Politically and economically isolated from the rest of the state, this region was nicknamed after the Illinois Military Tract of , which was a section of land set aside for veterans of the War of Perhaps this isolation is why some of the most haunted places in Illinois are located in this county area.
Which one will prove to be the most haunted of them all? According to legend, an old dirt road once passed through Effland Woods.
One day, an accident befell a group of travelers on the road and they all died. In some versions of the story, this was a car accident. People stopped using the road, and it became swallowed up by the woods. Now, visitors to the woods claim to see floating balls of light zipping between the trees. Others have heard whistling and low voices, and felt like they were being watched or followed by something unseen.
According to authors Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk, the son of a woman who lived nearby went to hunt raccoons in the woods and returned home early in a state of shock. He was unable to recount what happened, but he refused to go hunting in Effland Woods again. Another common story is that a bus or van full of children drove off the bridge, killing everyone inside. Now, if you put your car in neutral while on the bridge, invisible hands will push you safely to the other side.
Both of these legends are associated with a steel, graffiti-covered bridge in rural Warren County. One tale particular to this location involves a speeding car full of impetuous youths who struck and killed a fisherman as he cast a line into the creek. Additionally, several people have claimed to hear a baby crying near this bridge. Founded in , this sprawling acre cemetery has over six miles of roadways and is the final resting place for almost 70, people. It even features a pet cemetery.
