Blog 2.0

Just ten miles southwest of Syracuse, New York, lies Cedarvale Road (a.k.a 13 Curves Road). It is said that over sixty years ago, a pair of newlyweds were driving along the winding stretch. Upon taking one of the curves too sharply, the car careened into the creek nearby. Some legends claim that both had lost their lives in the accident, while others say it was merely the groom. Whatever the case may be, it is not unusual for those travelling at night to come across the forlorn bride.

Multiple accounts of sightings describe her as wearing her bloodied gown and lurking near the sixth curve of the road. Sometimes, she is spotted carrying a lantern and simply searching through the darkness. Other instances recall her standing among the hills that line the highway. The most unfortunate souls to encounter this phantom have even had her suddenly appear in their backseat, bloody face gazing at them from the rearview mirror.

The town of Onondoga enjoys keeping the story alive, encouraging anyone passing through to take a trip down the road, especially on Halloween. So, if you're ever in the area, make sure to take a slight detour and check it out for yourself. You never know what you might see!

(image courtesy of pxhere.com)

If you grew up anywhere near Fairfax County, Virginia, then you've likely heard the tale of the Bunny Man. The Bunny Man- an escaped patient from an insane asylum who lives in the woods around the Colchester Overpass near Clifton, eating rabbits to stay alive and dismembering anyone who dares come close enough with an ax.

As the legend goes, the asylum near Clifton soon became a concern to the residents in the town. You see, what was once a small farming community was now expanding. In 1904, the old asylum was shut down and the patients were being moved to the newly-built Lorton Prison. As the bus came to the bridge at Colchester Overpass, it broke down. In the chaos that followed, all the patients were accounted for.

That is, all but one: Douglas Griffon. Griffon had been sent to the state asylum after brutally murdering his parents with an ax on Easter Sunday. He'd been the tender age of twelve years old. Any searches conducted by law officials after this point only turned up the severely mangled corpses of rabbits. There was no other sign of Griffon.
The story continues with a few variations that all ultimately end up with the same outcome. A group of teenagers end up under the bridge on Halloween night, doing what all teenagers love to do on a night for mischief. A man dressed as a bunny, wielding an ax comes upon them and viciously attacks them, hanging their mutilated bodies from the overpass, looking much like the rabbits scattered about the woods.

Although this sounds like the typical local folklore parents tell their children to keep them from doing mischievious things, there are some true occurences that relate to the Bunny Man legend. In the 1970s, there were a string of instances where a man who appeared to be wearing a bunny suit and wielding an ax terrorized locals trespassing near a bridge in Fairfax County. In one case, he even threw a hatchet at a young couple's windshield.

It's hard to say how much truth lies in all of the claims, but over the course of the next few years, the Fairfax police received over fifty reports of Bunny Man attacks.
So- is this just a creepy tale? Some like to think that the Bunny Man is the spirit of Douglas Griffon. Others believe it to be just a pranking local who took the story a bit too far. There is one way for you to find out, though, if you dare. Go out to the Colchester Overpass near Clifton, Virginia, and walk the bridge at midnight.

(Image courtesy of atlasobscura.com)

Black eyed children are described as supernatural beings with an appearance of human children ranging anywhere between the ages of 6 and 16. As the name suggests, they look almost entirely normal except for their unusually pale skin and entirely black eyes. Most encounters documented have found them to come up to random strangers in an attempt to hitchhike or by simply knocking on the front door. Typically, they then ask if they can use the telephone or get a ride home. Those who have encountered these children say that they are often overcome with a deep sense of dread.
So where did this legend start? Sources say that the first recorded account of an encounter with these children was made by Brian Bethel, a journalist, who posted about it on a Google Groups listing for spooky stories. He'd been stopped outside of a movie theater, filling out a check when two boys came up to his car and knocked on the window. They explained that they were going to a movie, but realized they didn't have any money, and were wondering if Brian would be able to give them a lift home.

Bethel, upon hearing the way the child spoke, says that he was instantly filled with a deep, chilling sense of fear that he could not easily explain right away. The taller of the two boys continued in a voice that seemed to imply that they needed to be given permission to enter Brian's vehicle. Just as he was about to open the car door, Mr. Bethel snapped his hand back and broke his eye contact with the boy. When he looked back up, in an attempt to explain the situation away, he became aware of something he had not noticed before: the boys' eyes were entirely black .

Immediately, he snapped to his senses, threw his car in reverse and tailed it out of the parking lot. Looking back, the two strange boys had completely vanished from sight.
After this first sighting, the internet seemed to explode with more sightings of these mysterious black eyed children. Whether all or any of these claims are true, it's hard to say. All I know for certain is if any strange children come knocking on my car window, I most certainly will not be giving them a ride home for some movie money.

Have you had any instances with black eyed children or know of anyone who has?

(Image credit: rare.us)

The Congress Inn is a hotel located in Nashville, Tennessee, that is shrouded in as much mystery as it is history. During times of the Civil War, it was used as a temporary hospital for housing wounded and dying soldiers. According to the claims of locals, it is said that when the bodies began to pile up and there was no longer room to store them, they were then cemented into the walls of the basement.

That's enough for any spooky legend to form, but it doesn't end just there.

Although there haven't been many cases of guests reporting creepy incidences, there is one incredibly popular story that has been circulated around the web for quite some time. In 1987, a man was staying at the Congress Inn when he was suddenly awoken to a heavy weight on his lower body. For several seconds, he struggled to move but to no avail. Strangely, he could see nothing holding him down. Then, as quickly as it happened, it stopped. Only later in the morning, after speaking to locals in the area, did he learn of the grisly history of the small hotel.

As far as other sightings go, there doesn't seem to be many personal encounters online. There has been mention of a ghostly figure, dressed in Civil War attire, who appears in doorways from time to time. A ghost hunter claims to have gotten small EMF readings after spending several hours there. So, is the Congress Inn really haunted or is this just another local legend that's gotten spun larger over time? The only way to find out is to book a room there and find out for yourself!