Hinds Road

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Ah no backwoods town is complete without the story of the Witch in the Woods who sold her soul to the devil, lived in a shack (because if you sold your soul to the devil, all you’d want out of it was a shack in the middle of some hillbilly wood in Alabama, right?). In any event, legend goes this old woman was a witch and her evil soul still lingers on to frighten and bedevil the good folk of Alabama.

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Geographic Information

Address:
Hinds Rd
Gadsden, AL 35904
United States

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GPS:
34.0439696, -86.0350904
County:
Etowah County, Alabama
Nearest Towns:
Reece City, AL (2.0 mi.)
Gadsden, AL (2.6 mi.)
Attalla, AL (3.4 mi.)
Ridgeville, AL (3.9 mi.)
Lester, AL (5.8 mi.)
Rainbow City, AL (6.2 mi.)
Edwardsville, AL (6.2 mi.)
Ivalee, AL (6.3 mi.)
Anderson, AL (6.8 mi.)
Egypt, AL (7.2 mi.)
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Comments (90)

  2. Hinds Road is a pretty rough drive… at least it was. I’ve not been up that way in several years. There’s a large pond just beside the road and it looks pretty yucky with the green scum on the surface. If you drive through late at night you will most likely see an animal slip into the water as your headlights flash across the pond. We always got spooked while up there but it was the kind of spooking that your mind does to you. The stories of that place are vague at best so I don’t know any actual history although I’m a lifelong Gadsden resident. All I know is that several generations have considered that road to have bad vibes. In my opinion, an even creepier road in the Gadsden / Etowah County area is Owl’s Hollow Road which extends from the ghettoes at Tuscaloosa Avenue and goes to Leesburg or something. There’s a lot of tents and shacks off the road that looks like some sort of modern day Hoovertown. Very creepy, indeed.

    • Me and my friend are very interested in visiting this place. How exactly do you find it? Do you just stay straight on Hinds road or do you have to turn off somewhere?

    • My great aunt lives on owls hollow road. I visit quite often but never really felt any haunted vibes but you know the deep woods are creepy anyways. Reading these comments make me more skeptical. I’ll ask her if she knows anything about the hauntings. But I do remember back in 2004 a body was found off the side of the road. Creepy. But if anyone does go up there be careful how far you travel into the woods because a lot of it is privately owned by gun toting people.

    • Where are the ghettos that you are speaking of? They are brick and mortar low-income housing. They are well-groomed and clean. I travel Owl’s Hollow Road on my way home. There are some areas that have old unkempt houses until you get to the first connecting road, Glen Gap Road. From there are farms and new houses at the base of Lookout Mountain.

  3. Sorry to post again but I got curious, searched, and discovered that the pond I was referring to is called Clayton Fish Pond. Strange that I never knew that. I wouldn’t want to fish there at night. Like I said, it’s pretty creepy.

  4. This place is no doubt only a myth, I visited the cave, the pond etc, and it is nothing special. No paranormal activity. Note: I went on summer solstice

  5. Im 24 niw but i remember my dad telling me stories bout the witch and at 5 yrs old u would not believe it til u saw it and one afternoon he took me up there and we stopped in front of the house and i saw cats everywhere and i kept staring at the house and i thought she might come out but never did and our car woulnt start for a few mins then when it did we left.. We went back a week later and it was so freakin wierd the house was completly gone no sign of where the foundation use to b no sign of power pole or where it use to b it really looked liked nothing ever exsisted there this place is true u just have to experience it i always wondered if the house may have came back

    • That is so strange about the cats. My husband grew up in Gadsden also. He told me about some devil worshipers taping a cats paws together and throwing it into the pond to drown. I wonder if this could be related some how. He said often you would ride down that road and see dead, drown cats.

    • The funny thing is is that I saw the house with a group of my friends while driving down hinds road a few years back and then this year I went with my fiancé and there was no sign of the house anywhere, but my friends and I saw the house. There was no doubt it was there.

      • yea the house was there when I went In 2007 next to the pond there was a bunch of people in black cloaks standing around a fire so I hauled ass the other way.. then a black cat jumped in the middle of the road.. this was Halloween night to so who what was happening..

    • I went to check it out when I was younger and I didn’t think anything was creepy, just a shack and a lake, but to find that the house doesn’t exist…now I’m creeped out

  6. It is haunted. i never beleived in haunted places or ghosts until my visit to hinds rd. I’ve lived in gadsden all my life and the night my mom took me made me look at my town in a whole new light. the secind spirit is an animal. it is a large dog. you personaly do not want to encounter what i encountered.

