The Parkway Phantom of the Garden State Parkway

Those who live in New Jersey whisper tales of a phantom hitchhiker who haunts the Garden State Parkway. Though officials refuse to talk about the problem, hundreds of people over the years have seen and experienced this apparition.

If you've ever been on the Garden State Parkway for yourself, you know just how long and lonely it can be. The northern part of the road is similar to other highways, but driving along the south side can be a little disturbing. Here you'll find yourself driving through small villages and spending more time deep in the woods than surrounded by other people. When there are other cars on the road, things seem fine but once the sun sets and the others cars die off, things take a darker turn.

The Parkway Phantom is the name given to the creature that haunts this desolate stretch of highway. People believe that this creature sticks to the eight miles of highway that surround exit number 82 because this is where the majority of sightings are reported. Locals also claim that this stretch of highway has seen more accidents and death than any other highway in the state.

Many of the people who have seen the Parkway Phantom claim that he resembles a regular man, tall and very skinny. The man is almost always seen standing next to the road, and many people assume he is having car problems. He waves to cars driving by, as if to ask for help. Those drivers who decide to stop pull over to the side of the road, only to discover that the man is gone. Some more adventurous drivers have even attempted to track down the Phantom, but no trace is ever found.

There are also stories told of travelers who seen the Phantom, but describe him in different terms. The original Phantom was always described in old-fashioned clothing, but newer reports claim he is wearing regular clothing that looks dirty or torn. The man appears on the same stretch of road, waving his hands over his head. This Phantom doesn't stick to the side of the road either, but actually wanders out into the middle of the road.

Those who work in this part of New Jersey are accustomed to the strange tales that visitors tell because they have heard the stories for years now, almost since the Parkway was built in the 1950's. Travelers and locals have reported seeing the strange man on the side of the road, or trying to help some poor motorist, only to have him disappear before their eyes. Many people believe that the Parkway Phantom appears several times a year at the same time.

Is there actually a ghost haunting the Garden State Parkway? Some believe that the ghost is little more than the eyes playing tricks on people, the result of driving alone late at night. Others who have experienced the Phantom though say that he is something you have to see to believe.

Kentucky's Most Haunted: The Vengeful Ghost of Carl Pruitt

Stories of a vengeful and killer ghost spread across the state of Kentucky in 1938. People claimed that the ghost was causing death and destruction wherever it went, though it seemed to be centered on a small area of the state.

The story started with Carl Pruitt, who seemed to be an ordinary man. Ordinary that is until he discovered his wife cheating on him, and not only that, but cheating with him in his own bed. In a fit of anger, he grabbed a steel chain and strangled his wife with it, while the other man ran for his life. Seeing what he had done, Pruitt killed himself. Considering what he had done, the wife's family insisted that the two be separated, and Pruitt was placed across town in a different cemetery.

Pruitt's headstone almost instantly changed in appearance, and people swore that they could see a chain wrapped around the stone. It almost looked as if the chain was etched into the stone, and it continued to grow longer and take up more space on the headstone. Once the chain stopped growing, some suggested that the stone be removed, but it never was.

The first death came just a few weeks after the chain stopped. Several boys rode through the cemetery, and one tossed rocks at the headstone to prove his bravery. On the way home that day the boy's bicycle veered out of control and he somehow ended up being strangled by the chain on his bike. Though his friends swore that the boy broke the stone with one of his throws, no evidence of the damage could be found.

A few weeks later the boy's mother went to the cemetery with vengeance in mind. She attacked the tombstone with an axe from her farm, destroying it into a pile of rubble. The next day the lady was hanging clothes outside her house when the clothesline came loose. Somehow, and no one is quite sure how, the woman ended up being strangled by the clothesline. Some claim that once again the tombstone appeared perfectly normal.

Though stories of the deaths continued to spread, not everyone was afraid of Pruitt. A family driving past the cemetery witnessed the horrifying death of their father. The man shot at the headstone, declaring that he thought the whole story was fake. Right after that, his wagon veered out of control and the man was strangled to death by a chain on the wagon. Not only did the tombstone look perfect, but authorities were baffled to how the chain came loose to kill the man.

Following the last death, people began to talk. The talk spread to the point where authorities were sent to the area to examine the tombstone. One of the men laughed at the tombstone, and it would be one of the last things he ever did. While leaving the cemetery, his car crashed. A chain in the area broke through the windshield, wrapped around his neck, and strangled him.

That incident caused people to keep their distance, but once again there was a man who scoffed at the stories. He attacked the tombstone with a hammer, and people could hear the cracking as the tombstone broke in pieces. There was a short silence before people heard the man screaming.

When people ran to the cemetery, they found that a heavy chain from the cemetery gate had strangled the man. It looked as though the man had run right through the gate, caught his neck on the chain, and hung there until people arrived. Once again there was no sign of any damage to Pruitt's tombstone.

