As far as the roads in Ohio are concerned, Stabley Road in New Carlisle doesn’t appear at first glance to be all that remarkable. At a wee bit over a mile long, and stuck way out in a rural area, somewhere around halfway between the Dayton Airport and the town of Springfield, it’s not even all that easy to find on a map (without a helpful search, that is.)
The locals seem to know exactly where it is, though – perhaps because they’ve been cautioned to stay away.
The Legend of the Staley Road Victims
According to legends, either two murder victims were dumped in a field and ever since, their spirits have been seen wondering the roads trying to find their way home, or looking for someone who will believe them if they name theri killer.
The other variation of this story is that the two people were killed in the 1980s by a group of satanists performing a dark ritual and therefore their spirits are tapped in the area desperately searching for a way out.
Today, people say they hear chanting (which points to the satanist legend) and they swear they see a person along the side of the road who mysteriously runs off and disappears when they approach.
Searching For Evidence
I suppose it’s worth noting here that both versions of the Staley Road legend appear to date back to that period in history when there were no online newspaper databases that could easily be searched, when crime reports and information about missing people and unsolved murders weren’t easily accessible via law enforcement websites.
It’s probably also worth noting that in the 1980s, “satanic ritual killings” and “satanic ritual abuse” were common discussion topics and that nearly every good Christian child (or adult) just happened to know someone who knew someone who was somehow involved – and then there were all the people getting on afternoon talk shows (like Sally Jesse Raphael’s, Donahue’s, etc.) and telling how they almost became a victim themselves, if not how they managed to escape from the murderous satanic cults. Today, we know that none of that was true – other than some troubled people appearing on television for some attention, or for whatever purpose.
Throughout the 1970s, Staley Road was mentioned in various local papers, either because of a particularly good corn crop at a farm somewhere on that road, or because construction on State Route 201 is diverting traffic.
There were also several accidents reported on the road, most of whom were likely due to drivers going too fast on roads where visibility could be somewhat deceptive. Or, maybe people driving unsafely on roads where they’re fairly certain the county sheriff isn’t going to be lurking.
Perhaps, the origins of these legends come not from the road itself, but what’s right next to the road – in several parts, trees line both sides of the street, creating an almost otherworldly appearance, almost tunnel-like and mysterious. It’s enough to full the imagination.
Staley Road Today
This time of year (we’re getting fairly close to Halloween) sometimes people like to visit supposedly haunted locations and try to get a glimpse of things not seen. That’s all well and good … and I’m going to say that it can be fun, too. However…
Please keep in mind that Staley Road, while rural, is still a residential street. The people who live there might not take too kindly to strangers invading their property or making loud noises (or doing anything distracting) while they’re trying to live their lives in relative peace. So, if you do go – please be kind to the people who live there.
(And please drive safely. We don’t want you to create any more ghosts, right?)