    • I was wondering if anyone else has seen/encountered a large black dog around the area of the pond? If so please share your story. Also has anyone ever encountered a man?

      • A friend of mine and me stuck out of his house late one night in middle school and went walking down Lookout St. and as we passed Hinds Road a HUGE black dog came out of nowhere and started chasing us. I still to this day don’t know how we got away or where the dog went. It was there, we ran, and then it was gone. These comments are the first I have heard of the black dog. FREAKY!

      • Me and my friends were looking for the house and encountered two men standing outside of their car in the pitch black. They were on the ponds edge and tried to get us out of the car to walk with them to the witch’s shack. They told us they heard screams but we’re really creepy men and originally told us they were not going to the shack but would take us there. We drove off and still to this day believe those men were trying to lure us to the house for the witch.

      • On Halloween night me and my boyfriend and a few friends had went around walking down the road and trails and we had got to right before the pond and we was looking up on that trail next to the pond we got chased by the big dog and we ran straight to the truck turned around and the animal was gone. We thought we was crazy I’m happy we are not the only ones that seen it!

    • I had went walking on hinds road on halloween night and we seen the dog to! It chased us from next to the pond about 20 feet we looked back and it was gone. Our truck was a few years away we went straight to it and turned the nights on to look and we couldn’t find it anywhere. I’m not saying its haunted because the black dog is the only thing I’ve encountered there but there is deffently something of a different world going on there

    • omg i saw a black dog but it was very friendly yet scared i went to pet it an it ran into the cave. i went in the cave to find it and it was gone i searched the whole cave then out of nowhere i heard a huge growl like a bear but it was the dog i went to find it again and it wasnt there

      • Can you please tell me how deep the CAVE goes? I was so scared that I couldn’t go in. I want to go in but I want you to tell me how is it shaped and how big inside is????

    • I wanna know I wanna know! You can’t just leave me hanging like that like you have this super spooky story good enough to change your whole outlook and view of gadsden and not tell the story… c’mon
      Pretty pretty please

  7. After reading this, my husband and I went down Hindes Rd on our motorcycle. It was just getting dark. We didn’t see anything, but it was defenatly creepy, especially when you pass the pond.

  8. at 16, I went down Hinds because I was told I’d see something that foretold my future. across the pond, I saw myself hanging from a noose. It was a moonlit night around midnight. didn’t stay around long after I saw that. the road has potholes enough to wreck your car if you don’t know, so be careful. I later found out that that’s exactly what you’re supposed to see on your first trip. the seniors at my high school used that as a scare tactic for the underclassmen. still scary. still don’t go back by myself.

  9. Has anyone ever noticed that right beside the pond (close to the road), it looks like steps going into the ground? Also where was the house located?

    • My grandmother lived around the corner from Hinds Rd and I would play there as a little girl. Yes, there are steps and a foundation where a house once stood. And buttercups bloom all around the foundation in the spring. Devil worshipers used to go up there at night and burn torches and kill animals. My granny said that when she was a little girl they used to fish in the pond all of the time. The house that was there burned sometime in the 1930s. It was owned by a family and that is why it still sits vacant, without anything else being built on it. I saw the black dog several times when I would play there as a child. It would keep its distance from me but would watch me as if it was guarding me.

      • Also I must mention that this is a LONG road. My granny lived near the site of the pond and house. If you stay on Hinds road, it will take you across the mountain, close to Noccolula Falls.

    • If you are on the road and the pond is on your right, the cabin was just past the pond. That’s where I saw it any way. Not 30 yards past the pond.

  11. Yes there was a house across from the pound. Back in the early 80s my best friend and I would go there all the time. There was part of the house left, but there were about 3or4 old barn looking sheds there also. We were out behind the house and sheds throwing chestnut we find in the yard at apiece or tin out by the woods in the back,when all of a sudden we heard a growl coming from the woods to the right of us. We turn and looked at each other and thought we were just hearing things so we threw some more. At the tin, then we heard it again. We ran as fast as we could, jumped in the car and left. About a week later we took about 5other people up there with us and they were walking around , laughing at us saying we were crazy, and in about 5 minutes of us being there it started growling again just like did with us. We all ran back to the car terrified. But they believed us then. Have more stories about that place, but I’m tired of writing.

