encounter and published it in the Abilene New Reporter.

Many scholars say this urban legend has evolved from demonic descriptions of possessed children or could be examples of death personified as children. Children have also been an image of dark fae or fairies, shorter-statured humans with dark black eyes. They often have pale skin and appear to people in cars or homes, wanting to be in the vehicle or home.

The eyes are solid jet black, with no pupils, white, or iris, just totally black. The kids are often school-aged, ranging from kindergarteners to high schoolers. Often, their clothes are outdated, and they speak in a monotone voice, more mature than perceived age. They often repeat the same phrase and insist on being let inside the house or the car the appears before. They start innocent and evolve into more aggressive in their actions. Like vampires, they must be invited in to have power over an individual. When denied, they wander off. The accounts of these children allowed in led to the disaster unfolding, ranging from tragedy to destruction, cancer, and curses.

In Irish lore, these creatures are sometimes compared to changelings. Changelings in Irish faerie lore are fairy babies swapped for human children and are often riddled with evil actions or destruction. Water baby legends from Lake Tahoe, California, also share imagery and actions, such as when they cry to lure people to their deaths.

References:

• Bethel, Brian 2015 “Brian Bethel recounts his possible paranormal encounter with BEKs”. Abilene Reporter News. December 8, 2015.
• Cieslik, Emma 2024 Atlas Obscura: “Death as a Child: The modern legend of the black-eyed children”. Website referenced 10/23/24 at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/black-eyed-children-urban-legend.
• Daily Edge 2014 “Here’s the actual story behind the black eyed ghost children”. October 2, 2014.
• Lockley, Mike 2014 “Black Eyed Child returns to haunt Cannock Chase”; Birmingham Mail.
• Mohsin, Maria 2024 “Legend of the Black-eyed Children”. Website https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/legend-black-eyed-children-55705 referenced on 10/23/24.
• PBS 2024 Don’t Let them in: The Urban Legends of Black-Eyed Children. PBS Broadcast video located at https://portal.knme.org/video/dont-let-them-in-the-urban-legends-of-black-eyed-children-oht8de/
• Wikipedia 2024 “Black-eyed Children Legend” website referenced at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-eyed_children on 10/23/24.

Image is of Creative Commons, Wikipedia: Black-eyed children. (2024, October 23). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-eyed_children

Multnomah County Poor Farm (Now McMenamins Edgefield) Troutdale, OR

Deep in the heart of Troutdale was an early 1900’s farm that housed the homeless, sick, poor, and unfortunate. It was a place for those desperate to come and stay in exchange for work.  Legend has it, many died while working the farm, and the place had a continual flow of people.  In 1990, the Portland chain McMenamins built a hotel, brewery, and venue atop the property and have had claims of strange happenings ever since. Room 215 is claimed to be the most haunted room on the property. The front desk has a log of strange happenings at the property.    www.mcmenamins.com

Bibliography:

• Tindrick, Ryan 2014 “11 Scariest Haunted Places in Oregon”. Website referenced 10/10/15 at http://articlecats.com/index.php/11-scariest-haunted-places-in-oregon/

The kids of Crosian Creek Road

Salem, OR

There exists an urban legend or ghost story of a little girl and boy apparitions walking along the road outside of Salem, Oregon. Legend has it the little girl was killed while walking across the road and ever since she’s haunted the roadway with her brother. Some say they see a ball rolling across the street with a girl chasing it, and a little boy waving them to slow down.

Bibliography:

• Tindrick, Ryan 2014 “11 Scariest Haunted Places in Oregon”. Website referenced 10/10/15 at http://articlecats.com/index.php/11-scariest-haunted-places-in-oregon/

The Bandaged Man

Hwy 101 near Cannon Beach, Oregon

There is a mysterious legend along with the coastal highway 101 on the Oregon coast – that of an apparition of a man walking along the highway covered in bandages. He is often seen on the side of the road or in one’s rear-view mirror. Some have claimed to see him in their backseat through their rear-view mirror. When they turn to look in person, he’s not there. The reports of this apparition go back to the early 1960s.

Most claim that the best way to see him is to go down the older highway 101 that runs parallel to the main highway through the forest. This is now an abandoned road not in use, and it is said to travel at night, as very few reports seeing him in the daylight. Some call this “The Bandage Man Road”. Most notably where Highway 26 intersects with Coastal 101. He is said to vanish just before reaching the town. His name is “The Bandage Man” because he’s a man with a bandaged face.

Almost a ghastly mummy, he’s wrapped in bandages and apparently haunts the Cannon Beach community, based on urban lore. He’s described as a bloody figure of a man, covered in bandages drenched in blood, and the stench of rotting flesh follows him. He’s been said to jump into vehicles passing on the road out of Cannon Beach, especially into pickup trucks and open-topped vehicles, sedans, station wagons, and sports cars. He’s been claimed to have broken windows and leaving behind bloody bandages in his aftermath.

