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Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: Travelling the road most haunted

By Mike Conley | The McDowell News

Published: May 27, 2009

Located in the middle part of Tennessee, Smith County is a rural Southern community not much different from McDowell County. According to the 2000 census, its population was just 17,712.
Far out in the woods of Smith County is a narrow road that runs along the hills. It is called Dean Hill Road. Many people who live in Smith County believe that this isolated road is the home to a ghostly legend.
According to the story, a private airplane crashed in the valley between Dean Hill Road and Billy Smith Road many years ago. The crash killed all five of the plane's passengers. Among the dead were a young woman and her baby. No one knows what caused the plane to crash in these isolated hills, according to a Web site.
But since then, people have talked about many weird happenings along the narrow, winding Dean Hill Road. Some folks say you can sometimes see people walking along Dean Hill Road or Billy Smith Road at night. They are the ghosts of those people killed in the plane crash. But if a motorist stops his car to talk to them, the people mysteriously vanish into thin air.
People living nearby say you can hear strange screams in the darkness late at night. They have also talked about seeing weird lights in the woods. Sometimes a baby can be heard crying loudly. The sound of a young woman desperately searching for her lost child has been reported as well.
Another popular tale about Dean Hill Road is the one about stopping your car. Supposedly, if you are drive along the road late at night, stop your car and turn off the ignition, your car will not start again. Your car will not start until you or your companion begins to panic. Then, the motor will finally start up. Apparently, many a young man in Smith County has used this tale to scare a young woman while they were out on a date, according to a Web site.
This enduring legend continues to be a part of Smith County's folklore, just as the legend about the ghost at Lake Tahoma is a part of McDowell County's folklore. If you happen to be driving along that road in Smith County, Tenn. you just might encounter those strange figures walking along the shoulder.
Gibson County, also located in middle Tennessee, is home to a similar legend. In Gibson County, they have a rural road called Sleepy Hollow Lane.
According to the legend about this road, if you pull your car over to the side and roll your window down and yell "come to me" three times, numerous ghosts are supposed to appear. Your car will also not start again until the next morning.
The Web site about this legend states that it is probably just a local story that has become exaggerated over the years with each retelling. But there are people in Gibson County who refuse to go out to Sleepy Hollow Lane and try it. They are just being cautious, I suppose. Those who have tried it say some weird things do happen out there but apparitions do not surround their cars.
Nevertheless, Sleepy Hollow Lane certainly sounds like a fitting place to encounter the supernatural.

Contact Mike Conley at 652-3313, ext. 3422 or e-mail nconley@mcdowellnews.com.