Haunted Places: Zombie Road
Missouri's Mysteries
St. Louis Missouri is truly a unique city. It is a suburb connected with towns that make a whole city. Once you leave the metropolitan area though, you come across a wild region with forests, rivers, and caves. It is where the mysteries of Missouri lie. Creatures roam and towns that used to be there have vanished. One road is the strangest of them all. That road is known as “Zombie Road.”
It was first known as the Lawler Ford Road dating back to the late 1860s. It didn’t become zombie road until the late 1950s. It was created to provide a route to the Meramec River and the railroad tracks along the Meramec. The road is approximately two miles long and runs through dense woods. People who have been on the road say it’s uncomfortably silent. Shadows can be seen in the woods even on the brightest of days. There’s so much tree and brush, it’s impossible to see what’s coming around the corner. Even skeptics credit this place with giving travelers a claustrophobic feeling and a feeling as if the road never ends. The farther you go, the more darker and silent it becomes.
It gained a reputation in the 1950s as hangout and party area for teenagers. Today, it has a reputation for legends and tales of killers, including one who has hooks for hands and another named the “Zombie.” The “Zombie” was said to live in a run-down shack by the river and would go after teenaged lovers who came to the road looking for a quiet place. As time went by, it was no longer Lawler Ford Road. Today it is known as Zombie Road.
There are many other paranormal reports of this road as well. Full body apparitions have been seen and people have gone on Zombie Road and have never come back. There are also stories about a man who was killed by a train in the 1970s and now haunts the road, and an old woman who lives at the end of the road and yells at people who investigate the road. Another is of a boy who died near the river. His body was said to have never been found. He also haunts the area. Native American spirits have also been seen and satanic worship has taken place there as well.
There has been evidence captured that the road was possibly an Indian trail. Petroglyphs have been found along the Meramec River. The trail was an abundant source of game and water, so it would make sense for Indians to set up camp there.
Many people have reported the feeling of being watched and followed on the path. It’s as if someone is keeping pace with them, yet no one is there. There have also been disembodied voices and footsteps heard on this path. Again, there are no signs of anyone present. One of the eeriest things about the road was when the group Paranormal Task Force was taking pictures while they were doing a documentary on the road. It was called “Children of the Grave.” One of the group members, Tom Halstead, caught a picture of something amazing. Photographing the woods, they caught a picture of these shadow children between the trees looking at them. Analyzing the picture, he observed about a dozen of them. It was truly a great piece of evidence. But when he looked up from the image at the portion of the woods he had photographed, his eyes saw nothing there from what he had taken.
Zombie Road has truly a strange history. It’s a great spot for those who are into the mysterious and unexplained. If you do go, keep in mind that you might not come back.
