Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Blood Point Road

An ominous sounding name for a road. When you hear the legend you will understand why FEARnet has named it one of the nation’s 10 scariest roads in its “Streets of Fear” online video and On Demand series.

Arthur Blood and his family settled in the area just south of Cherry Valley in the 1830's. The road was named for the Blood farm which was at the road's farthest point. The Blood family formed a friendship with a neighbor, a strange and solitary woman who some claimed was a witch. One night, Arthur murdered his wife and children and then took his own life. Of course, frightened residents claimed he had been under the spell of the witch.

Since that fateful incident, the legend of Blood Point Road has grown. A demon dog was seen shortly after the Blood murders. This may have been the Blood's family dog gone wild but still attached to the farm, waiting for the family to return. It sounds logical but doesn't explain current sightings of a huge, fearsome dog that leaps out to bark and rage at vehicles to this day.

There is a tiny rural cemetery near where the old Blood farm stood. Strange sightings are whispered of and local teenagers frequent the graveyard late at night hoping for a ghostly glimpse of the old witch they call Beulah. (Sadly, they do great damage to the grave stones in their quest for thrills.)



A high bridge spans a railroad track about a mile west of the old Blood farm. The bridge is old but does not date back to the time of the Blood family massacre. Many years ago, people say a school bus somehow lost control and veered off the bridge. None of the children survived. From that day to this, reports of stalled cars, phantom children and the sound of screams can sometimes be heard.




I drove the length of Blood Point Road last weekend on one of the few sunny, warm days we've had this fall. It's hard to imagine a ghostly presence on a lovely autumn day but as our local newspaper pointed out, at night rural roads are very dark and anything could be lurking in the hedgerows or among the tall corn stalks. Just before crossing the bridge, several cars were pulled off the road and parents and children stood at the bridge rail peering down at the long drop to the tracks. Graffiti in blood red was scribbled across the road surface. I made a u-turn at the cemetery and slowed down to watch several people wandering among the headstones. Many of them were probably like myself, just trying to understand how the many old legends originated.

As I pointed the car back toward home, I was startled by the manic barking of a dog. I slowed the car again and watched a huge white dog (Great Pyrenees) snarl and lung at the fence. Behind the dog, an old barn stood back from the road and to the right I could just make out a dark colored house so overgrown with brush and trees it was barely visible.

Ah, the stuff of ghost stories.

Happy Halloween everyone.




The house below is on Mulford Road in Monroe Center. I've never heard any rumors about it but it certainly looks ghostly in the dim light. I like the poem about old houses retaining memories within their wood and plaster. Not a sinister thought...rather comforting that the past is still remembered.





I stand before a darkened doorway
Stairs before me rise.
Windows flanking on either side
Like square, accusing eyes.

No one dwells in this house now.
The walls are bare and cold.
The people who used to live here,
Have long moved and grown old.

Although no one has died within,
There lives an inhuman host.
Memories and dreams that linger on,
Have since become it's ghost.

Echoes of children's laughter,
The very essence of life.
Peal down the hallways,
Piercing the silence like a knife

While you're here, you feel it.
Nothing ever dies.
The wood that creaks beneath your feet,
Are the house's tired sighs.

A house like this can't be replaced.
New is not necessarily good.
The energy of the people who have come and gone
Lived on in the rotting wood.
~ Lorna May

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

These photographs have a quality about them that makes them outstanding and especially the cemetery one.

Just a thought...

I never know what to say that makes sense. I mean I have left the usual, "Wow," "Beautiful photo," and dozens of other things, since 2005 when I began blogging and it all boils down to nonsense. What we are all trying to say is that your photograph was seen, and your writing was read and we felt some obligation to say something to indicate we saw your picture and read your words. I suppose it should be understood that we were here and approved or disapproved of the post. I don't know why Google doesn't come out with a widget that we click so we don't have to repeatedly type something. Wow. What a nice picture.

Susie said...

Marnie you are certainly in the halloween spirit aren't you?!?!? Girl, that was creeping me out. I enjoyed reading it much.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Hey Marnie, These ghostly stories remind me of a couple that I know of. I live too far away to get pictures of the sites. Fun read on a spooky cool foggy fall morning. Cheers.

