I-4 Dead Zone -- Between Daytona Florida and Orlando Florida

I-4 Dead Zone

The author of Weird Florida, Charlie Carlson, was being interviewed on The Other Talk Show (on a radio station from Orlando Florida that I listen to off the Internet). He related this story about I-4.

The I-4 Dead Zone is a ¼-mile section of highway just south of St. John’s River Bridge in Seminole County, Florida. In this area, more than the normal number of accidents have occurred, including fatal accidents. No one can explain why there are so many accidents but some try to attribute it to congestion in that area. Anyone familiar with I-4 knows that congestion is not just in this area but very problematic in many other areas.

In 1886, Henry Sanford attempted to settle a Roman Catholic Colony in this area of I-4. This is the man Sanford, Florida, is named after. Mr. Sanford proposed a real estate scheme to attract German immigrants. He offered 5-acre parcels of land to each German family that settled there. Unfortunately, only four families ever arrived and soon after four members of the different families died of yellow fever. They were buried in marked graves in a section of the field which old timers called “Field of the Dead.”

In 1960 when I-4 was being built, these four graves were marked for removal and relocation. However, they never were removed. The eastbound lane of I-4 now goes right over the graves that are underneath the road. Therefore, the theory is that these folks are haunting the highway.

There have been reports of orbs of light crossing the highway. Many people find that their cell phones will not work in this area. Other reports indicate sightings of apparitions. Charlie Carlson states that he received a phone call from a highway patrol officer questioning him on what he knew about the area.

A very well documented story of a phantom truck is reported. A woman broke down on I-4 and was, picked up by tractor-trailer truck and taken to the next exit. When she got out, she did not hear the engine. As she walked into the store at the service station, she asked the man who was sitting outside if he saw the truck she just got out of. He tole here that he had been sitting there all day and had not seen any trucks.