Weird California - By Joe Parzanese

Browning Road Lady

Browning Road, Delano, California 93215
(Mostly between Garces Highway and Woollomes Avenue)

Browning Road in Delano is haunted by the ghost of a young woman!

North of Bakersfield is the small town of Delano. East of town is Browning Road, a rather uninteresting looking road that goes through fields mostly outside of town. According to local urban legend, a ghostly young woman haunts the street, particularly between Garces Highway (Route 155) and Woollomes Avenue.

The story is typical of similar urban legends, although it does have a few extra twists added on. The usual tale starts with the young lady crossing the street one morning when she is hit by a car, dying instantly. Another version has her heading to her wedding and not making it, sadly dying somehow enroute. Regardless, she now haunts Browning Road, although the wedding version specifically states she is all dressed in white, of course, where as the other, more often told version, makes no mention of her dress.

This lonely stretch of road has a ghost haunting it.

The Browning Road Lady has been seen standing on one side of the road, looking like she's about to cross, as if reliving that fatal day she died. But if that's not enough, she often appears in your car, particularly often the backseat, much like several other urban legends. She has also been known to leap in front of oncoming automobiles, only to disappear as the car attempts to swerve around her. If all that isn't worse enough, there are stories of her chasing after cars on the road, and grabbing a hold of them when she catches up, crawling onto the underside of the car and tearing at important parts of the vehicle as you attempt to drive away.

People who have specifically gone looking for her, have often been in for a surprise. One group of intrepid ghost hunters was flashing their car's headlights in an attempt to attract the ghost. It worked; the passenger in the car looked out his window and saw her standing right next to the car, menacing. Another group went out looking for her, and upon being unable to find her, stopped, got out of the car, yelled out at her mockingly, and then upon getting back into the car discovered her in their back seat. She promptly vanished on them and left a cold spot where she had been sitting.

Browning Road in Delano

Another story tells of how his car's lights flickered on and off before she appeared in his rear view mirror in the backseat. Then just as suddenly she disappeared only to appear right in front of his car as he drove down the road. He went right through her. And yet another traveler heard screaming as he made his way down Browning Road, only to see the lady standing on the side of the road yelling, only no noise was coming from her open mouth and the lady was just staring at him.

A few variations on the story add a shadowy figure to the road. The shadowy figure tries to leap in front of cars, only to vanish as the car swerves. And another variation has the lady not appearing in your backseat, but instead nudging the driver from the back seat invisibly.

So there you have it. If you drive down Browning Road, be careful. The Browning Road Lady has been seen on the side of the road, next to cars, in the backseat of cars, jumping in front of cars, and even chasing cars down to grab a hold of them and destroy them from underneath!

Not enough for you? Tonys Pizza on Cecil Avenue is also haunted, by the ghost of a former female employee who might have committed suicide in the kitchen by hanging herself. She now knocks things off shelves and emits faint screams. Her unruly spirit can be seen around 10:25 pm both inside and outside the restaurant. I guess be careful if you work there and you're closing at night!

For more nearby ghost stories, check out the Kern County Ghost Page!