RoadBotics has assessed over 250 communities, from small rural towns to large metropolitan cities. So it’s no surprise that RoadWay captured some of the spookiest haunts in America!
In the spirit of Halloween, let’s explore the folklore behind five spooky sites that were captured through our smartphone application, RoadSense, then mapped on our pavement assessment platform, RoadWay.
Just like in RoadWay where each road segment is assigned a 1-5 rating with 1 being “best” and 5 being “worst,” we’ve assigned each site a Spooky Scale 1-5 rating with 1 equal to “it’s safe!” and 5 equal to “you’re doomed!”
Get ready – and watch out – as we visit these six spooky sites!
Moon River Brewing Company
Savannah, GA
Voted as one of USA Today’s Top 10 Most Haunted Cities in America, Savannah has a myriad of spooky sites, but Moon River Brewing Company is considered one of the scariest!
Unlike the nearly perfectly-paved, 2-rated road it sits on, the tales from the Moon River Brewing Company will make your hair stand on end. It originally opened in 1821 as a hotel, and then was converted to a yellow fever hospital during the Civil War. The building is home to a reported three ghosts that taunt guests and staff by throwing bottles, chilling customers, and playing tricks.
Guests who remain on the main floor of the brewery will be left in peace, but venture to the basement or upstairs – and beware!
Eastern State Penitentiary
Philadelphia, PA
While you can drive to the Eastern State Penitentiary on a middle-of-road, 3-rated roadway, what happened inside the walls was much more extreme! Opened in 1829, the prison enforced extreme solitary confinement as a form of rehabilitation, so the cracks in the pavement are nearly as deep as the loneliness inside the facility.
Prisoners ate, slept, and exercised alone. When they had to leave their cell, guards hooded the inmates to keep them from seeing or being seen. Over-crowding in the early 1900s forced the end of solitary confinement – but that did not mean the end of cruel punishments, including chaining of the tongue to the wrist.
Humans were not the only species to suffer in loneliness. In 1924, the PA Governor sentenced his dog Pep to a life sentence for killing his wife’s beloved cat.
Loneliness and torture are enough to drive any spirit to haunt their confinement. Visitors have reported hearing eerie laughter, shadowy figures, and footsteps.
The Skirvin Hotel
Oklahoma City, OK
The legend that surrounds the Skirving Hotel is as unappealing as the concrete barrier in the RoadWay image.
The hotel builder and owner, W.B. Skirvin, opened the doors of the luxury hotel in 1911. It was shortly thereafter that he had an affair and impregnated a maid. In order to prevent a scandal, he locked her in a hotel room on the 10th floor, forbidding her to leave. After giving birth, she became increasingly depressed and jumped from the window holding her baby.
It is the ghost “Effie” and her infant that haunt the structure.
Even NBA superstars of the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and Miami Heat reported paranormal activity. Slamming doors and strange noises kept players up at night. In 2010, the Knicks blamed their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the hauntings.
Mere non-NBA mortals reported seeing a naked woman, hearing strange noises including a crying baby and lonely men being propositioned in the night.
House of the Seven Gables
Salem, MA
Home of the famous witch trials, Salem, Massachusetts, is as perfect a destination for haunted sites as the newly paved, 1-rated road the House of the Seven Gables abuts.
The House is said to be one of the most haunted properties in Salem. Made famous by renowned author Nathaniel Hawthorne, the residence was actually home to his cousin Susannah. They spent much of their childhood sharing family stories of Nathaniel’s connections with the Salem witch trials – his great-grandfather was a judge who sentenced many witches to death.
While no tragic incidents occurred at the residence, there have been plenty of reports of paranormal activity. Guests have reported seeing the figure of a woman standing in the window of the property, as well as ghostly whispers and uneasy feelings in the attic.
Masonic Temple
Detroit, MI
The crack seal on this 3-rated pavement was not enough to heal the broken heart of Masonic Temple builder George D. Mason. Erected in 1912, the Masonic Temple is one of Michigan’s most haunted places.
Once a very wealthy man, George D. Mason sunk all of his money into building the temple. This caused his wife to leave him. Penniless, wifeless, and in despair, George climbed to the roof of the building and jumped to his death.
His ghost still haunts the structure. Both security guards and guests report seeing a man climbing the stairs to the roof, slamming doors, making odd noises, creating cold patches, and giving them the feeling of being ‘watched.’
Data collectors, beware! Pavement condition data may not be the only thing you’re collecting in your network imagery!