Some claim he is the unrestful spirit of a lumberjack who was sliced and diced in a sawmill accident nearby. He is said to have killed people along the highway and to have eaten the dogs of neighboring communities.

One of the original tales is about teenage kids “Parking and sparking” along the Bandage Man road. The boy had an old Chevy pickup and they were kissing when they felt the truck bounce with something moving in the back bed. They looked out the window to see a man in a bloody bandaged face with weird eyes. He began banging on the glass and top of the cab. The kid revved his engine, put it in gear, and raced away in terror to Cannon Beach to the safety of their parent’s service station in the greenhouse. He was gone.

The bandaged man has also been reported to be seen along the route from Lincoln City to Seaside. Some tag on that Bandage Man was a criminal shot by the police along the highway – he was transferred from the hospital to the jail, escaped, ran into the woods, and never seen again.

In the area are also tales about flying pots in Seaside, a haunted hotel in Nehalem Bay, and many mysterious apparitions in Astoria giving a great backdrop for films like Goonies, The Ring 2,  and The Fog as well as inspirations for Lovecraft film Cthulhu.

Bibliography:

• Alexander, Stephen 2014 “Haunted Oregon – Interesting before scary” Portland Tribune. Website http://portlandtribune.com/pt/11-features/229134-92235-haunted-oregon-interesting-before-scary referenced 10/12/15.
• Hagestedt, Andre 2006 “Oregon Coast Ghosts, and Other Paranormal Legends” Website http://www.beachconnection.net/news/ghost1006_0174.htm referenced 10/12/15.
• Shadowlands 2015 “Haunted Places in Oregon” Website http://www.theshadowlands.net/places/oregon.htm referenced 10/12/15.
• Tindrick, Ryan 2014 “11 Scariest Haunted Places in Oregon”. Website referenced 10/10/15 at http://articlecats.com/index.php/11-scariest-haunted-places-in-oregon/
• Sluggo 2009 “The Bandage Man of Cannon Beach” website referenced http://sluggosghoststories.blogspot.com/2009/10/bandage-man-of-cannon-beach.html on 10/12/15.
• Unexplained Mysteries 2015 “” website http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=81120 referenced on 10/12/15.

This historic conundrum of a tale has been on my bucket list for quite some time. The first trek to the trailhead led to a lack of parking and confusion about whether I was on private property or in the right spot. A second journey brought me to the disappointment of no parking, and a third time’s charm showed me quite an adventure on astrological Samhain in 2020. A visit in May 2021 demonstrated the landowner whose land the beginning of the trail crossed, no longer wanted to share passage (to the right of the sign in the picture below) … so the other neighbor (to the left of the sign shown below) opened up their land instead for those to cut across to get to the trail. (Thank you!!!)

Nooksack Gold Mine Trail

Located directly east of Everson on Sumas Mountain is a moderate 3.6-mile round-trip hike with the 1890s built a cabin, miner’s camp with safe, 12 stamp mill/hotel/brothel archaeological site, a tunnel, and two mine shafts. Great camping spots, campfire rings, and creekside adventures. Head east from Everson main street through Nooksack past highway 9 on South Pass Road (WA 544) about 2.6 miles east of Hwy 9. Turn right on Sealund Road, park on the right side across from an active farm, and follow the trail along the pasture’s fenceline with a sign stating “Gold Mine Trail”. It’s muddy, wet, and boggy – so wear appropriate footwear. Many guides state it’s muddy the first 100 yards, but truth be told, there are many muddy areas along the whole trail – bring your wellies. The trail traverses above “Gold Creek”, Swift Creek, and Rankin Creek. This trail has five different creeks running along with it: The Gold creek, Swift Creek, Rankin creek, Hardin creek, and Jim Creek.

Our goal on astrological Samhain November 7, 2020, was to explore all three mines, visit the cabin, the safe, and find the hotel’s ruins. We achieved 1 mine (tunnel), camps, safe, mill site/hotel ruins, and the old cabin. Beautiful hike, strenuous, yet my 7-year-old achieved a 4-mile hike (with our wanderings) to the very little complaint. Some heart palpitations for me up to the cabin after hiking the mines. We followed the main trail, totally missing the cabin, and hitting the first mine straight off. We never found the remaining two mines, as did miss a previous hiker trying to find them. An adventure for another day. We did find a Troll gate, a gnome door, a primitive shelter, lots of archaeology, and Xmas decorations (already). Apparently, during the summer and spring months, there are lots of edibles along the trail: blackberries, thimbleberries, huckleberries, and salmonberries. We did find a lot of mushrooms during the fall months. Some hiker notes also stated cougar sightings in the area in October 2020. Later hikes in 2021 provided more discoveries. A climb up an additional 1,250 feet in elevation at the north end of the trail is the cabin.

