This stretch of road near the battle site of Antietam is known for a mysterious phenomenon. Folks say that if you put your vehicle in neutral at the base of the hill, the ghosts of Confederate soldiers will push it back up the incline. Rumor has it that the ghosts believe they are still at war and pushing cannons and artillery pieces. There also have been reports of laughter coming from the woods.
*NOTE* THIS IS A BUSY ROAD. PLEASE PUT YOUR FLASHERS ON AND BE SUPER CAREFUL IF YOU TRY THIS.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- Gapland Rd and Mountain Church Road
Burkittsville, MD
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 39.39717189501048, -77.63514268328436
- County:
- Frederick County, Maryland
- Nearest Towns:
- Burkittsville, MD (0.4 mi.)
Gapland, MD (1.4 mi.)
Brownsville, MD (1.7 mi.)
Rohrersville, MD (2.9 mi.)
Yarrowsburg, MD (3.0 mi.)
Garretts Mill, MD (4.1 mi.)
Mount Briar, MD (4.1 mi.)
Rosemont, MD (4.7 mi.)
Dargan, MD (5.4 mi.)
Brunswick, MD (5.7 mi.)
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
Me and my brother did this last night. It really happens! We didn’t hear laughter but the Jeep moved up the hill. We even kept the feet outta the Jeep just to prove it wasn’t him. I was a non believer but i ain’t now
It’s a load of crap. An optical illusion. Take a level with you next time….you really are going down the hill, but the grass grows in the opposite direction, making it seem as if you are going up an incline.
A group of us went there with our usual paranormal and scientific tools. When all was done we learned it is definitely an optical illusion. The vehicle appears to be going uphill, but in reality you are going downhill. We were all disappointed!!!
A survey crew had been here and proved that it is a down-hill grade. This is not the only place this happens, as there are many other places throughout the U.S. that has this same illusion. Some of the stories tell of putting baby powder on the tail gate or trunk. The problem with the powder is that you are dusting previous finger prints on the surface, just as forensics would do at a crime scene.
It may not be haunted but that’s still kinda a cool thing
No illusion, nothing happened.
Was here 10/23/16 – big history buff and Blair Witch fan. 3 of us stopped the car completely, then put it in neutral right after the red barn. No foot on gas, the car started to move. Pretty fast, too. Very spooky.
Beyond the proven optical illusion aside, I was with some friends one summer night in 1987, and one friend told me to stop along this road. (Gapland Road at Mountain Church Rd.) We did the rolling up a hill bit going next to the old red barn in the field to the right. Then I parked the car next to the road and sat there for a while. My car was off but we were listening to the radio. We were just listening to the radio (Def Leppard Animal was playing) when it went to this crazy, jumpy static for some reason. that was also when the car suddenly moved up and down, like someone had pushed it. I thought for a second that someone had hit my car. The car moved up and down on the chassis, and I mean a lot! It happened two more times before I finally turned the car on. there was a ton of fog all around us, and I mean it was like pouring out of the woods to our left side. When I started the car, the light dimmed several times and the radio went to complete static.
We went home that night freaked out of our minds. Something was out there near Burkittsville. This was back in 1987, long before the Blair Witch fame. And, no, we were not drinking or getting high.