Thursday, July 26, 2012

Spooky History

A few nights ago we were all hanging out at mom's house, doing nothing much but driving her crazy when "Jib" showed up. Now for those of you who don't know us personally, Jib is Tristan's best friend, who's real name is not Jib at all. He developed this pet name due to... err, well never mind, doesn't matter. Anyway, point is he excitedly asked if we could take a drive out to Texas Rd. I have to admit, I found it difficult to contain my own excitement. I began to brush off the request when who of all people but good ole Grandma, having overheard the request, immediately piped up with a hearty "Yes!"

"Of course we can!" She said without hesitation. "We'll go after Patu (her husband) is asleep; it'll be dark by then." After realizing the seriousness of her comment, I forgot about containing my child-like excitement and ran off with the boys to collect a few necessary items.


For those of you who missed the link above, Texas Rd. is a road that stretches out to the east from the shore of Lake Erie in Amherstburg, Ontario for about 8 long country blocks. It dates back to the 1700's when it began as a Wyandotte Indian trail that led to a burial ground at the water's edge. Later, during the time of the British settlement in the area, it became a road connecting the country farmlands of McGregor with the main road which ran along the riverfront between Fort Amherstburg and Old Sandwich Town (now West Windsor.) The burial ground is long gone now however heading in the opposite direction you will find a bridge and a cemetery at the seemingly always foggy end of the road. It has been popular with the teenage population of Essex County for generations due to it's reputation for being haunted.

Texas Rd., Amherstburg, ON

Urban legends abound in this area and include those of a headless horseman, witch burnings, the headless wife of a local farmer and a particularly creepy one about a teenage couple who parked down the lane to make out and ends with a meat hook in the side of the car.

There are many witnesses to date who swear they've seen apparitions around the bridge, cemetery and nearby cornfields and even more local folks who, like us, get a thrill from driving down Texas Rd. at midnight, hoping to catch a ghostly glimpse of something they can tell future generations about.

For the most part, this rite of passage for the local youth is fairly innocent but you know how it is; there's always a few who have to spoil it for everyone else. After the bridge washed out a few years ago, the (spooky) end of the road, just before the cemetery was closed for repairs and unfortunately for us innocent thrill seekers, it was never reopened. This due, mostly to dangerous pranks played by kids around Halloween, jumping out at passing cars etc. and partly due to the area's popularity for Satanic/cult activity. I assume the local police were growing tired of patrolling the area and just left it closed.


 Driving down the last block reminded me of the Haunted Forest scene in The Wizard Of Oz with the wooden sign nailed to a tree... "I'd turn back if I were you!"

At any rate, there we were, just after midnight on the final stretch of road before the (gulp) dead end... three kids, Grandma and me. As fog began to overtake the car windows, Jib begged for mercy, wanting to turn back but Grandma being the ghost hunter that she is, wouldn't hear of it. We slowed as we approached the concrete barrier between the road and the bridge and man did it look creepy! We all peered into the darkness at the narrow path in the brush that leads to the bridge/cemetery and even Grandma had second thoughts. She asked who was brave enough to get out and walk the remaining distance with her, knowing that not a single volunteer would come forward.

I was silent as the kids argued amongst themselves about who would keep the flashlight and wait in the car. As the strange fog continued to win the battle with our vehicle's defrost system, we ended their torture by agreeing to leave, citing reasons of concrete, non-paranormal danger. After all, this was an environment which could potentially be concealing some very real safety risks. Well, we felt justified in saying so at the time anyway.

Heading back to town.


The truth? This is one of those dark, scary wooded areas in the middle of nowhere that horror movies are made of and certainly must fall under the category of forbidden places parents warn their children about. Even if you discount the stories you can't help but get a creepy feeling out here. Perhaps the unsettling vibe of the area has been heightened by all the hype but whatever the reason, I was no more willing to get out of that car than the kids were.

The fog that wouldn't quit!


We turned back and left without incident, still sort of hoping to see a headless horseman from the security of the now very chilly car (the local temps reported on the evening news that night were in excess of 80 degrees) but there was no sign of the beautiful white horse who galloped through legends past. Instead we settled for what else? A pit stop at a local restaurant to shake the chill off and exchange experiences with staff member native to the area. After a few pounds of Buffalo wings we were all feeling much better. Having regained our confidence we headed home, our curiosity now piqued about the history of Texas Rd.

Buffalo wings and civilization took the edge off.


In the days to follow, our curiosity led us to the local library, the Gibson Gallery, Fort Malden and of course good old Google to piece together the events leading up to the War of 1812, the Battle of Detroit and other significant historical moments in our area. This common local thrill which had been long forgotten by me was an excellent conduit for a lesson in the history of our hometown. It is truly amazing to witness everyday life experiences sparking the natural curiosity of children. It's days like this that give me the confidence to live authentically and all but forget the naysayers. I am beginning to see an exultation of spirit in the kids (in all of us) that wasn't there when we were bound by the rigid confines of school... we are genuinely loving life right now!

UPDATE: We visited Texas Rd. again about a month after writing this post. We were with a friend and his 13 yr old daughter. We left the security of his truck and headed into the dark woods on foot. We got about 40 ft in when suddenly there was a VERY loud shrieking, it sounded like it was coming from the path right in front of us. We ALL heard it at the same time, we ALL immediately turned tail and ran for the truck like our lives depended on it. My friend had his cell phone set to record audio in case of a message from the other side. (Yeah, he's cheesy like that.) When we replayed the recording there was NO trace of the horrific sound that had us running for our lives. Here is the audio file recorded that night. Have a listen...



Related Links:

Texas Road:
Google map of Texas Rd.
Texas Rd. Facebook group
Texas Rd. ghost story
Texas Rd. ghost story 2
Texas Road movie

History of Amherstburg:
Fort Malden visitor info
 Gibson Gallery visitor info
War of 1812
Navy Yard Park
Historic Fort Malden

No comments:

Post a Comment

We're all about free speech here... go for it!