The Shades Of Death Road Blog
Since I started doing these people have been sending in all sorts of suggestions. One in a while the name of a conspiracy/myth/legend is so stark and shocking I can’t help but expedite it to the top of the pile. Which is exactly what happened here.
I naturally assumed “Shades of Death Road” was a local nickname for the street. Maybe it’s a long, windy road in a heavily wooded area that results in a bunch of car accidents leading residents to give it such a horrifying name. Nope. Warren County, New Jersey, found it wise to name a road SHADES OF DEATH. New Jersey isn’t alone, as Pennsylvania also has a Shades of Death Road, but we’re focusing on the NJ one today. Just wanted it on the record that at least two human beings in different states thought it was a good idea to name a publicly traveled street SHADES. OF. DEATH.
Shades of Death has all the classic makings of a transcendent local legend. Native American burial ground curses, ghosts, packs of feral cats, abandoned boxes of sketchy pictures that “vanished” from police custody, and a string of murders in the early-1900s. Weird New Jersey has written a ton on Shades of Death Road, and that’s where most of this information is coming from. There are a whole heap of videos on Youtube of people trying to capture the ghosts on film, but anyone who’s anyone knows that you cannot simply record a ghost. That’s day one stuff and frankly I’m offended these jamokes think they can just go out to Shades of Death with their cameras and get footage of these ghosts.
But where did these ghosts come from? Between 1920 and 1940 there were three separate murders. One dude got smashed over the head with a carjack over some gold coins, which is the most 1930s murder you can imagine. Another woman beheaded her husband and buried the head and body on separate sides of the road. A third was a man named Bill Cummins who was shot and buried in a pile of mud. His murder remains unsolved, and unsolved murders are always prime for a good haunting via ghost. There has also been said to be a “Shining” type pair of young kids, killed by a car accident, who will come out if you park your car on a certain bridge, flashing your high beams and honking your horn three times. That’s also how you get initiated into some gangs, so I wouldn’t go around attempting to lure out these kid ghosts on Shades of Death Road.
Outside of those ghosts, Shades of Death intersects with Lenape Lane – named for the Native American tribe known as the Lenape who used to live in the Delco region of the East Coast. Near there is a cave known as The Fairy Hole, which is said to have been found harboring arrowheads and flint, discovered by archeologists in 1918. The survey of this cave went down prior to two local, wealthy men who decided to dam a creek than ran nearby creating a new lake, which was promptly named Ghost Lake. The reported sightings of ghosts make sense when you tussle with what may have been ancient Native American burial grounds. I can understand accidentally building on ancient Native American burial grounds, it’s a mistake we’ve all made and Native American ghosts take that into account when they factor in their level of haunting. But to be so brazen as to find arrowheads and put forth the effort to make sure damming a new, man-made lake is a good idea, only to ignore all warning sides and proceed anyways? Yeah, that’ll cost you several centuries of hauntings.
But these aren’t the only ghosts tied into the ancient Native Americans on Shades of Death. There is also said to be a spirit guide in the shape of a deer who is supposed to be a warning sign for travelers speeding along Shades of Death. Heed his warning by slowing down and you’re all good. Ignore the deer and you’re outta here. So, if you find yourself speeding on Shades of Death in the future and happen upon a glowing deer of doom: pump the brakes and thank me later.
Finally, there is a swamp near by. Lotta water and woods along side Shades of Death. Certainly leads credence to it being creepy as all hell. The swamp was named Bear Swamp but has since been renamed Cat Hallow due to the gangs of roving, feral cats who took the lives of anything that crossed their paths. Fuck all cats, but especially those cats.
Shades of Death Road, for my money, is confirmed haunted. No conspiracy here, this shit is all true until proven otherwise. Native American curses? Check. Hundred years worth of run ins with ghosts? Check. Minimum three, non-automobile related murders? Buddy, you betcha. If you find yourself traveling in Warren County, New Jersey – particularly at night – maybe find an alternate route. Or at least listen to any deer you may cross paths with.