Pennsylvania Oddities: The Haunted Road

Pennsylvania has its fair share of creepy roads, but this one may best them all

Photo bybenjamin lehmanonUnsplash

Constitution Drive in Salisbury Township in Allentown, Pennsylvania is said to be haunted. It's a long, desolate, partially unpaved road that winds through wooded forests and lies next to train tracks and the Lehigh River.

There are several creepy legends associated with Constitution Drive. One legend involves psychotic albinos who live along the road in the middle of the woods. It's said that if you venture near their home, they will turn violent and if you exit the safety of your car and walk away from it, the albinos will push your car into the river.

Another story involves the malevolent spirit of a young girl whose screams can be heard on the road throughout the night.

However, the most reported sighting on this road is of the man and his two dogs.

Constitution Drive in Allentown, PAPhoto bySaucon Source

There are several versions of a local legend involving a man who had his leg severed by a nearby train. The most common rendition of the story is that a man was walking with his two dogs along the train tracks when he was suddenly struck by a train speeding by.

According to this story, instead of dying immediately, the man laid on the side of the road for two days until he bled to death. His two dogs stayed by his side and eventually perished alongside him.

In another version of the legend, the man and the dogs were struck by the train and died immediately. What everyone does agree on is that the man can still be found walking his dogs on Constitution Drive. People have reported that the dogs have glowing, crimson eyes.

After a snowstorm, people have said that they've seen dog tracks in the white powder, but only one human footprint next to them because the man lost one of his legs on the train tracks.

Making the road even more eerie is a strange, melodic whistling sound that’s very loud and seems to come from every direction in the woods. Also, the loud noise of freight cars hitting against each other in the rail yard nearby sounds like rattling chains, adding to the eerie feeling on the road.

There is an unsettling feeling on Constitution Drive. Maybe, as stated in a November 1987 article in the Morning Call, it comes from all the garbage that seems to get dumped there (signs posted along the road warn against the practice).

Over the years, the road has also attracted criminal activity. The Morning Call has also reported on this. Burglaries, rapes, arson, and indiscriminate gunshots have been reported along it, and its unsavory reputation prompted a former Salisbury Township Police Chief to admit that the area naturally encourages crime because of its seclusion.

Or perhaps it's the spirit of a troubled spirit who doesn't realize that he's dead...

Just be aware that if you do go to investigate Constitution Drive, there is now a heavier police presence patrolling the area. If they think you're not supposed to be there, they may question you.