Haunted Destinations

Bowden Road is located in Huntsville, Texas. Known by locals as Demons Road, it has nonstop claims of supernatural experiences by travelers who drove the old road. It leads to the especially creepy Martha Chapel Cemetery and is said to be one of Texas’s most haunted spots.  Even in daylight, this isolated little back street emits an eerie vibe. After dark, well, it’s even worse.

People who have traveled Demons Road tell tales of frightening encounters and an eerie feeling sweeps over anyone who dares disrupt the ghosts said to be lingering there.

Locals warn the curious who intend to explore the path or visit the graveyard against provoking the spirits. Many of those cautions are from people claiming a ghost followed them home after being in that area.

In May of 2010, a woman reported an encounter by her husband and their friends at the cemetery. She claimed they saw a man wandering through the graveyard one evening but paid little notice to the traveler. The woman returned home. While entering her shower, she turned around to close the shower curtain and saw the man from the cemetery stood in her bedroom. The man disappeared after accomplishing what he came to do: Instill terror in the woman. She has not reported seeing him again.

In another story, a man and his buddy saw a hand protruding from a grave in the Marsha Chapel Cemetery. As they watched, the whole arm came out of its grave, clutching at the ground as if searching for something. They walked toward the grave, his friend urging him to stay put. He leaned down to touch the hand, his friend trying to yank him away the whole time. He made contact. It reportedly gripped his hand and began to pull him down. He managed to pull free. His terrified pal asked if he was ok. Then the man saw a person standing close behind his friend. He rushed to his friend to protect him. Right before he reached his friend, the man lifted his head and stared at him. According to this report, the apparition looked like his friend, who had been begging him to leave. When he turned to look at his “real” friend, he was not there. He bolted and headed for the vehicle. As he raced up to the car, he saw handprints in the dust on the vehicle. He climbed into the safety of the vehicle, and he realized his friend was dead in the back seat.

Other witnesses report large handprints on their vehicles. Some claim the prints look like someone or something unseen grabbed at their car. All in all, almost 100 car owners have reported handprints on their vehicles after a supernatural encounter.

Travelers report mysterious red lights along Bowden Road. People claim the number of lights that appear is contingent on how many people travel in the vehicle. As an example, when leaving the road in the early morning hours, a group of four passengers reported four red lights appearing out of nowhere. Four handprints appeared on the hood of the truck, according to one in the group.

Other reports include being visited by a young child’s apparition, with glowing eyes, riding a tricycle, and a strange, faceless, threatening creature.

Whatever form the spirits choose, they are always reported as hostile and terrifying.

If you cannot resist the urge to explore the unexplained on Bowden Road, I’d take along some Holy Water at the very least. Happy travels!

Mary Ann Poll, America’s Lady of Supernatural Thrillers, is the award-winning author of the Iconoclast series. Mary Ann draws from her real-life experiences, as well as her imagination, to create supernatural thrillers

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