It is rumored that this dark, forested two lane road was originally named The Shades. After a series of accidents that claimed the lives of various travelers, Death was later added.
Numerous legends are attributed to the 7-mile road, which is located in Warren County, New Jersey.
The oldest of the legends speaks of beasts that roamed the area, attacking those who crossed their path. Fear prevented locals from using the roadway and it is said that wild animals roam the surrounding wooded area to this day.
Another tale related to Shades of Death suggests that bandits used the road to target victims, robbing and sometimes killing them in order to steal whatever belongings they possessed. It is rumored that the locals banded together to capture the bandits and hung them from the trees along the roadway as a warning.
Death is no stranger to the aptly named road, with three murders taking place in the 1920s to 1930s. One involved a man who was shot and buried near his home, another states that a woman killed her husband and decapitated him, discarding his head along the side of the road. The third speaks of a man who stopped alongside the roadway and was murdered for his collection of gold coins he carried with him.
One ghost story that is often recounted, tells of a group of teenagers out for a joyride after a high school dance. The driver drove off the road and into a ditch, killing both himself and the passengers of the vehicle. Travelers along Shades of Death road have reported seeing a young woman wandering the roadway,still clothed in the dress she wore to the dance.