  12. at 20 years old.We saw steps and saw figures cross the road. Anna, my 9 year cousin saw these too. we saw a cave where a man dragged bodies to eat.we saw a shed on a hill below the road where we saw dead bodies and cats floating on the water at the pond.we saw what looked like our old cat smitty who possessed by the worshipers and we got out but the black dog is a pitbull and charged our car haunted 1000000000000000000000000000%

      • Been here many times past 2 yrs. Saw a deer carcass in a black trash bag in the pond one day, at least 4 times at nighttime saw candles and stuff in the road like witchcraft activity, saw an old foundation but no house, it was across the road about 1/8 mile from the pond/lake swamp, if you drive from noccolulla area, that same day, my brave husband walked into the cave and about 10 ft in his phone died and the video did not come out but the battery was over half full, one night we saw what we think was a flying squirrel that scared the crap out of us. That same night, we turned the car off, unrolled the windows but we didn’t hear anything. it’s so dark and creepy. I’m more nervous about some druggie devilworshipers running after us more than anything. I’d never go alone, always bring at least one gun,and a Cross, also good to bring knives, hammer/bat for protection. I’d always be in a reliable car too cause that is not a place you want to break down.

    • My grandmother Torbit did indeed live up there, and even had a pet peacock! They were not witches there but the kids did mess with them a lot.

  13. I am 100% sure this road is haunted and deadly. I aw a lot of figures crossing the road. Also, be careful when you go down there, be slow and steady and do not look at red eyes or red reflectors and you will live. My mother has told me stories and one was she had to drive BACKWARDS up the hill to escape from worshipers. She says they are just kids, but i know what i see.

    • How can you die by lookin into red eyes or red reflectors? Jus wounderin. Im lookin fwd to goin to this place. Ee have a similar place here where I live. Ive seen red eyes there n I was 16. Im now 23 n still alive.

  15. I am sure there is a video of it on youtube. I have never seen anything of ghost or devil dogs.
    The old lady that lived in the shack has passed away. Having said that I have had an encounted or two with devil worshipers up there. Would trail ride every weekend up there back when jeep hill was still open .

  16. I’m from Gadsden and been on this road many of times and nothin has happen but my mom has had things happen to her. headlights blinking radio messing up and had white light following them. guess it’s all about how much you actually believe in spirits

  17. A year ago me and my boyfriend went on a date and he thought it would be funny to take me up through this road. I never had heard the stories before until he told me. It’s apparent that the witch, whom lives in the shack that you can see, drowns children in the pond. (Or so the stories have changed into) so some people though it would be funny to throw baby dolls in the pond. When we went, we found the cave and I wouldn’t get out of the car, but he dragged me out and we peaked inside, and someone was in it, we don’t know who or what it was but we ran back to the car and it wouldn’t crank and after a few tries it finally cranked and we never went back. That’s just my story..

  18. Torbit. The infamous witch of Hinds Road. We all have heard the legend. Some say they’ve seen her. Maybe they have. Maybe they think they have. She wasn’t the only witch that resided in those woods. I’ve visited the location on several occasions & have yet seen her full beauty. She’s not very trusting. I sometimes go just to sit by the lake & talk to her. Across from the lake, the area in which is known to be the place where her cabin sat, is where I saw my first possible sighting but only in apparition form. It brightly lit up a vast area in the woods & as I started up the hill to go in, it diminished & went away. Those who were with me quickly ran to our vehicle, screaming for me to come but I stood there. I waited for her. I asked her to please come back. She wouldn’t. I have photos of orbs covering the lake’s area, faces can be seen through the trees & the figure of a woman’s dress can be seen beside me. There was no legs or feet. EVP has picked up sounds of nature & in unison sounding as though they were telling us to “go back”. I’ve heard screams of a woman & of young. I’ve felt touches. I’ve been slapped & pushed. I still go back to visit. I still ask her to show herself to me. I have not went into the cave. She’s not in there. The lake is where she stayed the most. If you want to see her, you’ll see her there. Torbit had emerald green eyes & long black hair. She was young & beautiful. If you see anything but, then you aren’t seeing her. The area is now the private property of someone & having a vehicle parked on the side of the road definitely draws attention. The police has been called to me twice. I now have someone take & leave me. I spend as much time as I can there until I feel she wants me to leave. People have said they feel like she went with them since their visit but do not be in fear. It’s not her. She will not leave her mountain.

  19. The land is owned by the Clayton family. The lady that lived in the house was Lucille Clayton born November 1st 1891 died November 1st 1966 she was my great great aunt and even though I was 1 years old when she died my family says she was a nice lady so do little history for you start your dumb witch stories. By the way the cave yall talk about is a old coal mine shaft but some fools repeat anything they’re told.

