Retro Route 66 Unisex Jersey Tee | Avilla, MO: Avilla Phantom Bushwhacker

Part of Our Route 66 Everytown Collection – Avilla Edition

Crafted from ultra-soft 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, this unisex jersey tee brings everyday comfort together with the mysterious side of Route 66. Featuring the chilling "Avilla Phantom Bushwhacker" slogan, it celebrates Avilla, Missouri - a quiet Mother Road community wrapped in Civil War-era legend and haunted folklore.

Perfect for history buffs, ghost story enthusiasts, and collectors of our exclusive Route 66 Everytown Collection, this tee captures the eerie allure of Avilla. On a highway lined with neon and nostalgia, Avilla adds something different - a tale of shadowy riders and lingering spirits that make the Ozark stretch of the Mother Road unforgettable.

Celebrate Avilla: a small Jasper County town along Route 66, remembered for the legendary Phantom Bushwhacker and its enduring small town character. Avilla's blend of folklore and history makes it a standout stop for those seeking the spookier side of the Mother Road.

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About Avilla, Missouri: When History Meets Haunting

Founded in 1856, Avilla is one of Jasper County's oldest towns. Positioned along the 1926-1977 alignment of Route 66 near MO-96, it served travelers with modest but essential facilities: a general store, service stations, and the Avilla Post Office, which remains in operation to this day. Though small in size, Avilla grew up on farming, mining, and local trade before the Mother Road placed it squarely on the traveler's map.

But Avilla's reputation goes far beyond roadside Americana. The town is best known for the eerie legend of the Phantom Bushwhacker, a ghostly rider said to be the headless spirit of a Civil War guerrilla known as Rotten Johnny Reb. Local lore tells that after a skirmish during the 1860s, Union-aligned militia men captured and executed a bushwhacker, mounting his severed head in a nearby orchard. Some accounts describe the grisly "Death Tree" as an apple tree, others as an Osage Orange. Either way, it soon became a place of dread, where crows drifted and locals whispered. To this day, stories tell of a spectral figure in a long duster coat - sometimes with a rifle or sometimes carrying a lantern - wandering the Ozark hills in search of his missing head. His tale echoes the Celtic-inspired Headless Horseman legends, adapted by the Scotch-Irish settlers who brought their folklore to Missouri.

Avilla is also associated with the shadow folk, spectral figures described as "blacker than black," darker even than the night. Paranormal investigators have reported sightings near the old Avilla post office, originally the town's bank, and an old stone building that served as both a tavern and later an Oddfellows lodge. Witnesses have described a shadowy man repeatedly stumbling out of the long-gone bar, staggering drunkenly. Some shadow people are thought to be mere "residual energy," like replays burned into the environment, while others seem eerily aware of the living before dissapaiting. Though investigations by groups like the Paranormal Science Lab have yet to capture definitive proof, locals and travelers alike continue to report unsettling encounters.

Today, Avilla may not boast the neon motels or bustling diners of larger Route 66 towns, but its legends give it a unique identity on the Mother Road. Alongside historic sites like the 1915 Avilla Bank building, it offers a different kind of memory - one woven from Civil War strife, ghost stories, and whispered folklore. For those who dare to look beyond the surface, Avilla is more than a quiet Route 66 stop; it is a place where history and haunting collide.

100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton for premium softness
Side seams for added structure and durability
Tear-away label for comfort
Classic crew neckline with a flattering unisex fit - true-to-size for all day comfort (see size chart for details)
Fulfilled in the USA