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Hot Rod Haven
"The Ghost of Mitchell Hill Road"
By Keith Age
The place
known to the local folks as "Hotrod Haven" is actually a
stretch of Mitchell Hill Road.
During the period between the 1940's and the 1970's, the
road was a popular spot for teenagers to test not only their
racing skills and their cars... but their bravery as well.
Not surprisingly, many of them did not come back from the
road alive!
Mitchell Hill Road
is a winding and twisting road that, over time, has
reportedly claimed the lives of more than 25 people in the
area. As a driver travels down the hill, they come out of
the curves into a short straightaway that abruptly switches
back into a banking left turn. Prior to reaching the turn,
cars are able to reach very high speeds... which often
result in tragedy!
Around once
such tragedy has grown the legend of "Hotrod Haven"...
The legend has it that a young woman and her date were on
their way to a dance on the night of September 23, 1950,
when they crashed at the bottom of the hill and were killed.
Since that time, reports claim that the girl has been seen
wandering the roadway and aimlessly strolling the cemetery
at the top of the hill. It was here that she was buried,
side by side with her young lover. The cemetery at the top
of the road is a private burial ground for several local
families, most notably the "Mitchell" and "Griffen"
families.
Over the
years, the ghostly girl has been dubbed both "Sarah" and
"Mary" by those who have seen the apparition on the road at
night. The young man's name has been forgotten... until now.
Recently, American Ghost Society investigator Keith Age
decided to trace the route of the deadly accident that
claimed the life of the two teenagers. He decided to do this
on September 23, 2000... the 50th anniversary of their
reported deaths. He traveled the route to and from the
cemetery, finally ending up at the graveyard itself.
"At the time
of evening we investigated the area it was already dark",
Keith wrote. "When you are on top of the hill you can see
for miles and all the sounds and noises that reach you can
be very unsettling. From animal noises to vehicles that are
several miles away. The cemetery is right on the corner with
Mitchell Hill Road
on one side and an electrical power station on the other.
After taking several photo's of the area we then began
searching the stones."
Prior to
making the trip, Keith had checked through the records of
Jefferson County
to see if an accident like the one reported had actually
taken place. He was curious to see if the events could be
real .... or merely an urban legend. Did the story of the
"Vanishing Hitchhiker" of
Mitchell Hill Road
actually have some basis in fact? To Keith's surprise, there
was an accident that had taken place that closely resembled
the accident told of in the legend!
On September
23rd, 1946 Roy Clarke and Sarah Mitchell were on
their way to a school dance. As they were coming down the
hill, Clarke lost control of the car and crashed at the
curve. Both of them were pronounced dead at the scene.
"After several
minutes," Keith wrote, " we found their stone.... one single
stone marked both of their graves in loving memory...
September 23, 1946."
So, is Sarah Mitchell the
mysterious ghost of Hotrod Haven?
You be the judge!
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