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The Haunting History of the I-4 Dead Zone
It’s Augtober, where I use August to jump off into the haunting vibes of autumn. Today I want to tell you about the I-4 Dead Zone. I once had a job that required me to get on I-4 at 6:30 AM and I took that as the literal threat it was (I didn’t last long at that job). Thankfully, my journey was nowhere near Sanford, Florida.
Sanford is home to the notorious I-4 Dead Zone, which sits along the path of Interstate 4, a 132-mile freeway connecting Tampa and Daytona. I-4 is recognized as one of the most dangerous in the United States. The heavy traffic is attributed to out-of-state tourists and Sisyphean construction, but some believe there’s a creepier reason: a curse on a particular quarter-mile stretch known as the I-4 Dead Zone. Some say that this is one of the most haunted roads in the South (admittedly, that might be a leap, considering our state’s history).
Early Inhabitants and Tragic Events
The area now known as the I-4 Dead Zone was originally inhabited by the Mayaca people, who were nearly wiped out by diseases brought over by Spanish explorers. In 1887, businessman Henry Sanford developed 640 acres here as part of his Florida Land and Colonization Company, aiming to cultivate orange groves.
