A note on the first page says Weird Wisconsin is intended as entertainment to present a historical record of local legends, folklore, and sites throughout the United States. Many of these legends and stories cannot be independently confirmed or corroborated, and the authors and publisher make no representation as to their factual accuracy. The reader should be advised that many of the sites described in Weird Wisconsin are located on private property and should not be visited, or you may face prosecution for trespassing. Everything in the 270-page book does not have to do with paranormal. One of these is the cheese hat. Another is Burlington’s Liars Club. Brodhead’s Halfway Tree of Halfway Tree Road is also in the book as is the “world’s largest urinal” in a New Glarus bar and restaurant men’s restroom. A 16-foot high, 2,000-pound loon at Mercer, Wis., may be considered a bit weird but not more than a large attraction. Under local legends is listed Hell’s Playground in Brodhead. It says tradition has it that two children and an adult were murdered on the ground of this otherwise unnoteworthy playground. Since their gruesome slaughter, the playground has been said to be the site of a number of strange phenomena. At night the sound of children at play can be heard even though no children are present. Swings move back and forth when there is no wind and strange growling noises are often reported, and the area near the slide is particularly cursed as one of the children was murdered upon it. It warns, “So beware of Hell’s Playground. Unsettled spirits call it home.”

Oddly this has recently been given much local publicity and is creating much internet fantasy. Blogging takes the people who believe in spooky things away from Brodhead out several miles into the country where they expect to find Hell’s Playground with swings and slide down by the river. People have for many years gone there to fish and put their boats in the river and there is nothing spooky about it. Never has been. One of these anonymous people (as they all are) giving directions to that place says to go down Nelson Road past the Avon church that had a red cross which is “creepy.” Then another anonymous visitor commented, “If you want to go to Hell’s Playground, don’t look for that small church with the red cross - it burned down. That place (church) was scary even in the day time.” I am amazed and wonder what kind of people go in for this kind of thing. They all remain anonymous.

Back in 2005 when the book Weird Wisconsin came out, I looked back through records, even newspapers and found nothing from any year mentioning the murders in Brodhead at a playground with swings and a slide. I don’t know from where information was found that started the Hell’s Playground story.