The Haunted Highway
Home
The Screven Spook Light

scl.jpg

Nestled between the small town of Jesup, and the even smaller town of Screven, is a long, curvy dirt road, GA 38, better known to locals as Bennett Road.  The reason that this dirt road is significant to others is the fact that if you follow it deep into the woods, you will eventually arrive at Milligan's Crossing.  A quaint little railroad crossing with no lights or crossing arms. This stretch of track is part of the old Seaboard Coast Line.   The impressive characteristic of this small crossing in the middle of the woods is the fact that for over a century, it has been haunted by none other that what the locals in this area call the "Spook Light".  There are many stories that accompany the light's existence, but the most popular is the one told of a flagman who was hit and decapitated by an oncoming train as he was walking along the tracks with his lantern.  He is said to walk the tracks to this day, swinging his lantern from side to side, in search of his lost head.  Although this is just a theory, there has never been a scientific explanation for this eerie light, which predates the Civil War.  It is usually seen near, or after midnight, coming from the direction of Jesup, sometimes after a rainstorm.  It appears as a big bright ball of light that hovers just over the tracks and floats from side to side getting brighter then dim then bright again, and sometimes disappearing and reappearing again.  From personal experience, I can attest that it does favor the motion of a swinging lantern, and the light is almost so bright, that it surpasses description.  It is truly a sight that one must see for himself in order to appreciate.

Daytime at the Spook Light location
screven2.jpg
Taken on a clear, haze free day, with nothing visibly present on tracks at time of photo

The Spook Light, caught on film
screven1.jpg
Although the light appears as a bright ball of light to the naked eye, this is how it looks on film

The train image is clearly visible when magified
screven3.jpg
photos reveal what is unmistakably a misty figure of an old fashioned steam locomotive on the tracks

Some have seen a possible headless figure in front of the train image, which would explain the light's original theory.  Photos have not been altered or tampered with in any form or fashion, only magnified to increase visibility.

Another interesting bit of trivia about this stretch of railroad track is the fact that many years ago, a train wreck occured in this same vicinity.  Although no one was killed immediately, one man was injured and died soon after that in a nearby hospital.

rr-xing2.gif

Images may not be downloaded and duplicated,  resold or used otherwise without the written consent of the owner.