There’s no denying that urban legends and myths are one of the United States’ tourist attractions. The country is so vast and steeped in history that countless stories, both true and mythical, have been heard from north to south and east to west. This is the case of Spook Hill in Florida. A road encompassed by a myth about an alligator, but primarily a visual effect, an optical illusion.
The Florida’s Spook Hill is one of many so-called ‘gravity hills’ around the world
Spook Hill is located on 5th Street in Lake Wales, a city in Polk County, Florida. Along the side of the road, a sign invites motorists to stop their vehicle on a white line at what appears to be the bottom of a hill, put their car in neutral, and watch as their car rolls up the hill.
Spook Hill is one of many so-called ‘gravity hills’ around the world. Roads where the surrounding landscape creates a visual illusion that tricks your brain into misjudging slope and angle, causing you to think it’s going up one way when it’s actually the other.
This eerie occurrence is why they started to call this area Spook Hill
Legend has it that a Native American tribe in the area was being harassed by a giant alligator, so they sent their warrior chief to defend themselves against the beast. After his courageous battle to the death, the chief was buried on the north side of the hill. This story attributes the peculiar phenomenon to either the alligator seeking revenge or the tribe’s chief continuing to protect his land. Years later, pioneers hauling goods from the army trail noticed that their horses strained at the foot of the ridge, even though it appeared to be going downhill. This eerie occurrence is why they started to call this area Spook Hill.
Other places where this phenomenon occurs
This Florida location isn’t the only place in the United States where this phenomenon occurs. Another of the best-known is in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The same thing happens here: if you put the car in neutral, it appears to be rolling uphill; the road appears straight, yet vehicles appear to be rolling “upward.” Experts say it’s due to an optical illusion, the absence of landmarks like buildings or fences, and the topography of the terrain.
In Los Angeles, there’s another hill that’s also well-known, especially for the myths surrounding it. It’s Gravity Hill in Altadena, where the aforementioned phenomenon is also observed. Legend has it that Altadena’s ghost hill acquired its mystical power one fateful night when a teenage girl sneaked out of her room and stole the keys to her parents’ sports car. After picking up some friends, the teens sped through Altadena. But the inexperienced driver lost control of her car, spinning wildly until she crashed into a tree.
Legends and myths that surround these stories
All the car’s occupants died instantly. The site of the fatal crash? A hill on Loma Alta Drive, now known as Gravity Hill. It’s said that today, when drivers put their cars in neutral on the hill, it invokes the repentance of teenagers, who push their cars uphill to prevent others from suffering a similarly violent fate.
Another legend claims that the victims of the hill on Loma Alta Drive were actually children returning home on a school bus. When the driver lost control, all the children on board died in the accident. Therefore, now, when drivers drive over this hill, it’s the children who push the cars to keep them out of harm’s way.
Other locations in the country where such phenomena occur include Princeton, KY; Santa Cruz, CA; and Blaine Township, MI.
