The Hidden Site

Ok, so when I was a kid my aunt told me the story of what happened to her brother-in-law (Ed). Ed was from the city but often came up to the mountains to hunt and spend time at his family cabin. When he was out hunting one day he stumbled upon this walking path in the woods. These walking paths were right off a turn called "Devil's Elbow". It wasn't unusual because there were tons of nature paths and they were all marked, except one. He was definitely the curious type and he and his hunting pal, Bo, followed the path out into the woods.

After walking a ways, they came upon a fenced in area. Both Ed and Bo said they felt as if they were being watched, they said it was very creepy. They decided to walk around the outside of this electric fence, that was just randomly placed in woods, and see if they could find the gate or an opening. When they went to round the corner they heard footsteps of people running towards them. They both turned and ran back through the woods and after feeling they got safely away they continued hunting and Bo thought that was the end of them exploring that area. Ed was not deterred so easily.

Ed started to talk about this site with other people. He told my grandmother (who's house was right next to his cabin) about it. She asked for him to take her there. Now for being a grandmother, my grandmother was not the baking cookies type. She was from the mountains, she hunted, fished, and gutted deer. She was not afraid to handle a gun or explore anything. Well, Ed gave her directions and she went out there herself. She stated she had the same feeling as Ed and Bo did about being watched constantly while she was there. My grandmother also noted that the electric fence around the site wasn't working that day. So what do you think she did? Well my grandmother climbed a tree near the fence and went into the site. She had her camera with her and was exploring (cautiously) near the area where she hopped the fence.

She took pictures of boxes and empty crates. She also found an area where the door opened, you went down a ladder into a basement type area under the site. In this small room was a holding section for oxygen tanks and another door that would have led under water if she could have gotten the hatch open. She took pictures off all of these things and decided to leave. She climbed back over the fence and went back home (not before fixing their fence I might add).

My grandmother got the pictures developed and showed them to my uncle (who is in the airforce) and one of his high ranking friends. They stated that the boxes were what they use to use to store nuclear weapons and other chemicals. The high ranking friend told her to get rid of the pictures and never ask about that place again. The pictures came up missing within two weeks.

Back to Ed, he had not been deterred from this site. He called everywhere; the game commission, the state officials, the county officials, etc. Ed got different answers from every official he talked to. One official told him it was a wild deer reserve another told him it was state game-lands. After so many different answers he was only more curious. He also began to notice some things. For example once or twice a month a black helicopter would land somewhere in that general area on top of the mountain. Another thing he noticed was strange unmarked trucks that disappeared on unmarked roads.

He ended up going back to the city but his research didn't stop. He continued pestering and calling and asking questions. Until one night he suddenly packed his things. Ed told his family he had to leave the city that night and travel the four hours to his cabin. They didn't understand why, but he wouldn't elaborate. He ended up getting pulled over for speeding while on his way to the mountains, he talked the cop out of a ticket by saying he was just going to a nearby friends house. The cop made sure he actually made it to this friends house and followed him there. Ed (forcibly) stopped there and after the cop had left he told his friends that he had to get up to the cabin because it was the only way his family would be safe.

That was the last time someone seen him alive.

His wife called my grandmother the next morning and asked her to check on him. She walked over to the cabin and walked in. She found him laying in bed not breathing. Ed was dead. Next to him was a full bottle of pills and a loaded shotgun. From her account he had not shot himself and all the pills were still in the bottle. She of course called 911 and reported it. The cops showed up and noticed that the trunk of his car was also full of guns and weapons. It would seem that Ed was ready for a fight.

But soon after the police showed up to check out the scene, two men in suits came as well. My grandmother was then forced to leave the scene and go home. There was no autopsy performed on Ed and no one knows what killed him.

When I became a teenager and got my license I would take my friends up to Devil's Elbow and tell them this story. It would scare the crap out of them being right there and hearing it. They probably never believed me but then again they never knew Ed or that the story was completely true. I remember seeing the pictures my grandmother took (before they disappeared) and even though I was only six or seven at the time they creeped me out. I really wish I had directions to the site and knew which paths to take to get there. Because i'd definitely go! Anyone want to explore with me?