On any given Saturday as many as 30 cars an hour show up to witness the magic of Spook Hill. Thrill seekers of the bizarre take their place on an officially painted line at the bottom of the haunted hill, place their cars in neutral and begin a gradual decent upward.

Lake Wales is unique in that of all the Florida towns, it actually has a hill and even more so that they have one of such mystical proportion. In celebration they have respectfully dressed up their asphalt apparition with cut out letters suspended on wires that spell out its name.

Residents knew there was no place to go but up with their marvel. Every town needs a claim to fame and nothing generates business in a nondescript little community quite like intrigue. The Wall Street Journal once called Spook Hill the "piney pitstop of the paranormal."

According to legend, Spook Hill gave rise back in the days when the Seminole Indian Chief Cufcowellax led his tribe into battle against a giant alligator that terrorized the town. The battle went on for months and created a depression along with a lake in the landscape, next to which, the body of the fallen chief was buried. Mail carriers years later realized that their horses struggled when walking down the hill. The horses exerted the kind of effort they normally used going uphill. It's ok if you don't remember any of this later. They have it all painted on a sign at the bottom of the hill.

More than one visitor has placed a carpenter's level near the hill's halfway point and found an upward slope. Students of geology at USF in Tampa insist it is all just an illusion and that you are actually going down hill. As with any oddity in nature there are always skeptics and the town is more than happy to oblige in the haunting of imaginations.

In the late 1950s the principal of Spook Hill Elementary School received permission from Harvey Comics to adopt Casper the Friendly Ghost as their mascot. The Friday before Halloween, students celebrate Casper's birthday with a parade, carnival and treasure hunt. Ever since, tourists have been showing up at the school's door to buy t-shirts.

So what is it that spooks Spook Hill? Is it the gator seeking revenge? Is the chief protecting his land? Is it simple geology or simply the giggling of a town that has found a way to get cars going in a direction other than Orlando?

Update 8/01
The lettering once strung across the road has mysteriously vanished.

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Spook Hill
Route 27 South to 17A
Lake Wales, FL
In the neighborhood - Bok Tower