Some Anderson Roads Conjure Up Extra Halloween Chills
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Halloween is almost here and there's few better places to celebrate the season than right here on Anderson County roads.
Yeah, the conditions of the roads are scary throughout the year, but just the names of some roads offer additional spookiosity around Halloween.
Surely there is something frightening afoot on Stephen King Drive near the lake where ghouls might produce a worthwhile chill or two. As far as I know, the author has never visited this area, but who knows? The Maine man can be sneaky.
If you are a fan of King’s work, there’s also Salem Street. So far, no reports of vampire activity there or on Salem Church Road.
Then there’s Hillhouse Road, a cryptically possible site for the Shirley Jackson novel “The Haunting of Hill House.” Hope the haunted lottery doesn’t come up all sixes on this road.
For history buffs who enjoy a good ghost, there’s Sleepy Hollow Road near Pendleton. Not sure anyone has spotted the headless Revolutionary War soldier galloping on horseback through that neighborhood looking for his lost noggin, but there’s always a first.
Speaking of galloping, there’s Galloping Ghost Road out on the lake, where the spirit of Red Grange has been known to ring a few doorbells and raise a few goosebumps.
Not far away is Hidden Lake Drive, and we all know something is amiss when you have to hide a lake. Witchcraft might be the easiest route to that work.
Historic spookiness for Civil War buffs might also produce some spirited sightings of their favorite character on Shiloh Church Road, Shenandoah Road, Jeb Stuart Avenue, Beauregard Road, Manse Jolly Road, or, for those rooting for the winning team, Union Grove Road.
If horror writers, headless Revolutionary War ghosts, Civil War generals and the spirit of a football legend don’t scare you, perhaps a fast trip down another road in the county might.
The Druids understood a thing or two about Halloween before it had a name, and the holiday has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “SAH-win”), a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. So maybe the druids will need to warn themselves off on this holiday in Anderson on Druid Hills Drive. A tell-tale sign is if you see any gord other than a pumpkin hollowed out with a candle inside or you see a large group dancing under the harvest moon around a large fire.
There’s probably a logical and harmless explanation for why Anderson County has so many roads that evoke the spirit of the season. But just in case, if you are traveling on one of these paths on All Hallows Eve, you might want to keep your doors locked.