Trail Overview
Old Stagecoach road is made up of a mix of rock, sand, and dirt. When wet you get a red clay that can be slick as ice. There are some rocks in the road about 8 inches in diameter. Some narrow washouts across the road are 8-plus inches deep. Logging trucks have been traveling sections of the road and have created ruts that are 10-plus inches deep. These washouts and ruts can cause issues for low-clearance vehicles. Although this trail is only 6 miles long (8 miles long including pavement sections on ends) it can take an hour to run it, as it is rough in a lot of areas, and stopping to get pictures in the deep, dirt bank sections will take up extra time. There are several dirt banks rising up to 12 feet on the sides of this road in several sections. This road is claimed to be the most haunted road in Texas, so be watchful as you traverse this old stagecoach road.
History
The Stagecoach Road in Marshall, Texas, has a long and storied history, but perhaps its most famous legacy is that of being haunted. For decades, people have reported strange occurrences and ghostly encounters along this stretch of road, earning it a reputation as one of the most haunted roads in the state. The history of the Stagecoach Road dates back to the 1800s, when it was a major thoroughfare for travelers making their way through East Texas. It was a busy and bustling place, with stagecoaches, wagons, and horses traveling up and down the road on a daily basis. Stagecoach Road has not been forgotten. There have been countless reports of strange occurrences and ghostly encounters along this stretch of road, including the ghost of a woman who is said to appear on foggy nights, beckoning travelers to follow her into the woods. Other stories tell of ghostly stagecoaches and wagons that can be seen traveling along the road, and of eerie noises and strange lights that appear in the darkness. Some even claim to have seen the ghosts of long-dead travelers, still making their way along the road as if they were alive. The Haunting: The majority of reports center around the apparition of a lady in white and that of ghostly children. The reports seem to support the story of a mother who lived in the area who drowned her two kids in the nearby marsh. After the grisly murder of her children, the mother intended to commit suicide, but couldn't bring herself to follow through. When the local townspeople found out what she had done, they carried out their own justice by killing her. As the story is told, the ghostly lady in white is the mother out looking for her children. Reports of spectral children are, of course, the murdered kids. Sometimes they are reported together. Well-hidden in the Piney Woods are numerous spine-chilling tales. The isolation has created Texas-sized legends that are hard to forget. The hauntings of the Jefferson Hotel, Huntsville Prison, Dick and Charlie's Tearoom in Caddo Lake, and the Turner Auditorium in Nacogdoches are pure nightmare fuel. But the eight-mile stretch of road between Marshall and Karnack is among the most haunted places in East Texas. The imposing 12-foot walls surrounding this holloway remind brave visitors of its sinister past. Bandits once hid out amongst the nearby pines. It was a place where you could disappear, whether you wanted to or not. Stories of a crazed woman, an escaped Voodoo Queen, and others make Stagecoach Road a place only the bravest explorers will venture.