The Nooksack Gold Mine

The Nooksack gold mines are located on Sumas Moutain just outside of Nooksack, Washington. They belong to the Mt. Baker Mining District of Whatcom County. The elevation of the mines is recorded at 1600 feet. These mines were part of 8 claims with stakes as early as 1900. The mines have an associated mining camp (see below) with a stamp mill, dance hall, hotel, bunkhouses, safe, and mining offices. Mining equipment still exists along the trail. It is said by ghost towns of Washington that the camp was built before the mines were developed.

Apparently, there are three mine shafts, but we only found the tunnel (Mine #1) on this adventure. Mine #1 is a tunnel that purportedly goes through the rock but during our visit was submerged so could not be confirmed. (ghosttownsofwashington.com/nooksack-mine.html has a view where you can see through the tunnel as well as great photos of the mine interiors.) Mine #2 is purportedly a 135-foot deep tunnel/shaft that dead ends. Mine #3 is called the upper tunnel up above the hillside along a steep trail above the log bridge crossing the creek.

Miner’s Camp and 12-stamp Mill / Hotel / Brothel

As you are hiking along the trail, looking down to the right after passing the cabin trail – is the Miner’s camp, rusted ore cart, safe, and archaeological remains of a 12-stamp mill/location of a hotel and quarters, and purported brothel. A side path goes steeply down to the safe/miner camp. Further down from the safe is the remains of the mill as you approach the creek. Several buildings were said to have been built on this spot, though only the remains of the safe and mill are visible. It is said this was one of the biggest gold scams in Washington state history conning investors out of thousands with no gold actually found. There is some online dispute to this from a family of the mining claim stating there is no documentation of scam or illegal activity. A lot of work was placed on this site and it is believed that gold was found, though geological reports seem to show very little evidence. If it was a con, a great amount of labor and cost went into creating the mill, hotel, buildings, mine shafts, and safe. There is some claim that a hydroelectric plant was located here as well as a dance-hall/brothel.

The Mining Story

From 1899-1901 it is said that 8 claims were staked here by C.F. Bernard (Nooksack Mining Company president) and C.W> Swinecraft (secretary/treasurer) with stories of incredible gold being mined. A stamp mill, hotel, brothel, dance hall, houses, and offices were established – attracting 370 prominent investors to fund the venture. A safe displaying gold to the investors was located on-site. Investors apparently were wined, dined, and entertained at the hotel/brothel with stories of great capital gains after investment. Apparently, no investor received a dime. Local legend states it was more or less a resort with a scam/con of no actual gold being mined.

False appearances of ore samples are believed to have been shown and the site salted with lures. Some say they even fired gold flecks from a shotgun onto the site. It is said on one side that the con was discovered causing operations to shut immediately down with operators fleeing the scene. Purported ancestors however claim there were no investors, no scam, no con, and the gold never sent to the mint – that no legal records exist of such debauchery. This can be found as a comment by Bernard’s great grand-daughter saying “the mine was part of a corporation with stockholders. the company was dissolved in court and never was it mentioned in the court process as being a scam.” (Dave Tucker’s Blog) The mines were suddenly closed in 1905. Local legend has it the mine assets were auctioned off in 1906 to pay off the debts. It is now DNR land and a public hiking trail. A 1969 mines report does state Gold minorly exists on the Mountain but the Nooksack mine was not a major producer of the county as no gold was ever sold to the U.S. Minto and there are no records of production. U.S. Mint records and geological surveys claim that the mines here never produced gold.

Runtime: 9 min, 56 sec.
Soundtrack: Long Roads by John and the Land of Plenty.
https://technotink.org/?p=6600
Day on Magisto, Youtube, or Vimeo.

Sumas Mountain

The gold mine trail is along Sumas Mountain. This mountain rises above the Whatcom county lowlands. According to John Tucker, a local geologist, the mountain is infamous for its Swift Creek Landslide that creeps down a valley with asbestos-laden clay, conglomerates of the Chuckanut Formation, and underlying ultramafic serpentine rocks. This can be found on the Sumas Topo Map 7.5″ quad. Glacial till, the Jackass Mountain formation of south-central BC (mid-Cretaceous), Chuckanut Formation conglomerates, Huntingdon Formation, and Serpentine rock (late Jurassic)/ultramafic complex rocks can be found along this trail. A 1969 Washington DNR Report “Mines and Mineral Deposits of Whatcom County, Washington” by Wayne Moen states there are gold deposits on the mountain.

