On a Small Road near North Park

On the edge of North Park sits a road that cars can’t use. There are stories that have been shared about this road over the years. Often, these stories are told during the month of October, as Halloween nears. It’s name is Irwin Road but, it is often referred to as the Blue Mist Road.

    The road is about 2 ½ miles long but only about a ½ mile is drivable. The rest has been restricted for only hikers and bicyclists. When the road was built, it didn’t have any streetlights on it and the trees and vegetation grew close to its edges. There are two bridges on it and because of the cost of upkeep and the dangerous conditions of the road the majority of it was closed to traffic.

    At one time before this section was closed there were a few homesteads, a fruit market, an orphanage and a blacksmith shop. When the county started acquiring land for the park, between 1927 and 1931, these places were abandoned or torn down. The homes and businesses are gone now; this unnamed settlement is basically a ghost town, in a way, very appropriate for this road! Only a few foundations remain and they are rapidly being reclaimed by nature.

    Irwin Road has been called Blue Mist Road for as long as I can remember. There are stories about how a blue mist or fog settles over the road in the evenings and mornings. Having biked and hiked on this road for many years, I have never experienced this. It’s understandable why there might be mists, the road parallels a stream and it traverses a valley, perfect conditions for fog!

    People have told tales and written about glowing eyes, strange shapes and even ghosts being seen in this valley. Some of the structures, when they were still standing were supposedly used for séances and witchcraft rituals. The foundation of one of these structures was supposedly where a witch used to live.

    Rumors are told about how in the past, the KKK used to have meetings somewhere along this road and that lynchings might have taken place. For a long time, a tree grew near the road that was known as the “Hanging Tree”. It has since died and fallen down. Tales also say that when the road was open to traffic, since there were no lights along it, the shadows at night resembled bodies hanging from the trees, their limbs rubbing against the cars as they passed.

    A story has been told for decades about a man that lived on this road who murdered his wife and kids. He hid their bodies in the family’s septic tank. Looking on-line, there are no records, police or historical that mentions this crime. But it is a great story to tell while you are walking along this dark road at night!

    There is another story, this one an unfortunate tragedy. A young man and two friends took a late night hike on the “haunted” road. As they were leaving in their SUV, he sped up his vehicle to scare them and crashed into a tree. Two of the teenagers were killed. A wooden cross marks the spot where their lives ended. Sadly, this tale is true!

    The building ruins that remain are only the remnants of a small farming community. Whether or not a witch lived in one of them, I can’t say. The Klan did exist in our country and unfotunately they did lynch people, but as far as them committing any of these crimes along this road, there are no known records of it, there are only “the stories”. The story about the man killing his family is definitely not true. It never occurred; there is nothing to prove it. As far as the blue mists, ghosts, floating objects and glowing eyes, that is up to you whether to believe or not.

    The stories are told, year after year. They take on new story lines as the generations change. They are basically the same, yet certain things change with each telling. We as humans, tend to get a bit excited when we’re told about possible spiritual events, hauntings and evil criminal events that happened right where we are standing! There may be no proof that they are real, but we still love to hear them! “Could these things ever happen to me? Dare I stay?”

    I recently took a hike with Frank on this road to visit the “Witch House”. The ruins were overgrown with high grass and weeds, only a couple stone walls were standing. Old kitchen appliances sat rusting away in-between thick floor beams. A tree had grown up in the center of the remains. Care needed to be taken with every step because we couldn’t see what was beneath the weeds. It was interesting to explore but we didn’t see or feel anything while we were there. On the many times I’ve hiked and biked this road I’ve never seen anything out of the ordinary. Of course, all my visits have been in the mornings or afternoons. I’ve never been here at night; perhaps a night hike is in my future!