When driving down County Road 25, it may seem like an ordinary highway. But, people who have explored its secrets know better.

The small community of Mount Hope, Alabama is home to a stretch of road known as Henry Hill.

It is said when a person parks his or her car on Henry Hill and puts the vehicle in neutral, Henry will try to save the driver by pushing his or her car out of the way. Some even claim to see handprints on their trunks after dousing them with powder.

This dip in the road holds many more legends than one would expect.

Jessica Webster, resident of Trinity, said she has heard many different stories about Henry Hill.

“What I heard is that a man’s car broke down and he was trying to push his car out of the way, when a car came over the hill and hit and killed him,” she said. “Now if you park your car at the bottom of the hill and put it in neutral, he will push you up the hill. We’ve gone several times — it always works.”

The legend changes, as most do, from person to person.

One popular legend states Henry and his family were traveling when their car broke down in a slight curve on this rural road in Mount Hope, according to ghostsofamerica.com. Henry and his oldest son tried to push the car to the side of the road while the wife steered, but Henry left the emergency brake on. He heard another car approaching and shoved his son out of the way, taking the impact of the car. He died instantly.

Of course there are people who do not believe it is haunted at all and contribute the movement of the car to gravitational pull.

Mt. Hope resident Heath Martin claims the Hill is nothing more than an illusion.

“I live about 15 minutes or so from Henry Hill,” he said. “It’s an optical illusion. It looks like you’re going up hill, but you’re actually going down hill. I went there with a group of friends in high school and tested it with a tennis ball. It rolled the same direction as our vehicles.”

Alumnus Casey Tate said although it was many years ago, he still remembers his experience on the hill.

“We parked, put the car in neutral and yes, low and behold, we began to make our way up the hill,” he said. “It was a very weird feeling. We couldn’t explain what had just happened. If I remember correctly, we actually got out and walked around the car. So don’t ask me how, but Mr. Henry must have pushed us up that hill.”

Directions

Take Helton Drive across highway 133. Turn left on Highway 157 and continue to Hatton. Take a right at the intersection of Highway 157 and Highway 101. Continue on Highway 101 and turn right at Town Creek Church. Turn left on County Road 23 and continue past Mt. Hope School. Turn right onto County Road 448 at Rock Springs Church. Continue around a sharp curve to the left where the road will turn into County Road 25. Just past chicken houses, is the dip in the road. Go past it, turn around, park the car in the dip, and put it in neutral.