John Friendly Cabin

A left offshoot trail before the mining camp leads a steep climb to the old John Friendly Cabin / Sumas Mountain Outpost dating to 1891. Views of the surrounding countryside are spectacular from the cabin site. The cabin is recorded to have been built by John Friendly in 1891. Jumping to the future, after the area was logged, the Backcountry Horsemen restored the cabin calling it the “Sumas Mountain Outpost”. The cabin site has a large group campfire pit out front, a guest registry, welcoming sign horse tie-downs, old-fashioned moon-cut wood privy with modern seat, and a fully functional primitive cabin with loft and wood stove. Someone obviously caretakers the site. Inside the cabin is a wood-fire stove with a pile of firewood, broom, basic supplies, trashcan, cast iron pan, and some have written bedding for those wanting to spend the night. (there was no bedding present during our November 2020 visit and no sundries) There is a fold-down ladder to the loft/attic space for additional camp space. Inside is a kitchen area for food preparation and storage. A large hand-drawn map is along the left wall. Privy is well kept stocked with toilet paper. A semi-paved / graveled service road exists behind the cabin.

Faerie gates and doors

Moreover, along the folklore route, there are the categorical twisted trees and features that Celtic legend associates with the Fae (Faeries, fairies, gnomes, and trolls). These legendary features of twisted trees and attributes are recorded by numerous cultures to belong within fairy tales. Some of these features are found on this trail.

Troll Gate:

A twisted root mangle that appears like a tree troll or ent laying on its side with a fairy gate/troll gate that one can crawl through. The act of crossing through these lead to folkloric beliefs that one can enter the realm of faerie or the otherworld, or at least gain fairy sight. Nearby is a tree with a Xmas ornament (Nov 7, 2020) of a truck with a Xmas tree on it. Hanging of ornaments, ribbons, or gifts to the Fae are common around these types of features.

Gnome Door:

Sometimes tree trunks have a loss of bark that appears to have a face or a door within its base. In the realms of folklore, many associates these as being gnome doors. The front door to a gnome home. This is primarily found in Celtic folklore though modern Tolkien urban lore and borrowing create these all over the world.

Bibliography:

• AllTrails n.d. “Gold Mine Trail”. Website https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/gold-mine-trail visited on 11/13/21.
• Diehl, Anna 2019 “Gold Mine Trail: A Hike Through Sumas Mountain History”. Website https://www.whatcomtalk.com/2019/08/09/gold-mine-trail-a-hike-through-sumas-mountain-history/ visited on 11/13/21.
• Impero, Michael 2010 Dreams of Gold
• Impero, Michael 2007 The Lone Jack, King of the Mount-Baker Mining District.
• Kantack, Katt 2015 “Islands to Mountains: Deceptions & Debauchery – Sumas Mountain Gold Mine Trail”. Website islandstomountains.blogspot.com/2015/06/deception-debauchery-sumas-mountain.html visited on 11/7/20.
• Memorieshop.com undated “Trails Along North West Rails: Nooksack Gold Mine”. Website www.memorieshop.com/PS-&-BRR/Nooksack-Gold-Mine/ visited on 11/7/2020.
• Moen, Wayne S. 1969 “Mines and Mineral Deposits of Whatcom County, Washington” : State of Washington: Department of Natural Resources, Bulletin No 57. Website dnr.wa.gov/publications/ger_b57_mines_mineral_dep_whatcom_1.pdf visited on 11/7/20.
• ghosttownsofwashington.com 2013 “Ghost Towns of Washington: Nooksack Mine”. Website www.ghosttownsofwashington.com/nooksack-mine.html visited on 11/7/2020.
• Tucker, Dave undated “Northwest Geology Field Trips: Geology hike on the Gold Mine Trail, Sumas Mountain, Whatcom County: congolmerates and a mining scam”. Website nwgeology.wordpress.com/the-fieldtrips/geology-hike-on-the-gold-mine-trail-sumas-mountain-whatcom-county-congolerates-and-a-mining-scam/ visited on 11/7/2020.
• Western Mining History n.d. “Nooksack Mine”. Website referenced https://westernmininghistory.com/mine_detail/10047790/ on 11/13/21.
• Washington Trails Association n.d. “Sumas Mountain – Gold Mine Trail”. Website https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/gold-mine-trail visited 11/13/21.
  

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Zombieland

Hillsville, Pennsylvania

Along the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania, in Lawrence County, just north of the small Italian immigrant populated village of Hillsville is an unsettling quiet and eerie region locals call “Zombie Land”.

Mainly “urban legend” than actual historic folklore are tales of the macabre, mystical beasts, deaths, and grisly murder. There is definitely a feeling of “odd” and “something not right” when entering these several mile strips of heavily wooded spots meeting farming, transportation, and industrial works along Lawler Ford Road a.k.a. “Zombie Road” or Route 224.

The Virgin Mary:

It begins around the old St. Lawrence Catholic Church which has long been converted to a private residence and its accompanying graveyard along route 224. There is an alcove with a statue of the Virgin Mary who has a creepy air about herself. Legend has it, she will greet visitors with open arms when it is safe to enter Zombie Land, and have praying hands when it is not. In the 1990’s it was reportedly vandalized and a plexiglass (or glass) window was installed to protect the statue.

