Deep in the heart of Southeast Texas lies the Big Thicket, a dense swampy forest two hours from the Louisiana border. Bragg Road, one of the only roads through the forest, is also known to the locals of Saratoga, Texas as Ghost Road. The haunted road is home to spiritual powers beyond our comprehension and few dare investigate these claims.
During the daytime, the road seems innocent enough. It’s just a two-lane dirt road through the swamp, the green canopy overhanging the pinkish-brown dirt road. At night, though, Bragg Road lives up to its reputation as one of the most haunted roads in Texas. Many even say its the most haunted road in America.
The eight-mile-long road is pitch black, except for the spooky Saratoga Lights. Those who travel the road often say that the Saratoga Lights appear almost nightly.
While usually white or light blue in color, some say they’ve seen them turn green or yellow. Locals say that no matter how much you try to chase them, you can never catch them.
Nobody really knows what causes the light, though there are some theories.
Bragg Road was once a railroad track. According to the legends, a railroad conductor was decapitated in a freak accident there. The Saratoga Lights are his spirit wandering the road. Another theory comes from the story of a bride who disappeared near the area.
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Saratoga Lights on Bragg Road
It issued from the pitch black-woods to their right. Jim described it as being ‘like what would proceed a lantern entering a dark room.’ The glow emitted from a 6-in ball of brilliant orangish light that came to Hoover less than 20 ft in front of them. Their astonishment turned to terror as the light approached with movements that seemed conscious and deliberate. It stopped just to the right of the car that was still idling. slowly, it moved across the hood, causing the engine to stall. Frantically, the boys were able to restart the engine as the light came to rest to the left of their car. they took off down Bragg Road just as fast as its unpaved sandy surface would allow. The light pursued them and easily kept pace with the car at speeds approaching 50 miles-per hour. After about 2-miles, and without slowing down, the light made an Abrupt 90° turn to the left, ascending above the treetops, and disappearing in a streak of unimaginable speed. the entire episode lasted for over 5 minutes.’’
The Ghosts Lights of Bragg Road
Since the early 1900s, when Bragg Road was still a railway, locals have told tales of strange ghostly lights along the road. Reports of the lights steadily declined as electricity came to the area, but late-night drivers still see the Saratoga Lights on occasion.
The Saratoga ghost lights can be described as a single light or group of lights, usually shaped like orbs. They tend to be bluish-white in color but are sometimes yellow or green. They often appear after travelers journey only a few minutes down the road and disappear when they exit the other side.
The strangest part about the lights is that you can never catch up to them. Many passersby have attempted to chase the lights down with their car or truck but to no avail. The lights usually disappear before they can get close.
A few people claim that getting out of your vehicle and chasing the lights on foot can get you a bit closer, but very few people have tried. One person claims to have gotten within 30 feet of the Saratoga Lights before it changed color and shot up into the sky.
Those who have seen the Saratoga ghost lights on a consistent basis say that it has a playful personality. It sometimes bobs up and down or stays in one spot until you get close, then dashes away. At least one person claims to have been attacked by an unseen force while driving down Bragg Road at night.
Where do the Saratoga Lights come from?
Nobody knows what caused the Saratoga Lights on Bragg Road. That means there’s only one explanation: ghosts! There are two prevailing theories on where the ghosts may have originated, though both theories are unfounded.
Back when Bragg Road was still a railroad, the conductor would pass through the road at a relatively high rate of speed. Though dangerous, the conductor hated having to slow down while traveling the eight-mile-long path, and he wanted to stay on schedule.
One day, while speeding through the forest, the train derailed, and the conductor was decapitated. Ever since then, locals say that the headless ghost of the train conductor walks up and down Bragg Road with a lantern looking for his head.
The Investigation
‘’ Like most kids from the area, Jim had heard of the Ghost Light stories for about as long as he could remember. The fame of the mysterious lights, said to appear on Bragg Road just north of Saratoga, had long been established in the small towns and rural communities around Beaumont and near the Louisiana border and East Texas. Going to search for the light was almost a rite of passage for teenagers in the area, so it was almost inevitable that Jim would eventually make his personal pilgrimage to the ghost road.
It issued from the pitch black-woods to their right. Jim described it as being ‘like what would proceed a lantern entering a dark room.’ The glow emitted from a 6-in ball of brilliant orangish light that came to Hoover less than 20 ft in front of them. Their astonishment turned to terror as the light approached with movements that seemed conscious and deliberate. It stopped just to the right of the car that was still idling. slowly, it moved across the hood, causing the engine to stall. Frantically, the boys were able to restart the engine as the light came to rest to the left of their car. they took off down Bragg Road just as fast as its unpaved sandy surface would allow. The light pursued them and easily kept pace with the car at speeds approaching 50 miles-per hour. After about 2-miles, and without slowing down, the light made an Abrupt 90° turn to the left, ascending above the treetops, and disappearing in a streak of unimaginable speed. the entire episode lasted for over 5 minutes.’’
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Orange lights
It has been said that throughout its history humans have sought to hide in this vast impenetrable wilderness where, for instance, men who didn’t want to fight in World War 1,or World War II, or the Civil War would disappear to live out the war years.
Bragg Road, also known as the Ghost Road, is an 8-mile dirt road in the Big Thicket National Preserve, known for the mysterious Saratoga Light. It was originally a railroad bed built by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1901, connecting Bragg Station to Saratoga. The rails were removed in 1934, but the road remained, becoming a popular spot for those seeking the eerie light phenomenon.
Haunted East Texas
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