Spring is here and that means people are wearing shorts and going outside. If you're like me, then you're ready to fall in love with the world all over again--like you do every single spring, and will probably continue to do for the rest of your life. I can't explain why, but Spring gives me a sort of restless feeling, a feeling that makes me want to start new projects and go on adventures. For the most part, Oklahoma has it's fair share of adventures in the form of natural attractions and historic locations. Those are all well and good. But what if you want something a little darker?
Some people would have you believe that the month of October is the best time to investigate the weird and spooky. I say it's not because that's when everyone is all interested in that sort of thing, so you get a lot of people in the way when you're measuring EMF and EVP and any other pseudoscientific ways to track ghosts. The spring is the best time for scary findings, and while your friends are on a patio somewhere drinking margaritas, you should be out finding specters and astral projections and ghosts and any other sort of thing that goes bump in the night.
But where should I go, Marisa? I hear you ask.
Well, let me tell you. Here are the 10 creepiest places in Oklahoma.
1. Fort Reno
I once paid $5 to go on a ghost hunt with some professionals through this location. I didn't see or hear anything, but I did get to see a historic site, which is something I wouldn't have otherwise seen. This makes the list because I believe they are still doing tours. It's super accessible, and if you go on the tour, you're not going to get arrested for trespassing, as may be the case with pretty much everything else on this list.
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2. The Purple Church
Ask any of the Mid-Del or Choctaw kids, and they'll tell you all about this place. There are even documentaries dedicated to it on YouTube. Apparently it's the location of many Satanic rituals and horse sacrifices. Oh, and there's a tale about a man with a machete chasing visitors from that location. Basically, it's the best location for the Church of Satan next time they want to hold one of their black masses, because unlike the Civic Center, the Purple Church has never hosted a production of Annie or The Nutcracker.
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3. My friends, Katie and Justin's house
My friends, Katie and Justin, live in Gatewood. Katie has stated that a few times while she was sleeping she felt someone sit down on the bed, ask her if she was okay, and then kiss her cheek. On those occasions, Justin was not present to do that. And while this story is supremely spooky, you can't just go to Katie and Justin's house. But if you bring some wine or beer, they'll probably hang out and watch a movie with you and tell you cool stories about their old house. In fact, I'm willing to bet a lot of the Gatewood residents have similar stories. And if someone were to organize a walking tour of Gatewood to show off all the houses with ghosts, I would definitely show up.
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4. Spook Light
If you ever happen to find yourself way up to the northeast, near the Missouri border, keep a weather eye open for the spook light. Some say it's the spirits of star crossed lovers, others say it's a dead Civil War soldier. It may be a decapitated miner carrying his head around. And there are some who claim it's the lights from a nearby gas station. (Those people aren't very much fun, though.) Whatever it is, the Army Corps of Engineers classifies it as a "mysterious light of unknown origin," and that's totally enough to freak me out.
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5. Cry Baby Bridge
Some stories state that the Cry Baby Bridge is in Kellyville, others say McAlester, and others say Moore. But all legends state that a woman and her baby in a horse drawn wagon were driving across the bridge during a thunder storm when they both went over the edge. And now, to this day, you can hear the baby crying when you cross the bridge. Since the location isn't verified, you should probably listen for crying babies when you cross any bridge. And if you hear one, don't assume it's the ghost. There's a good chance that it's a literal baby and you should probably help it out.
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6. The bathroom at the Conservatory
I can't conclusively state whether there is some sort of evil entity at work there or not, but I will say that it's definitely an unholy place. Anyone who has had to pee during a show there will agree.
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7. County Line Barbeque
The story goes that County Line Barbeque (now closed) was a speakeasy back in the day, and as such, it saw it's fair share of nefarious action. Apparently people claimed to have heard the voice of a man yelling there when no one was in the restaurant. On a kind of related note, can I get a moment of silence for the County Line Big Daddy Beef Rib Platter? That was a religious experience. If any other local joints currently serve a plate of 5-6 beef ribs, hit me up.
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8. Dominion House
One of the joys of growing up in Edmond was driving to Guthrie in the middle of the night to go to the Masonic Boys Home, climb the fence, and take a look around. That place was spray painted and covered in trash because so many kids broke in there. Now, you can't just break in and look around. You can, however, pay thousands of dollars to have your wedding there.
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9. Camp Scott
In 1977, 3 Girl Scouts between the ages of 8 and 10 were raped and murdered in the woods surrounding their tent. The counselor didn't find the girls until the next morning, and no one was ever convicted of the crime. Both disturbing and gruesome, there has to be some terrible negative energy out there at Camp Scott.
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10. The bridge past Kitchen Lake
This location, on 119th and Air Depot, is supposedly the site of a witch's home that burned down, leaving nothing but the stone chimney. The witch burned alive, and the story is that she burns anyone or anything that comes near her property. People report pets missing in the area that are never found.
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So there's my list of creepy places. What's your favorite spooky spot?