St. Lawrence Church and Graveyard:

Some say the gravestones behind this church glow at night. Others say it is at the Presbyterian graveyard down the road. We’ve been to both, and outside of solar-powered grave lights, there is no glow. Others say it is a historic stone in the older part of the graveyard behind the old Church (St. Lawrence) that has a particular shine that reflects off the full moon or light from the house (old church). We unfortunately during our night visit did not see that section, although we did explore the two graveyards – seeing no glow, but experiencing the eerie ambiance.

The Hilltown Bridge:

Just down the road from the St. Lawrence Graveyard north is the Hilltown Bridge. The original Bridge in March 1913 was swept away and has since been replaced by a new concrete monster. It was torn down again in 2007 and replaced with a modern concrete span.

It is from this bridge that reports of unexplained lights moving around it and underneath like the Will o’ Wisp has been reported. Also, some say one can hear screams and gunshots from the bridge at night. It has also been reported to be a “crying bridge” with sounds of a crying baby underneath, with the urban lore that a mother tossed her child over the edge. It has reports of suicides being conducted from its rails.

The Killing Fields or “Murder Swamp”:

Just north of the Hilltown Bridge are the “Killing Fields” where at night many report hearing screams and gunshots. In the woods bordering the railway, some say there are “ghost whistles” to be heard late at night. If one park near the rails, strange things will happen to the car. It is also reputedly where a serial killer dumped more than a dozen bodies with decapitated heads in Zombie Land.

From 1921-1942, between Mahoningtown and New Castle, over 15 bodies were found in the swamp and may have been the same serial killer who conducted decapitations in Cleveland around the same time. There are many stories of the Italian Immigrants who settled in the area also killing many farmers, authorities, and residents leaving them in the Killing Fields to decay. It was in 1907 when several Italian men in Hillsville, believed to be associated with the Italian mafia/mob who proclaimed that “No person in the Hillsville district, either Italian or American, will give the slightest assistance to any officer desiring the prosecution of Italian offenders.” and it was then that a Hillsville farmer allowed an officer named Sealy Houk to use his phone to effect an arrest of an Italian found to have killed his cow.

It is believed that the officer was killed and dumped in the “Killing fields” of the region, discovered by a train passing by. Three days after Houk’s body was discovered, three Italian mob men went into the fields killing and pouching animals, aggravating and attacking (murdering at least one – William Duff) farmers who tried to stand in their way.

The Mines:

There are said to be various mines in the area used by the mafia from Youngstown to dispose of bodies. While traveling through the area, we only saw signs for “Limestone” mines.

Skyhill Road Bridge:

(aka Frankenstein Bridge, Hookman’s Bridge, Ghost Bridge, Graffiti Bridge)

A few more miles down into Zombie land on Skyhill Road is a small bridge that was built in 1917 crossing off the Coffee Run River. It also has been replaced in 2013 changing the eerie attraction. It became to be believed to be haunted by the “Bridge People” and the “Hook Man”.

Apparently, they were mutated zombie-like people who lived nearby that were bothered by people hanging around the bridge so would hunt them down to maim or kill them. It is believed that if one writes someone’s name on the bridge, the “Bridge People” or “The Hookman” would go murder them. The bridge is covered with people’s names and symbols. The Original bridge had wood railings where the graffiti would be, but now a metal railing, the graffiti is on the asphalt itself. Oddly, underneath the bridge are lover’s dedications and love notes scrawled on the walls. The Hate is above, the Love below.

We also saw the corpse of a dead deer lying halfway on the ground and in the water, half-wrapped in a garbage bag like an offering to the Bridge people. Someone else writing about the Bridge also stated there was a dead deer but that was back in 2016, so a different dead deer. It is said a young boy leaped from the bridge killing himself as a suicide.

The Zombie Torch:

Right around the corner from the bridge west is the Eternal Flame dedicated to the Zombies that haunt the woods. The mutant colored metal pipe protruding from the ground is just a stone’s torch from the road – it is an iron pipe venting fumes from the natural gas field below. If one lights the torch it will anger the Bridge People and the Hook Man, summoning them to cause death unto the one who lit it.

The Blood House, Bridge People, Hook Man:

Deep in the woods near the bridge and torch is the purported home of the Bridge People and/or Hook Man. It is said also to have been the home of a wicked witch named “Mary Black” who snatched and murdered children of the area, burying them in the fields.

It has long been burnt down and demolished by authorities and no longer exists. Others state that the Blood House is located off of Erskin Quarry Road and had a small graveyard attached to it. Some say the Witch was a woman who went crazy and hung her children. Others say it all happened when some mental patients escaped and settled in the area.

