Devil’s Tramping Ground: The Haunted Forest In North Carolina
opus2008/FlickrDevil’s Tramping Ground in North Carolina, the patch of haunted forest where the devil purportedly “tramps.”
The origin of the name “Devil’s Tramping Ground” is self-explanatory. This circle of land, located in the pine woods of Bear Creek, North Carolina, is allegedly where the devil “tramps” about as he muses over his evil deeds.
But everything else about this haunted forest is a mystery.
For starters, how did this oddly barren circle of land — where nothing seems to grow except for tough, stringy grass — first develop? And why does it seem to swallow anything that visitors leave within its 40-foot diameter?
opus2008/FlickrA closer look at Devil’s Tramping Ground, believed to be one of America’s most haunted forests.
No one knows for sure, but there have been plenty of guesses. Aside from the devil’s nightly strolls, some have speculated that the Devil’s Tramping Ground was formed by horses at a former molasses mill on the site. Others claim that it was once used for Native American dancing ceremonies. And some suspect that it’s somehow linked to the lost colony of Roanoke.
According to the Encyclopedia of North Carolina, scientific studies at the site have proven one thing: the soil within Devil’s Tramping Ground has a high level of salt, which is probably why nothing grows.
Curiously, however, laying down salt is one method that believers might use to stop malicious spirits from entering their homes.
