7 Gates of Hell

Despite their sinister name, the “gates” are actually a series of old railroad trestles and underpasses. Most accounts date the railroad structures to the late 1800s, when railroads were an important part of the region’s coal-mining economy. As the railroad infrastructure disappeared or was abandoned, the isolated bridges became the setting for a growing collection of dark stories.

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According to the most famous legend, anyone who drives through all seven gates in the correct order and passes through the seventh gate at midnight will open a portal to Hell. In some versions, terrifying hellhounds emerge from the darkness to drag the unfortunate travelers into the underworld. Another variation claims that traveling through the gates in reverse allows one to glimpse Hell in the rearview mirror.

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Other stories are considerably darker. Legends surrounding the area include alleged KKK activity, hangings, murders, occult rituals, and ghostly apparitions. One particularly persistent story involves an African American boy supposedly being chased and hanged near one of the railroad crossings. However, researchers have found no reliable evidence confirming these stories as historical events.

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There is documented tragedy nearby. In 1978, a train carrying liquefied petroleum derailed and exploded, seriously injuring two people. No one was killed, and research has found no verified connection between the accident and the Seven Gates legend.

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Whether the Seven Gates are genuinely haunted or simply the product of decades of storytelling, their combination of abandoned railroad history, darkness, and disturbing folklore has made them one of Collinsville’s most enduring haunted legends.