This was the turning point of the cemetery. Families began moving their buried to other cemeteries, and new burials rarely occurred there. The cemetery itself was destroyed in the 1950's, leaving only the story behind.

Even today people still talk about the mysterious deaths surrounding this one little tombstone. No explanation has ever been given, but people still love to tell the story of what once happened there.

Mitchel Road and Hotrod Haven: A Ghostly Legend from Kentucky

Mitchel Hill Road is a place in Kentucky that locals call Hotrod Haven. While teens and young adults today tend to think they invented, or refined street racing, those that hopped along this road during the 1940s and 1950s would beg to differ.

The road itself is fairly dangerous to drive during the day, and even more so at night. With a number of curves and twists, it's a road that begs people to take it slowly. Yet not everyone heeds its warnings, and that has resulted in at least 25 deaths over the years. The death of one such individual on the road has led to a ghostly tale that still plagues the area.

The date was September 23, 1950 when a young couple headed down Mitchel Road traveling to a dance. The two made it to a certain bend in the road where they lost control of the car. The car careened into the bottom of a hill, killing the two instantly. Though their deaths were tragic to locals, it also brought forth a long-standing ghost story.

Supposedly the couple was buried in a cemetery on the road that is reserved for several local families such as Mitchel and Griffen. Story claims that the two were buried side by side so they could still be together in death. The story further claims that the young woman is now doomed to wander through the cemetery, and along Mitchel Road.

Oddly enough history doesn't recall the name of the young couple, or even the names of even one of them. Some people claim the young woman was named Mary, while others are convinced she is Sarah. There are stories that people in the area simply picked the name out of the cemetery, based on women that died during the same time period.

There actually was a deadly accident on Mitchel Road, but it happened on September 23, 1946. A young couple was traveling down the road on their way to a dance when the car crashed. Roy Clarke and Sarah Mitchel were both killed in the accident and buried together in the cemetery.

There are many who believe that this tragedy gave birth to the urban legend told about the road, while others believe it is proof that the ghost story is real. There are also some who believe the story originated as a way to keep teenagers from racing down the dangerous road.

Mitchel Road is a place that if you visit, you should be careful driving down. Whether there are ghosts or not, it is still a dangerous place to visit.

Chicago's Most Haunted: Inez Clarke and the Ghost Story of Graceland Cemetery

Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, is home to one of the most faked hauntings of all time, and it seemed as though everyone was taken in by the story. From ghost hunters to locals, everyone wanted to believe.

The story of the Graceland Cemetery starts in 1860. The cemetery itself was founded outside the city, and had only a handful of burials every year. As the city of Chicago slowly grew in size, it began to move north. Eventually Graceland was incorporated into the city, and the City Cemetery was closed, the bodies moved into Graceland. At some point in the history of the Cemetery, the story of Inez Clarke swept across Chicago.

According to local legend Inez Clarke was the name of a ghost that haunted this Chicago landmark. The little girl was struck by lighting in 1880, and passed away at the age of six. Adding to the ghost story was that this tragedy occurred directly in front of her parents. The trio were enjoying a picnic in the park when a sudden storm broke out. Inez Clarke's parents were so heartbroken that they had a life sized statue of the little girl created, sealed in a glass box, and placed on her grave. Visitors to the Graceland Cemetery frequently left gifts for the little girl on her grave, or brought flowers for her. Then there were the ghost stories, and there were a lot regarding little Inez Clark.

Another version of the Inez Clarke story states that her parents locked her out of the house as punishment for some long forgotten deed. The storm set in, and little Inez was once again struck by lightning. Her parents decided not to tell their friends and loved ones of their unspeakable deed, and instead told others that the little girl died of tuberculosis.

The first ghost story stated that the statue would sometimes disappear from the glass box, and always during storms. Others claimed to hear odd noises in the vicinity, the sound of a little girl playing or someone moaning. At certain times visitors claimed to hear the sounds of a small girl crying near the statue. Others claimed to have seen Inez Clarke playing in the cemetery, or their children seeing her. The ghost stories of Inez Clarke led many to believe that Chicago's Graceland Cemetery was one of the most haunted places in America. The problem of course is that there is no Inez Clarke.

The location where the statue of the little girl is, is actually the final resting place of a young boy named Amos Briggs. A local historian thinks the statue may have been created by a local monument maker who used it as a form of advertising.

Of course the story of Inez Clarke is not the only ghost story surrounding Chicago's Graceland Cemetery. The other is the ghost story of Dexter Graves. Following the death of this wealthy businessman, a local artist was commissioned to create a monument in his honor. This monument is called "Eternal Silence", but ghost hunters often refer to it as the "Statue of Death". This large figure was once entirely black, but exposure to the elements led to the color slowly chipping off to reveal the green brass underneath. The only place on the figure that still remains black is the figure's face. Legend claims that the figure cannot be photographed, and those that try face certain death. Others say that if an individual looks directly into the figure's face, they will see their own death.

Graceland Cemetery in Chicago is an interesting place to visit, even if some of its stories have been debunked.