October is chock full of “things that go bump in the night”, legends, and eerie encounters. While southeast Oklahoma is home to some of the prettiest natural sights, great parks and plenty of attractions, we (like so many other places) also have our share of spooky lore.
Spooky Times in October
And so, in the spirit of the season and all that is spooky, we present to you some of the lore of the area: investigate for yourself if you dare!
Broken Bow Library – While the library isn’t technically open until whatever some might define “the witching hour”, once all the patrons leave and all is calm, some say voices can be heard in the southeast part of the library. Children laughing and older voices arguing… whatever it is is enough to spook those ready to leave for the night.
Idabel McDonald’s – Now we all know how children LOVE McDonald’s: the hamburgers, the fries, the shakes, the sundaes… this is Shangri-la to most kids. However one little girl seems to not want to leave – and she seems to like the restrooms the best. Many experiences of patrons hearing a little girl when none is htere have been reported. No one knows where she came from or why she’s in the building, but we hope she finds her way home soon.
Idabel Choctaw Nation Head Start – Children seem to like this building as well, as the sounds of a child playing in the classroom, and of a merry-go-round squeaking can very occasionally be heard from the building’s office.
Just a few miles away, just across the border in De Queen, AR is Avon Cemetery, said to be haunted by a mother and her baby. And it’s all centered around the well in the center of the cemetery. They say if you drop a rock into the well, you’ll hear the baby cry. The ghost mother has also been seen running across the property.
Southeast OK is also home to its very own Ghost Town. Doaksville was an early settlement that made its name as a place of trade and as a site where Native Americans could get their annuities. The Civil War ruined the town, as residents were called to war and then settled further east instead of coming back to Doaksville. Remnants of the town can still be found near the cemetery on Red Road in the form of old headstones in the cemetery itself, and what were once building foundations still poking up from the dirt.
As you can see, there are plenty of area locations where you can explore history and spook yourself out. Why not plan a spooky weekend visit?