Darla said...

Hope you don't make this into a movie! or maybe you should.

Naturegirl said...

Ghostly indeed! Well done!
Great images!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Now that's a great example of storytelling, photos, and "local color." Happy Halloween! :)

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Happy Halloween! I love your eerie photos. Here's a weird coincidence, I just watched a video yesterday about Bloodpoint Rd. It was pointed out that the town had to change the street signs to say BLP Rd. because people kept stealng them. According to this video, the driver of the school bus was dressed as a clown at the time of the accident, so people have seen a ghostly clown on the bridge. I wonder if the video people made that part up to embelish the legend.

Chloe m said...

I love the comment of Abraham Lincoln. He's right!
I do love your photos, perfect, timely and spooky! The poem is fabulous too.
Rosey

JC said...

Isn't it interesting how places that look interesting in the day .. like an old house or a bridge or a cemetary ... at night they become scary.

I grew up camping. Walking in the dark is normal but sometimes when you hear noises or it's foggy out ...

joey said...

Your gifted storytelling had me on the edge of my seat, Marnie, with a few goosebumps to prove it! Great poem & photos. Thanks for a little scare ... I know I'm alive!

tina said...

That is such a beautiful and apt poem to go with the old house. I think it so sad to see houses long since abandoned. You can tell they were once loved no matter how derelict they are because they usually have nice trees and some remnants of a garden around them. Then I get really melancholy.

Spooky pictures for sure and you too have a great weekend. Watch out for those big barking dogs.

Carol said...

Wonderful Haunting Post!! Brava! Gorgeous photos Marnie and your tale carries one into the spirit of Halloween... yikes... a scary joy ... and your photos ... wow... the light and colors just magic. Lovely poem. Carol

Zach said...

Ah, good old ghostly stories! Huahhhhhhh! Aboogaboogabooga. I looked a that street pretty freaky... nice ghost story, be sure to tell it around some campfire some time... see ya!

Kathleen said...

You do have a way with story telling Marnie. I remember you had a great Halloween post last year. I would never dare go down this road except on a bright sunny day (like you did). I'm too much of a chicken! I wouldn't make much of a ghost-buster, would I?!! Hope you have a great Halloween weekend.

Gail said...

I love the photo effect marnie~~ That touch of blue...Very eerie! Thanks for helping me get into the spirit...When you don't have little children around Halloween just sort of happens! Happy Halloween to you~ gail

walk2write said...

You mean you drove that stretch of road alone? Yikes! We have some scary looking, abandoned houses around here too, but I think the Spanish moss adds a little bit of the drama. Great story and interesting photographic effects, Marnie. Thanks for the visit this morning.

Cheryl said...

Ooooh Marnie......it is nearly my bedtime and your post has really spooked me.....I have a very vivid imagination.
The photographs are so eerie.......

Dawn said...

And I was slanting my laptop to see if the haze was my screen! All while being creeped out! You are a scary lady, Marnie!
I love the poem and like my sister, the houses bring a certian sad, forlong, forgotten feeling thinking about the once life that moved behind the walls.

BeadedTail said...

Okay that was scary Marnie! It's an interesting story but I don't think I'd go anywhere near that road! My goosebumps have goosebumps!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Ee-Yi-Yiiiiii, Marnie... Scary stuff---and why not during this time of year!!!!!!!!! Ghostly fun indeed. Great writing AND pictures.
Hugs,
Betsy

Anonymous said...

Yikes, now I'm scared!

beckie said...

Another wonderful Halloween tale, Marnie! And your photos are a perfect visual aid-creepy.

I remember your post from last year. It was great too. Git me to thinking that you should do a book about legends and myths and use your photos. You have such a gift for telling these stories-I know it would be a best seller.

Happy Halloween to you. :)

sweetbay said...

Very eerie pictures Marnie. :) I love Halloween and ghost stories.

Judy said...

You said it was a bright day when you drove along this road, so did you process the photos to make them look dark and forbidding? After that story, I cannot even contemplate going back at dusk to get the shots!!

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Marnie,
I can always count on you to post a spooky story for Halloween. Very creepy story and lovely spooky photos to match. I loved the poem about old houses. I have an affinity to old homes, and can always feel an energy of a house when I enter. I love it. Happy Halloween!

