Rock-a-Dundee Road is located in Hampden, Massachusetts. The road is surrounded by woods and ghostly tales. Many say all the stories are only myths, but even myths begin with some truth.



One legend tells us that a young boy was once struck by a school bus on the road. In his honor, a gazebo was constructed. Those who have stood in the gazebo claim they can hear the crying of a young boy.



Another story says that 10 teens hung themselves in a row within the woods, resulting in the “Rock-a-Dundee spirits.” A specific legend is that of a couple who stopped the car on Rock-a-Dundee for some alone time. When they tried to leave, their car would not start.



The boy told the girl to wait in the car for him to return as set out on foot toward town. Not long after, the girl heard very faint brushing against the roof of the car. Assuming the sound was a branch being pushed by the wind, she ignored it. Eventually, she fell asleep as the boy did not return.



The next morning she was awakened by a police officer tapping at her window. She was then taken to his car and told not to look back. But of course, she did. She became overwhelmed with terror as she saw the grizzly scene. Her boyfriend dangled from a branch by a rope, his shoe gently graze the roof of the car.



The story that has captivated me most, is the tale of the Hatchet Lady. In the 1960’s Rock-a-Dundee was not an official street, but rather an unmarked dirt path which ran through the woods. These woods were said to be home to a vile and hate-filled woman.



One man tells of a time before the road when he encountered the Hatchet Lady. On a brightly lit night, the man decided to cut through the woods to make it home faster. He didn’t believe in the Hatchet Woman, nor was he afraid of her. But his nerves wore thin as waltzed through the shadowed forest.



He began hearing sounds like footsteps and scratching on trees. The man picked up the pace, allowing his paranoia to get the better of him. Soon after, he heard a sharp thunk on the side of a tree behind him. When he turned to see the origin of the sound, he found a silhouette in the moonlight standing across from him.



The shadow of a person appeared to be a woman, in her left hand, a hatchet. With a blood boiling scream, the person lunged for the man. He took off in a sprint for his home on the edge of the forest. To this day people claim to hear her wailing and occasionally see her on the roadside, or at least her ghost as she existed more than 50 years ago. Perhaps she is a decrepit old woman with an aged and rotten, bloodstained hatchet, which is why no one from Hampden likes to travel down Rock-a-Dundee Road.