Post by Graveyardbride on Mar 12, 2015 16:11:35 GMT -5
Legends of Mount Misery and Sweet Hollow Roads
The gear in neutral, the car was most definitely rolling. Unfortunately, it was headed downhill. I’ve done many things during test drives, but waiting for a pair of ghostly hands to start pushing my car uphill is a first.
Mount Misery Road and Sweet Hollow Road, which runs more or less parallel to Mount Misery, have a long and meandering haunted history. Less than 40 miles east of Manhattan, near Melville, Long Island; these two roads have inspired numerous tales of terror. By most accounts, the stories started American Indian tribes, who considered the area cursed and off-limits. Initially, early white settlers were less bothered by any potential evil spirits than they were the rocky and grueling landscape that made travel extremely difficult. Add wagons with wooden wheels and one of the highest points in Long Island – not to mention a reputation for being cursed – and it should come as no surprise that someone came up with the name “Mount Misery.”
Over the years, the legend and mystery surrounding these two roads have grown. One tale has it that an insane asylum was established on or near Mount Misery Road in the 18th century that was later burnt to the ground by a disturbed woman who died in the fire. To this day, the mad lady, wearing a flowing white gown, wanders Mount Misery Road at night.
Driving the road takes only a matter of minutes because it is now divided by West Hills County Park and the Northern State Parkway. The southern half, beginning at Old Country Road, is developed and doesn’t exactly instill fear – especially considering the road ends at a horsemanship school and day camp. However, the northern section, which begins at the confluence of Hartmann Hill and Chichester roads, retains an aura of mystery. Though less than a mile long, driving south, the road becomes heavily wooded and abruptly ends at a mound of dirt, beyond which lies West Hills County Park.
Like Mount Misery, a wide range of stories are attached to Sweet Hollow. According to one tale, a woman died on the road in a terrible car crash several decades ago and if you park your car under the Northern State Parkway overpass and put the transmission in neutral, a pair of paranormal hands will push you (uphill!) to safety. Nevertheless, very few have had their cars pushed uphill.
Most of the ghost stories associated with Sweet Hollow Road have variations and the majority can be attributed to overactive imaginations. Still, no one can deny the road is creepy. Some say no matter what time of year you drive along this short stretch or road, which has no streetlights, it always feels like a chilly night just before Halloween.
One of the more interesting legends has it that if you’re pulled over by the police on Sweet Hollow Road, make sure you look carefully at the officer because there’s a possibility he doesn’t have a head! The location is also said to be haunted by a hellhound with glowing red eyes and to see this demon means imminent death.
Sources: Nick Kurczewski, The New York Daily News, and Taylor Krause, MoviePlot.