Pat said...

Ooh sooo spooky !!
Even your pictures are scary.
We have on old tale here about the Jersey Devil...maybe I'll tell it next year.

Darla said...

I'll be happy to send you some ornamental pepper seed!! rusdar at hotmail dot com

Q said...

Boo!
The story and the photos are so delightfully scary.
I also enjoyed the poem too. I agree the ghosts are the memories and laughter and the tears that linger in the house and on the grounds.
Happy Halloween.
May you only have treats.
Sherry

Balisha said...

So scarey and so close to me. I'll have to take a drive out there sometime, but it won't be after dark. You spin a good take....Happy Halloween.
Balisha

troutbirder said...

You outdid yourself this time Marnie. I loved it!!!

CIELO said...

Very spooky indeed.... and wonderful creative post... I truly enjoyed reading it... oh, by the way, Griselda sends Beulah her love... she is out tonight at the Hollow... come met her, maybe you can ask her what she knows about that mysterious dog.... ;)

cielo

garden girl said...

Oooh, spooky! I remember hearing that story. You are one brave woman Marnie, checking out those landmarks. I probably would have jumped out of my skin seeing that dog.

I love the photos - very eerie, and that house - fantastic! Thanks so much for getting me in mood - Happy Halloween!

Jan said...

I was biting my tongue and gripping my chair the whole way through! Of course, nothing scary really happened, but we all have that sense of wonder and uncertainty about ghosts and spirits, etc. I love the way the graveyard photos turned out--I can't tell if the shadows are from trees or if they're ghosts or what...or, if you may have adjusted them a little while photo editing??!! They look scary:-) I'm not sure I would have wanted to drive there alone--hmm, maybe you weren't alone, have you thought about that?! Well, it all turned out ok and it seems you came out of it just fine, so it was a nice tale on the brink of Halloween! Thanks, & happy halloween!

Racquel said...

Spooky stories and the photos have that eerie effect as well. Happy Halloween!

Rose said...

Good stuff, Marnie! I am with Garden Girl--I wouldn't have had the nerve to go exploring down this road as you did. I love the poem, though, and like you I don't think of it as spooky, but comforting. Our old house was about 100 years old and had an interesting history. I always hoped that it would retain memories of our family as well.

Anonymous said...

Now I have the Halloween shivers Marnie! That's a creepy story, and your scary pictures fit in perfectly.

Sherri said...

Marnie, thanks for sharing these stories with us! Happy Halloween!

TC said...

Did you touch up those photos Ms. Marnie? If so, may I ask how? I use Adobe Photo Shop CS2. Loved the poem!

I also loved Abe's "Just a thought..." It's kinda my thought too.

Dog_geek said...

I always love your ghost stories! I hope that you had a spooky Halloween!

Gayle said...

Deliciously scary!!!

ShySongbird said...

Oooh errr! I'm rather glad I read this post after Halloween and not before, I have far too vivid an imagination for my own good!

Very well told and illustrated Marnie ;)

Nan and =^..^= said...

Oh, that certainly is a scary story!
The photos are so eerie! A long time ago, we used to live down the street from an old house that had a frightening history. We thought it was abandoned until one day I was drawing it and a hand moved the curtain. A bit later, a car pulled out and we realized maybe an elderly person lived there and someone was looking in on her, but we never really knew....

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi. I wandered into here from Monica's blog and have had a spooky time reading that fascinating story about the Blood family ....even spookier is that Last-Born's boyfriend's surname is ....Blood!

I think you are SO right about houses retaining memories. We bought our house because it felt like a happy house with a happy past ... and so many people have made the same comments about it!

Thanks for an excellent blog :)

missbreezysbox said...

Hi Marnie,
Spooky pictures, but wonderful. I love the whole post. Your electrical situation is more dangerous and could be more costly if you have to hire someone. I wish both of us luck and will stay positive as well.

Kerri said...

This is a clever and perfect Halloween post, Marnie....spooky pictures and true creepy stories...the real thing. Strange coincidence about the dog, for sure.
I like the poem too.

oldcrow61 said...

These pictures are fantastic. I love the cemetery. Great story as well.