The Town of Preeceville has been busy preparing for the Halloween season with the creation of a haunted forest. The haunted forest is scheduled to make its debut on October 20 and will begin along the shore lines of Annie Laurie Lake on the north end of Preeceville.
"Have you heard the history behind Preeceville’s haunted woods?” asked a release from the Town.
The legend created by the Town will take avid fear seekers through a forest filled with spooks.
Legend has it that a group of teenagers were sitting around one cool crisp October evening when two of the boys decided to go down to the woods at the north end of town, a popular spot for kids to hang out.
The boys had heard stories about the trail that lead to the popular hang-out spot. One of these stories, as told by their parents, was about a murdered woman named Sally in 1910. She spent much of her time in a hut in the woods and was believed by locals to be a witch. Ghastly visions of sacrificed animals, reports of hearing screams coming from the shoreline of the lake and the claim of one resident being chased off the trail by a floating silhouette of a woman wearing a wedding dress added to the terror.
The boys always figured these warnings were more of a deterrent to keep them from enjoying parties down there. The local boys had been down in these woods many times before, but never this close to Halloween and never right before a full moon. As the boys entered the small trail that led to the hang-out spot, their flashlights shone upon a friend of theirs running towards them. As he got closer, they could see his eyes were filled with fear and his face was pale. Not a word was said as he ran past them, according to the legend.
The two boys were a little freaked out but also intrigued so they carried on into the woods. Shortly thereafter, they could hear faint whispers. They both stopped dead in their tracks. Then came a voice whispering “help me.” They had the sudden feeling they weren’t alone and could hear what was described as deep, cold breathing. After a few seconds, they heard something move in the darkness. They could see a light glowing towards the water and once again heard the call for help. Only this time it was louder and more compelling. They couldn’t just leave this person in the woods. She needed help and they were going to find her.
They walked toward the glowing light, the sound of the woman’s cries for help drawing them closer and closer to the south side of the lake. They could see the moon glistening off the water in the distance revealing a small building through the trees they had never seen before.
The building appeared to be old and run down. They approached the hut and swung the door open but what they saw will never be told. Legend has it that if you want to see for yourself, you’ll have to walk into the woods on an October evening shortly before the full moon, stated the release.
