Arkansas’s Most Famous Urban Legend: A Haunting Tale for Curious Travelers

I prefer urban legends over scary stories. Knowing it could've actually happened really amps up the scare factor in my opinion. If you want to know the best urban legend in Arkansas, it's the Gurdon Light, hands down. This terrifying tall tale takes place in the small town of Gurdon, Arkansas, home to just over 2,000 people. The local legend gained national recognition in 1994, when it was featured on an episode of the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries." So grab some popcorn and get cozy because we're about to dive into the story of the Gurdon Light.

Please note that the images below are for storytelling purposes only; they are not actual depictions of the Gurdon Light.

To fully appreciate the legend, you first need to learn about the town of Gurdon. One of the most charming small towns in Arkansas, it was incorporated in 1880 as an important stop on the Missouri Pacific Railroad line, quickly becoming a central hub for the timber industry. You can still see the Missouri Pacific Depot, which was built in 1917 and stands as a testament to how the railroad line shaped Gurdon into the town it is today. Most of the tracks are overgrown now since the line was decommissioned in 1982, but the railroad's legacy will never be forgotten. After all, it's hard to ignore something that has a bone-chilling ghost story associated with it.

Legend has it that in the early 1900s, one of the railroad's brakemen was tragically beheaded by a passing train. By the time he saw it coming, it was too late. Sadly, his name didn't make it into the history books, so he'll forever be an unidentified soul taken from the world too soon. Since his untimely death, the brakeman has allegedly been searching for his missing head along the railroad tracks. He uses a lantern to aid in his search, and if you visit a particular four-mile stretch of the tracks at night, you can see its light swinging in the darkness.

If you're brave enough to search for the light, take the Highway 53 exit towards Gurdon on I-30. As you enter the city, you'll see a set of railroad tracks and a dirt road to the right. Turn right on the dirt road and follow it until you see a circular inlet where you can park your car. The tracks will be straight ahead.

You'll have to walk over several train trestles to reach the location where the light supposedly appears, so wear sturdy hiking shoes. It takes most people at least an hour each way. When you see the light, there's no questioning it. It's usually yellow, but some people have also described it as blue, green, orange, or white. While the color of the light may vary, it always behaves in a similar manner. The glowing orb, roughly the size of a basketball, hovers over the tracks about fifty yards away from you. If you take a step forward, it may recede, only to appear behind you moments later. Combined with the eerie woods surrounding the tracks and the pitch darkness that hangs over the area like a thick blanket, the scene is nightmare fuel whether you see the light or not.

Skeptics claim the Gurdon Light is just the reflection of headlights from passing cars on nearby Interstate 30. That sounds plausible enough, but the highway wasn't built until the 1950s...and sightings of the phenomenon began decades earlier. So while we can't say for sure that the restless spirit of a decapitated railroad worker is responsible for the light, it remains the best urban legend in Arkansas.

Have you ever seen the Gurdon Light in person? What other haunted places in Arkansas keep you up at night?

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