Others say the “Bridge People” were mutant-like residents of the woods who suffered from “hydrocephalus” or “water on the brain” that settled in the area along the Mahoning River to avoid being harassed for their deformities. They were also nicknamed the “Light Bulb Heads”.

An escaped mental patient nicknamed “Zombie” who was a serial killer supposedly lived in the woods along this road. Some claim that his bloodied hospital gown was once found on the road and murdered local kids. Other paranormal investigators call the “Bridge People” the infamous legendary “Shadow People” of lore. There is some belief that the “Hook Man” came from the Killing of Seely Houk written about above.

The Railroad Bridge:

Along Coffee Run, at Robinson’s Crossing, just north of the Manoning River, within Zombie Land, not too far from all the haunted locations is a Railway Bridge still in use by CSX trains was the scene of a grisly rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl named Shannon Leigh Kos.

Her boyfriend and two other 20-year-old boys brought her there, raped her, and stabbed her to death. They attempted to burn her body, but her remains were found by the bridge three days later. The sick criminals – William George Monday (21), David Christopher Garvey (20), and Perry Sam Ricciardi II (20) were arrested and convicted.

There are purported rumors that Robinson’s Crossing was once a popular “lover’s lane” but police reported many arguments and spats, domestic violence calls, etc. were popular there as well as abandoned dates they had to come to escort home. Rumors of suicides at this spot as well as the other bridges are also common.

The Glowing Green Man:

There are legends of a green man who had been burned in an industrial accident that lived in the area. Others say he was a local handyman who was electrocuted and had a light green glow to his skin. According to Jim Mosley, the Green Man not only existed but was someone whom he had met on occasion through his wanderings in Zombie Land and spent many evenings drinking with him at the local pub. His real name was Raymond Robinson.

A zombie land facebook fan page exists here: https://www.facebook.com/ZombieLandHillsvillePA/ and t-shirts are sold at a local beverage shop.

Recommended Reading/Bibliography:

• Associated Press 2000 “Accused told police of Killing”. The Associated Press. Website referenced on 11/12/18 at http://www2.sharonherald.com/localnews/recentnews/0011/ln111600f.html

• Lawrence County Memoirs n.d. “Zombie Land – Hillsville PA” website referenced 11/12/18 at http://www.lawrencecountymemoirs.com/lcmpages/1073/zombieland-hillsville-pa

• Reddit 2016 “Gruesome Murder of a Girl I Knew NSFW” by u/nebbles1069. Website referenced 11/12/18 at https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/462b6r/gruesome_murder_of_a_girl_i_knew_nsfw/

• Penn Live e2016 “From Hell’s Hollow to Zombie Land: 13 western PA places with haunting legends. Website referenced 11/12/18 at https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/10/haunted_western_pennsylvania.html

• Summers, Ken 2011 “The Strange History Behind America’s Creepiest Zombie Road Legends … and How You Can find them”. Website referenced 11/12/18 at http://weekinweird.com/2011/09/26/home-zombie-roads/

• Tinsley, M. Ferguson 2000 “This time, Zombie Land tale is true”. Post-Gazette Staff. Website referenced 11/12/18 at http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20001031zombie1.asp

• Torisk, Emmalee C. 2013 “Urban legends haunt Zombieland” : Vindy.com. Website referenced 11/12/18 at http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/oct/29/urban-legends-haunt-zombieland/

• Warren, Louis S. unknown “The Hunters Game: Poachers and Conservationists in Twentieth-Century America”. Website referenced 11/12/18 at https://books.google.com/books?id=OfeB1wAdQHwC&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=killing+fields+hillsville

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Jackalope

The American Southwest boasts a cryptid and legendary creature known as the “jackalope” – a jack-rabbit hosting antelope horns. The name is simply the combination of a “Jack Rabbit” and “Antelope” as “jackalope”. Many of the taxidermy fake creations sold in stores around the Southwest are actually Jack Rabbits with deer antlers added to them. While a later invention, the “jackalope” is now a solid part of American western folklore.

The creature was invented by Douglas Herrick and his brother who were great hunters who possessed mad taxidermy skills, and they grafted deer antlers onto a jackrabbit carcass selling it to a hotel in Douglas, Wyoming. It was such a hit, they started making and selling them in a retail outlet in South Dakota.

Another taxidermist took over their craft selling the stuffed creatures as popular art pieces today. They have been added to photos, postcards, greeting cards, stuffed animals, and many other gifts if gift shops and became a subject to many stories, poems, shows, movies, video games, and almost made it onto the bills of the Wyoming legislature as the state’s legendary creature.

Historically, folklorists believe that the mythical beast was first discussed in legend as some historical sightings of horned hares were reported, most likely from rabbits infected with the Shope papilloma virus causing a horn or antler-like tumor to grow in various places on a rabbit’s head and body. The fabled creature dates back to the Colonial period of America.

