Who is the Hitchhiking Mysterious Lady of White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas?
White Rock Lake Park in Dallas, Texas is a beautiful little oasis in a bustling city, but legend has it a tragedy occurred there that's kept a young lady's spirit trapped in a loop of misery.
If you're the sort of person to give a stranger in need a ride, your destiny may cross paths with hers.
The Lady of White Rock Lake
The story goes that if you're driving along East Lawther Drive on the east side of White Rock Lake Park, you may spot a beautiful young blonde woman in a white dress who looks absolutely drenched.
The distressed ingénue will wave, and if you stop, she'll ask you ever so nicely for a ride home. You see, she fell from a boat while enjoying the lake with friends. They got separated, and she needs to meet them at her father's house.
The Lady Vanishes
What sort of Texan wouldn't give a young lady in distress a ride?
The Lady of White Rock Lake will gladly hop into your vehicle and give you an address. She's a polite but quiet passenger, and won't speak much.
When you get to the address she's given you, you'll turn to ask her if this is the place.
But she won't be there.
All you'll see are water stains on your upholstery.
What's Her Story?
Like any good ghost story, there are different versions of this poor girl's tragic past.
For the Love of the Lake, an organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Rock Lake Park's natural beauty, shares a version that goes back to the mid-20th century.
In the original version penned by Anne Clark in 1943, a young couple parked on the shore of the lake. When they turned on their headlights, they saw a woman in a sheer white, soaking wet dress approaching them. She apologized profusely for interrupting, and said her boat had overturned.
"The others are safe," she said, "but I must get home."
Back then, fancy cars had a "rumble seat", and the young lady sat there so she wouldn't get the other lady's dress wet.
The young couple arrived at the address the lady had given them, but when they looked back, the lady had vanished. They approached the house and were met by a sad man who said his daughter had drowned at White Rock Late three weeks prior.
This Haunting Sponsored by Neiman-Marcus
Watermelon-kid.com shares another version of the story from 1953 that has a merch tie-in.
The story goes that Mr. and Mrs. Guy Malloy, "directors for display for the world-famous specialty store, Neiman-Marcus", were driving along a road near White Rock Lake when they spotted a girl with long blonde hair in a fancy dress who was completely drenched.
Mrs. Mallow urged her husband to stop and help, insisting that she recognized the girl's dress as one from "the store" (Neiman-Marcus). The couple let the girl jump into the backseat, and were given an address on Gaston Avenue.
When they arrived at the house, the couple turned to speak with the girl, but she was gone. She left only a wet spot on the seat she'd occupied.
The Malloys knocked on the door, and a sad old man said his daughter, who had long blonde hair, had fallen from a pier at the lake and drowned two years earlier.
Is This Legend Rooted in Truth?
The Watermelon Kid claims to have found evidence that at least two women fitting the description of the ghostly young lady committed suicide at the lake.
The first was Louise Ford Davis, whose sister found a distressing note from Louise on July 5, 1935 and alerted police. Emergency responders were mere minutes late getting to her, and she reportedly drowned herself in White Rock Lake.
On November 24, 1942, the body of 35-year-old Rose Stone of Mansfield, Texas was found at the lake as well. It appeared she'd also ended her life there.
The Tragedy of Helplessness
I hate to think of this poor woman trapped in a never-ending cycle of crawling to the shore and flagging down a ride home, only to find herself in the water again just as home is in sight.
Even if you're not a believer, the idea of such a thing is tragic and terrifying.
If you are a believer, say a prayer for the Lady of White Rock Lake.