TOWN OF MAINE, NY – Tucked away in the Town of Maine, hiding in the fall foliage, is Death Valley Road.

To the average traveler, Death Valley looks like any other road, one mile long with homes on either side.

But the truth is, Death Valley has a long and complicated history, and could ultimately be named one of the more dangerous routes in the area.

The Town of Maine Historian, Sue Lisk, unveiled a brand new road marker this October donated by the Pomeroy foundation which reads: “Death Valley Road, cautionary tales of murders, hangings, drownings and scattered bones near this road have been told by residents for generations.”

The marker falls into the legends and lore category, as none of these tales could ever be proved.

Lisk says some of the tales, dating back to the 1880s when Death Valley was just a logging road, include a horse thief being hanged on a large hemlock at the cross section of Frederick and Death Valley.

There has also been tales of panthers chasing residents, as well as of an abandoned house where two men got into a fight, resulting in murder.

She also says that once a 20 year old was found drowned in one of the mills along the road, and it is unclear as to if this could have been a murder or suicide.

As for the scattered bones, those come from when the Luddington family operated a meat slaughter house on Bradley Creek, not too far from Death Valley.

At night, animals would pick at the bones from the slaughter house and scatter them all over Death Valley, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Whether or not you believe these tales is up to you, but surely there must be some truth behind a road that’s been christened Death Valley for the past 80 or so years.