There have been many stories of horned rabbits throughout the world, not restricted to the American Southwest or West. There was a 13th-century Persian work that depicts a rabbit with a single horn represented like a “unicorn”. The two-horned rabbit appears in Medieval and Renaissance folklore in Bavaria as the wolpertinger. Joannes Jonstonus’ 17th-century natural history text “Historiae Naturalis de Quadrupetibus Libre (The History Book of Natural Quadrangles) illustrated such as Animalia Qvadrvpedia et Reptilia (Terra) with Plate XLVII by Joris Hoefnagel (1522-1600) in the 16th century included the horned hare. They described the hybrids as real creatures but were rejected later by 18th-century scientists. Richard E. Shope, M.D. referenced horned rabbits afflicted with the Shope papillomavirus in a scientific journal dated to 1933 as “horned” or “warty” rabbits.

Legends of them also can be found in Asia and Africa as well as other parts of Europe. The Huichol legends of Central America also have references to horned rabbits as the deer getting horns from the rabbit as the deer and rabbit were to be paired as day signs in the calendar of the Mesoamerican period of the Aztecs – twins, as brothers, even the sun and moon.

The Chamber of Commerce in Douglas Wyoming issues Jackalope Hunting Licenses to tourists, good for the official jackalope season for one day – June 31st from midnight to 2 am. The hunter must have an IQ greater than 50 but not over 72. They have issued thousands of these gag licenses. Douglas also has an 8′ statue of a jackalope and the town hosts the annual Jackalope Days Celebration each June. Jackalopes are seen as dangerous creatures, hunters are advised to wear stovepipes on their legs to prevent being gored to death. They are said to mimic the human voice and are known to mimic the voices of cowboys gathered around campfires at night or singing along with their songs. They are supposedly only able to breed during lightning flashes and their antlers make the act difficult despite the fact that hares are known to be extremely fertile.

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The Hotel California, Fact myth or legend?

Review by Leaf McGowan/Thomas Baurley, Technogypsie Productions ~

“The Hotel California” ~
A fictional place, but full of urban myths and legends.

The “California Hotel” photo above, is NOT of course the place of the legend from the Song, nor was it the headquarters for Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan. I’m actually not sure of the history of the actual hotel in this photo, but it called to mind my memories about this urban legend. (The photo above MIGHT be the California Hotel of historic landmarks, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Hotel as it was in Oakland.

The California Hotel historic is an important cultural center for the African-American community of San Francisco’s East ay during the ’40s-’60s, it experienced severe economic difficulties and turned into subsidized housing in the 80s.

I first came across the urban legend in 1990 at the Starwood festival when I was hanging out with a Satanist from the Church of Satan who first told me the tale … “one of the members of the Eagles was at this bar and got drunk with Anton LaVey’s daughter, she brought him home that night to her hotel room (at the Hotel California where supposedly the headquarters of the Church of Satan resided), they became lovers.

Apparently, he was so tied up in the affair with her that he disregarded showing up to band practice or responsibilities, and in a sense “never could leave” the hotel. When He snapped out of it, he apparently wrote the song about the experience hanging with the Church of Satan.

A similar tale was told to me by my mentor Isaac Bonewits, founder of ADF (Ar nDraoicht Fein – A Druid Fellowship) who briefly joined the Church in his youth, but was so rambunctious and a trouble maker, the Church of Satan actually kicked him out of their group. (I do know that to be true as I’ve seen historic film reels of him in their ranks. Apparently, he was recruited after creating a parodic devil’s throne upon which he proselytized at UoC Berkeley to harass the local bible thumper on campus. They ran across him, were impressed, and asked him to join. )

I digress, back to the original legend. Some claim that Larry Salter, the Eagle’s manager admitted in the Waco Tribune-Herald (Feb. 28, 1982) that the Eagles were involved with the Church of Satan. Oddly the Church of Satan was first legally registered as “Hotel California” (legal entity name). But the Eagles claim far and wide, they were not associated with the Church and it was a leap that people jumped to. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_California)

The Eagles claim that the “Hotel California” is an allegory about hedonism and greed in Southern California in the 1970s. As they first experienced California at that time, they were impressioned that California was about money, drugs, women, and fame – true hedonism, and they were disquieted by it all pushing that un-ease into their lyrics to warn others about the dark underside of such adulation – “a loss of innocence”, corruption of the artist in California imprisoned in a gilded prison that the artist freely enters that he cannot leave. It is not actually a place, but a metaphor of the west’s music industry and its effect on musicians ensnared by it. (http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/hotel.asp)

To make matters worse, many conspiracy theorists have marked that “Anton LaVey” (leader of the Church of Satan, San Francisco) can be seen in the balcony window as depicted on the album cover for the record “Hotel California”.