    • “DITTO!” This was William (Uncle Bill) Yancey Clayton’s old homeplace. Uncle Bill was my Grandfather Andison C. Clayton’s first cousin. As far as I know, these were all good folks! When he was living my cousin Ferrell Clayton, took care of the old place, though he didn’t live there at that time. The old homeplace was still there and well cared for into the 1980’s. No doubt as isolated as the place was much mischief has been done by others over the years.

  20. You people are crazy! I’ve lived in Gadsden ALL my life! Been down Hinds Rd many many times! Night and day! And I’ve NEVER had anything happen! Got out and walked down to the pond! NOTHING! I’m with Paul! Do a little research before you tell your dumb witch stories! Although I have been to 7 Room Rock and got chased by devil worshippers! Lol nothing a shotgun won’t handle!

    • I’m with you, Anon. I’m from Attalla and I’ve driven Hinds Road, day and night, since the 1960’s. The pond is indeed Clayton’s Fish Pond, and I can remember the house across the road when folks were living there. Some places at the upper end were popular as a “Lover’s Lane” around 1968-70. Don’t know about spirits, but there was several “Lives” that originated there! (LOL). I’m not sensitive at all, but I’ve been there with some folks that I know could “see” something, and there were no “vibes” apparent in any way. The big dog apparently belonged to the house, and it was trained to chase trespassers. One incident I do know about personally…One night I and a Special Friend were surprised by a couple of Gadsden Police officers. They searched the car, her purse, me, and everything else for contraband. Etowah County was “dry” and even getting caught with an empty beer can got you a trip to the Police HQ and your name in the Gadsden Times the next day. If any pot or a roach was found………lets just say you were instantly famous the next day. Thats everyone in the car. Other safer locations were found to conduct “ exploratory activities”. Hinds Road was just too busy. Rode down it about 10 years ago. Many upscale houses starting to be built at the upper end, and trailers being located almost to the Fish Pond. Guess it’ll be full all the way down in time.

  21. Back in the early 1970’s I used to ride my dirt bike on Hinds Road and I went about 50 feet off the road and found a moonshine still there. So part of what may having been going on is that the moonshiners were trying to scare people away. And adding to the legend of this road being creepy and haunted at night.

  22. My paranormal group has done several investigations at this location and I have several photos and Evps from here. Can definitely say it is 100% haunted. It never disappoints. Great place.

  23. I lived on Hines, just silly myths..Ghost stories alike..All towns got to have them..Anyone know about 7 ring rock caves? Now thats an interesting place..

    • I went to Hines rd about 2 and half years ago and it was jus boring, but I was bored so figured I’d come here and read comments and I keep noticing people talking about dogs being “Skinned” or “cut in half”, also I do not know where the cave is but across from the pond where that pile of trash and junk is, there was a deer laying there with his head cut off, most people cut off at the shoulders so they can get the neck and head, but this was right where the skull and jawline would start, very weird so gonna have to get a group and find the cave this time.

  25. The lake everyone speaks of, nicknamed blood lake, is not the lake where the children’s bodies were. The water level is low now and you can see several old tires spread around. The witch’s house was not across from that lake. The lake where the children were taken is on private property and is not exposed from the road. It is across the street from where the original Clayton house was and is spring fed. It never goes dry and never overflows. The Clayton property is about a mile before the exposed lake with the tires on the left. There is a lot of brush and vegetation, so it is not readily exposed. The caves you speak of are old coal mines and very dangerous. Packs of coyotes live in there and take their prey there to eat. The odor is from rotten prey and odor emitted from the actual coyotes (it is terribly rank). There are many old coal mines, often mistaken for caves, in the area but please be careful when exploring, you may see coyotes, black bears, and there is a lone black panther that roams the woods but typically is not aggressive. The coyotes appear domesticated but when you approach, they will attack. I have always found this story interesting and have visited several times both in the day and night.

