The other day I decided that I wanted to visit a haunted location to have some footage for my posts. That was when I found Zombie Road in Wildwood, Missouri, also known as Al-Foster Trail, one of the most haunted roads in the world. I thought that this eerie trail was near my favorite hiking trail, but I didn't know that it was part of it. I had been walking Zombie Road for years, and I can't believe I'm just figuring it out.
With that being said, I have a lot of personal stories about this place.
A friend and I stumbled across this location by following a series of bike trails at Bluff View Park in Wildwood. After hiking the area a couple of times, we came across an abandoned train. This was one of the coolest things I have just happened upon and is still one of my favorite hangout places.
If you visit this place, be careful of the bike trails. My sister and I got lost for 10 miles on the hottest day of the year. It was horrible, and it gave us a taste of the horror surrounding this place.
Okay, let's go.
Zombie road, once known as Lawler Ford Road, was built in the 1860s. Its purpose was to make the Meramec River more accessible to the railway.
One hundred sixty years old, it seems reasonable that there would be a handful of stories centered around this location. The first story involves Dela Hamilton McCullough, who was hit by a train in 1876. The only information that I found on Dela was that she was the wife of the local judge and a few accounts of her ghost seen wandering the woods at night.
Fast forward about 60 years, and the area of Glencoe, Missouri, had evolved into a resort town. Several of the houses remain on the banks of the Meramac and rumor has it, ghosts occupy them.
When researching these claims further, I came across a specific ghost who has been seen by several individuals. It is the ghost of an older woman who yells at you as you pass by.
It could just be all the horror movies that caused me to instantly get creeped out when it's the ghost of an old lady, but I find this spooky. What I couldn't find is a description of her, which is disappointing. I wonder if she looks like she's from the 1940s and what she is trying to tell people. Is it typical, "get off my lawn"? Or is she trying to warn people about the area's dark history? She could be trapped there and is trying to warn people, so they don't get caught there as well.
Ah, so many questions! The next time I visit this area, I will pay closer attention to the houses hanging off the cliffside. They have always given me an unsettling feeling, and if by myself, I find myself quickening my step as I pass below them. There could be some truth to the vacant houses.
Another story floating around about Zombie Road involves a stereotypical orphanage ran by sadists. I remember this legend from when I was in high school; friends of mine would treck across the miles of trees to find the supposed ruins of the orphanage. We did find a lot of portions of buildings and walls, but never the haunted orphanage.
Another story says that there was an insane asylum not far from this road, and an escaped patient made their home in those woods. This guy was known as the "zombie killer" who lived in a shack in the woods and would hunt couples who would visit this unlikely lover's laine in the 1950-1980s.
I remember telling my dad about the abandoned train, and he causally tells me he uses to hang out there all the time back in high school. This area was near the local high school, and students would throw parties out there.
Like many areas of Missouri, this location once belonged to a Native American tribe, they used it as a trail and also led to the mounds. As expected, this causes some hauntings; I couldn't find anything specific, however. If I were to throw something out there, I would say that the tribe could have cursed the land or something like that, causing souls to get stuck there.
The last story that I found about Zombie Road was the story of a ghost child near the river. The boy fell from the bluffs, and his body was never found. Yup, that's about it on that tale.
Though there are several stories surrounding Zombie Road, one thing everyone can agree on is the eerie feeling to the trails.
The area is highly-populated during the day, but at night it is a different story. I wouldn't recommend checking this place out at night because the police patrol it like crazy, but you might be able to get a permit to venture the woods after dusk. I'm sure something would find you out there. Several individuals have noted seeing shadow people along the bluffs, and given how easy it is to get lost out there, I think there might be something to the legends.
-Tye
For more pictures check out https://www.instagram.com/theraven_blog/
Always cite those sources:
Butler, Stephanie. “Traveling Down This Haunted Missouri Road Will Give You Nightmares.” OnlyInYourState, 24 Mar. 2016, www.onlyinyourstate.com/missouri/zombie-road-mo/.
“Zombie Road.” Dangerousroads, www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/4359-zombie-road.html.
Hathaway, Matthew. “After Hours, Zombie Road Is Haunted by Police and Trespassers.” Stltoday.com, 31 Oct. 2011, www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/after-hours-zombie-road-is-haunted-by-police-and-trespassers/article_71018496-7ff3-5eaa-8def-7118eab24141.html.
Also, there is a bunch of investigation of this location on Youtube.
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