• Mirrors on the ceiling,

• The pink champagne on ice

• And she said ‘We are all just prisoners here, of our own device’

• And in the master’s chambers,

• They gathered for the feast

• They stab it with their steely knives,

• But they just can’t kill the beast

• Last thing I remember, I was

• Running for the door

• I had to find the passage back

• To the place, I was before

• ‘Relax,’ said the night man,

• ‘We are programmed to receive.

• You can check-out any time you like,

But you can never leave!’

The urban myth has odd facts and twisted thoughts behind it, and whether or not those with the inside knowledge are telling the truth and the Eagles are covering it up to save their reputation, or it is quite a bit of hog-wash and conjecture, we’ll never know. Frey and Henley claim that as much as people want to know what the song was about, they really don’t know themselves. It was an attempt at a “twilight zone” influence and many beliefs are abound. (http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35347075)

Of course, the fundamentalist Christian organizations still claim it is a Satanic song, the band was gifted their success by dealing with the Devil (dueling banjos) at the crossroads giving their lives for their success. They won’t let go of this urban legend regardless. (https://ministryofrock.wordpress.com/2015/10/10/is-hotel-california-satanic/, http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Wicca%20&%20Witchcraft/anton_lavey2.htm, https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-song-meaning-of-Hotel-California, https://stewartstaffordblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/does-satan-reside-at-the-hotel-california/)

And Cracked hosts a good explanation of it all here: http://www.cracked.com/article_19454_5-famous-hidden-song-meanings-that-are-total-b.s..html

If you would like to contact the author about this review, need a re-review, would like to advertise on this page, or have information to add, please contact us at [email protected].

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Urban Legend: Smile.dog
The tale of an author attempting to get his first book published went to see his mentor surprised that no one answered the door. He left and returned the next day again to find the mentor gone. He opened the mail slot at the bottom of the door only to hear strange noises and screams. This lead him to believe his mentor was in trouble so he called the police. The police found his mentor barricaded in a room screaming about ghosts and demons that were surrounding and threatening her. This made her go mad and she had torn off her own ears, cut her tongue, gouged out her eyes, and died shortly after.

The lady apparently received a floppy disk that had an image called “smile.jpg” which was “smile.dog” file. Many claim that viewing this image incites insanity and that no copy of the exact image exists on the web, albeit likenesses of it do exist. Everyone who views this file ends up dead, according to the urban legend. The original legend began with an image of the devil. The only way to escape death is to spread the word and pass on the smile.dog file to all they know.

5. Smile.jpg/ Smile.dog

One of the original tellings of the legend:

I first met in person with Mary E. in the summer of 2007. I had arranged with her husband of fifteen years, Terence, to see her for an interview. Mary had initially agreed, since I was not a newsman but rather an amateur writer gathering information for a few early college assignments and, if all went according to plan, some pieces of fiction. We scheduled the interview for a particular weekend when I was in Chicago on unrelated business, but at the last moment Mary changed her mind and locked herself in the couple’s bedroom, refusing to meet with me. For half an hour I sat with Terence as we camped outside the bedroom door, I listening and taking notes while he attempted fruitlessly to calm his wife.
The things Mary said made little sense but fit with the pattern I was expecting: though I could not see her, I could tell from her voice that she was crying, and more often than not her objections to speaking with me centered around an incoherent diatribe on her dreams — her nightmares. Terence apologized profusely when we ceased the exercise, and I did my best to take it in stride; recall that I wasn’t a reporter in search of a story, but merely a curious young man in search of information. Besides, I thought at the time, I could perhaps find another, similar case if I put my mind and resources to it.
Mary E. was the sysop for a small Chicago-based Bulletin Board System in 1992 when she first encountered smile.jpg and her life changed forever. She and Terence had been married for only five months. Mary was one of an estimated 400 people who saw the image when it was posted as a hyperlink on the BBS, though she is the only one who has spoken openly about the experience. The rest have remained anonymous, or are perhaps dead.”

This full account is here with comments from those having seen it: http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Smile_Dog
Those who have claimed to have seen the picture (and lived) says the photo is of a dog-like creature similar to a Siberian husky illuminated by the flash of the camera sitting in a dim room and the faint image of a empty human hand extending from the darkness near the left side of the frame many think is “beckoning” the dog. The muzzle of the dog apparently appears to have a wide grin revealing two rows of very white, straight sharp human-looking teeth.

References:

• Creepy Pasta 2015 “Smile Dog” at Creepy Pasta Wiki – website referenced 10/10/15 at http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Smile_Dog
• Morgan, Nate 2015 “5 Malevolent Entities you could summon but shouldn’t” I love Halloween theme website. Website referenced 10/10/15 at http://ilovehalloween.bandzoogle.com/most-popular-posts/blog/5-malevolent-entities-you-could-summon-but-probably-shouldn-t.
• Urban dictionary 2015 “smile dog” website referenced 10/10/15 at http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=smile+dog.