  26. My boyfriend, a friend of ours, and I got brave one day and pulled into the drive way of the infamous “devil worshipers” colony, family, what have you. My small Saturn couldn’t take on the gravel hill ultimately leading up to their estate, so the tires spun circles almost a quarter way in. I reversed and continued on to the end nearest Alabama city, looped around to head back down to end the road near Noccolulla falls. Few curves later we saw a white SUV parked in the middle of a bend to the right making it difficult for us to pass. As I approached its side we seen a middle aged man on his cell phone staring at us as if he meant business through an open window. We only stared back, really shocked at the idea of retaliation from this family on the hill we’ve been so curious about for all this time. We weren’t trying to pick fun at them nor be disrespectful and no one should. I’ve just always wondered what the large sign half way through the drive warned of. He sped off in opposite direction, as did I. We took into account the stirred up road dust that wavered the air from the man’s speed tailing us, crossing everything we had hoping there wasn’t any others blockading the small road ahead of us. As we passed their residence, there were 5 figures on the porch at the top of the hill. Later, after we found our stomachs on the floor, we took the road to cut back through. We noticed their porch light had blackened, the gate closed, and I think they same man, due to his lighter grey shirt, stood and little ways up the drive and a smaller hill. I’m glad we got spooked and went all the way to the end of the road to loop instead of stopping to admire the pond as we often did. I’m sure however this family is may not read these forums, but in the slight chance you do, please reach out to me. I’m sharing this story mostly to ward off those of you out to harrass, which is advised against. Dangerous game you better be serious about playing. I, personally, want to become a player.

  27. I have lived here over half my life. I am very sensitive to the supernatural. I had visions of the house burning where the pond is now, the witch and the little boy. I could hear her cries. I get chills and my eyes water to this day just thinking about it. I had these feelings long before hearing the stories.I would really like to know more about the true history. Maybe the people who do not feel any presence or experience just are not sensitive.

  28. Anonymous climber  |  
    Reply ↓

    My dad has lived in Gadsden his whole life, he was born in ’67. He used to take me and my brother down the road and we would always see the shack. And he would act like the car was “going dead”. When I got older us teens would go and see who could go down in the cave the furthest. My dad always said he didn’t really believe there was a witch. Just “devil worshippers” making animal sacrifices. He said when he was about 30 him and some old friends went into the cave and there was a cat head hanging and always begged me to never go down there. He said some of the kids he went to school with would go down there just to chant creepy things at people driving by or trying to see something. He also said the lake supposedly has no bottom. Haha seems like my dad was just trying to scare me. But I believe it’s all just satanist and devil worshippers.

  29. Isn’t it amazing how ignorant people are that assume that if it is located in Alabama, it must be a “Hillbilly” area. Cable television education perhaps.

  30. Been up and down this road dozens of times day and night, I ain’t felt anything weird or seen anything weird at all, must be your minds playing tricks on you

  31. I got followed on this road. I passed a Jeep and a ranger on a curve and when I got down to the pond, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the Jeep following me. I sped up and so did the Jeep. They stayed right on my tail. I finally got to the end of the road and decided to go back down it. When I was going back down it, I saw the Jeep and the ranger turning around and I passed them once again. They didn’t follow me as I went back down Hinds Road.

  32. We just got back from the witch house just now at 11:15 at night and also the cave. My sister and her husband live on Hinds road. About a mile from the witch house. The blood pond is on the right and the foundation of the house is on the left. It is back off the road a little bit. Yes a lot of plants and vines, etc. growing there. He grew up here and the story is the pond is where she would throw the bodies of the children she stole from the town people. The town people burned down her house while she was in it. There are two wells and they are pretty creepy. The foundation is very grown over and it was pretty big for that time. We didn’t see much it it is very creepy.

  33. I’m 18 and I’ve been up there numerous times, always with 3+ people. I’ve lived in Gadsden for years and going to middle school at Emma Sansom we always heard of the Hinds Road Witch from our parents and friends. The older folks call her Torbit. During high school years me and my friends have visited many times. Sometimes the house is there, and sometimes there’s no sign of anything… it’s insane. Me and my best friend went up there one last time my junior year and before getting to the cave, pond, or house, we found a big black dead pitbull that we assume was either left by Torbit or the devil worshippers that often gather there at night. I’ve not been back since, and I hear they paved or redone part of the road. I might need to make another trip up there soon. Be wary not to turn off your car as often times my friends’ cars wouldnt start back up for 15 or so minutes.

  34. Guyton is a Buffoon  |  
    Reply ↓

    That place is scary, I would never recommend anyone to go there. Run away as fast as you can….. Hinds Rd? Never been there, thought you meant Gadsden in general.

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  36. Ashley Holifield  |  
    Reply ↓

    This witch is actually my Great, Great Grandmother. My grandmother wrote a book which includes her young life living with her grandmother the Wilt Witch.

    • Kimberly Mitchell  |  
      Reply ↓

      Hi Ashley, from what my grandmother told me she too was my great great grandmother. If you can contact me plz i would so appreciate it.

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