Most people living in the county have found themselves driving on isolated roads at one time or another. Some roads seem to go on forever, surrounded by nothing but trees. One road in particular has earned a ghoulish reputation. Route 2A runs through the Haynesville Woods in southern Aroostook County. At one time, this road was one of the only options for travelling south to Bangor from northern Maine. Known for its sharp turns and lack of traffic or houses, Route 2A was a source of anxiety for many truckers in the 20th century. Its dangerous reputation was immortalized by country music artist Dick Curless with his song, “Tombstone Every Mile.” Curless details how dangerous this lonely expanse was for the truckers hauling potatoes south along that “ribbon of ice” in the winter.
Haynesville has also become associated with the paranormal. Stories of phantom hitchhikers encountered on that road have been told for generations. Aroostook county native Bob Chandler remembers hearing his father recount tales of ghostly figures walking along the sides of the road. Bob’s father was a trucker for many years in the 1970s and ‘80s. “I grew up hearing about the woman in white. Dad never saw her himself, but he would hear about her from the other drivers,” Bob said.
The story of a lady hitchhiker dressed in white is a popular one told throughout the United States. The legend of Resurrection Mary in Chicago is very similar to the stories claiming there is a ghostly hitchhiker roaming the seemingly endless Haynesville Woods. “The truckers said that they would come upon a young woman walking along the road. They would, of course, pull over and offer her a ride. She would climb up in the passenger seat without making a sound, only to disappear into thin air when the poor driver tried to make small talk,” Bob said.
Bob’s summarized version of the stories associated with that road is just one of dozens of variations about the Haynesville hitchhiker. Sometimes she is a frozen bride desperate to return to her young husband in the world of the living. Other times she maintains her pace ahead of drivers, no matter how fast they are going. These stories are seldom told around the supper table and at small-town gas stations like they were when Bob was a boy. He says he remains open-minded about the paranormal happenings at Haynesville, but doesn’t take every story he has heard very seriously. “Let’s just say I always take the Interstate when travelling south,” Bob joked.
Many older people in the county have heard the stories but remain skeptical. Wayne Hammond grew up in Patton in the 1950s. He heard many tall tales about the Haynesville area, but dismissed them as just ghost stories. “All I know is that road is a dangerous one,” Hammond said. “Those kinds of stories always pop up in places where people die.” When asked if he would change his mind if he saw the Haynesville Hitchhiker, Hammond replied, “Sure. If she sat down beside me and vanished, I’d believe in ghosts.”
Today, Route 2A lies lonelier than ever. It has gained an international reputation, however. The idea of a road with a dangerous past and spooky hauntings has captured the imaginations of many enthusiasts of the paranormal. Maybe the spectral lady in white won’t be so lonely forever.
