The legend of a haunted cry baby bridge is a pretty far reaching one, especially in the state of Ohio. Fans of the paranormal may know of one cry baby bridge that locals swear is haunted, but they may not realize just how many there are in Ohio. Many of these bridges share the same back-story, if not the same exact story with some minor tweaking. To learn more about the cry baby haunted bridges in Ohio, read on.
On Abbeyville Road in Abbeyville, Ohio locals believe that one of their bridges is a cry baby bridge. The story claims that a young woman was pregnant during the 1950’s and managed to hide it until the child was born. She then went to the bridge and threw her baby over the side. Now if you dare to leave your car turned off under the cry baby bridge, it will refuse to start. Later you will hear the sounds of a baby crying in the area.
Norton, Ohio or Rogue’s Hollow located near Akron is also home to a cry baby bridge. One version of the story claims that a young woman threw her baby over the side of the bridge, simply because she didn’t want it. Another version of the story claims that the woman was actually a witch, and got pregnant by a married man in the area. Locals descended on her home, carried off the baby, and threw it over the side. Some claim that the baby’s cries are still hear, while others say you can actually see the woman throwing her baby over the side.
Cable, Ohio has a crybaby bridge that is also related to the local railroad. Legend states that a woman threw her child off the bridge, then jumped over the side herself and both were killed by a passing train. Now you can supposedly hear the sounds of the baby crying, a train approaching, and a woman screaming.
A few variations on the crybaby legend in Ohio place the ghost stories in railroad tunnels such as in Chillicothe, which is home to two different haunted tunnels. One is known as the Crybaby’s Tunnel where a mother was trying to cross over when a train approached. She threw her child into the creek, and jumped in after. People claim to see the woman walking through the tunnel and hearing the baby cry. The Schrader Road Tunnel is also rumored to be haunted by a mother and child. In this case the woman killed her child, then killed herself inside. Some claim that the two can still be seen and heard inside the tunnel.
Then there are haunted cry baby bridges where the mother intentionally killed her child like the story told in Eaton. This legend claims that a woman couldn’t stop her baby from crying, but couldn’t handle the screams anymore. In a fit of desperation, she tossed him off the side of the bridge. Now people claim to see something falling off the side of the bridge and hearing the sounds of a baby crying.
The cry baby bridge in Lima is haunted by another accidental death. In this story a woman was driving over the bridge on Halloween night when she accidentally crashed her car into the side, killing her and the child. People now claim to hear the sounds of a baby rattle and the baby crying on Halloween night.
In Mansfield, the crybaby bridge is the site of yet another haunting. In this story a young mother by the name of Mary Jane killed her son on Halloween night, though some claim she was murdered as well. Visitors to the bridge on Halloween can hear the sounds of the baby crying in the distance. Fudge Road in Gratis is haunted by a similar spirit.
The Crybaby Bridge on Egypt Road in Salem is haunted by two spirits. The story claims that a couple was in the midst of a fight when they realized their baby had crawled away. The mother noticed that the baby had made it to the edge of their property where a small bridge sat. Though she tried to save the baby, it fell over the side. Today people claim they can hear both the baby crying and the mother screaming.
Crying Bridge in Shelby has been renovated and updated, but that hasn’t stopped its ghost. According to the legends, an entire family was murdered on the bridge, but only the baby is heard.
Crybaby Bridge in Troy has yet another crying baby ghost. The story says that a family had an accident while driving across the bridge, and somehow the baby was lost in the creek below and was never found. Now the poor baby is still crying for someone to find him.
Even if you live in Ohio, you may have never realized just how many haunted crybaby bridges the state has to offer. The next time one of your friends decides to tell you the story of the crybaby bridge in your town, make sure to tell them the stories you know.
Sources:
http://www.deadohio.com/CrybabyBridges.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crybaby_Bridge
http://theshadowlands.net/places/ohio.htm
