The Ubiquitous Crybaby Bridge
Thursday May 29, 2008 12:26 AM
Crybaby Bridge is a haunted location often frequented by area teens looking for a spooky thrill later at night. As the story goes, a local girl had an unwanted baby, and, in despair, she walked to the bridge and threw the infant to its death. At night, you can still hear the unfortunate baby wailing miserably, its spirit unable to find rest because of its terrible demise. The haunted bridge is located in Columbus, Georgia. But wait! It's also in New Hope, Pennsylvania. And there are no less than 24 haunted locations known as Crybaby Bridge in the state of Ohio!
In some of the stories connected with the haunted bridge, the mother did not throw the infant to its death below, but instead was walking along with her child and fell to her own death with the baby still in her arms. A few of the hauntings get more elaborate than merely involving claims of ghostly wailing. Some suggest that if baby powder is sprinkled along the bridge, the footprints of a small child will show up. Other visitors of so-called Crybaby Bridges claim to have discovered the prints of tiny hands on the hoods or sides of their cars once they have driven away.
Given the profusion of Crybaby Bridge locations, it's obvious that this haunting is more of an urban legend than a ghostly fact — yet again and again, people who visit these locations report real phenomenon. Investigators at the Columbus, Georgia version of Crybaby Bridge even brought back some fairly clear EVPs. So what exactly is going on with all these crybabies about?
One possibility has less to do with distraut mothers who drown their infants and more to do with the nature of bridges themselves. Much like a crossroads, a bridge is an in-between place. It is something that leads from one place to the next. As a mythic symbol, a bridge is then neither here nor there — a perfect location for spirits that do not properly belong to our earthly realm to cross over, if only for a little while. Notably, in Voodoo, there is a minor Loa, known as Ti Jean Quinto, who reputedly lives under bridges.
Haunted bridges are not just an American phenomenon, and many of the stories can be traced back to ancient times. All the tales of haunted bridges contain the same mythic, universal elements as all of the Crybaby Bridge stories. Perhaps, in the end, we just have a gut response to bridges that deals less with spirits and more with psychology, but perhaps there's something to be said about that "between the worlds" idea after all.
Comments (7)
http://strangestate.blogspot.com/search/label/Cry%20Baby%20Bridge
The preceding link explains more fully my thoughts on Cry Baby Bridge and why it is the least paranormal thing one could encounter.
Posted by Cullan | May 30, 2008 9:31 AM
Posted on May 30, 2008 09:31
FWIW the proper spelling of "Voodoo" is "Vodou." You should also explain to the uninitiated what a Loa is... :-)
Posted by Beth Peart | June 10, 2008 10:31 AM
Posted on June 10, 2008 10:31
FWIW the proper spelling of "Voodoo" is "Vodou." You should also explain to the uninitiated what a Loa is... :-)
Posted by Beth Peart | June 10, 2008 10:32 AM
Posted on June 10, 2008 10:32
Voodoo is derived from Voudou, which in turn is derived from Vodun, an animistic religion emanating from West Africa (chiefly among peoples such as the Fon). So, it is less about correct spelling as it is about the evolution of a word over the last four centuries.
Posted by Michael | June 12, 2008 9:40 AM
Posted on June 12, 2008 09:40
I am the chairman of Foundation for Paranormal Research, based in Atlanta, GA. We have done 2 paranormal investigations on CryBaby Bridge near Columbus, GA, and we have also concluded that this is nothing but an urban legend.
Visit our website at www.foundationforparanormalresearch.org. Do you live in the Southeast and need help with a haunting? Contact us through the website and we can help you. Bev Greennfield
Posted by Bev Greenfield | June 30, 2008 4:19 PM
Posted on June 30, 2008 16:19
Cry baby bridge, in my belief is a myth. I think that way simply because there are so many of them. Down here in my small town in Texas, we have a "cry baby" bridge that is supossivly haunted. People say at midnight, you can hear a baby cry. Cougars live in the woods down here and their cry is like that of a baby so that can easilly be debunked. Half the time, when I have gone, you don't hear anything at all. I'm with Bev Greenfield on this one.. Urban Legend....
Posted by Haunted Gift | July 12, 2008 5:05 PM
Posted on July 12, 2008 17:05
That must be a typical haunt. because there is a bridge here called Theorosa's Bridge where she supposedly threw her baby off a bridge. and another one was that she fell.. and another she drown the baby by force.
Posted by Desire | July 23, 2008 2:25 PM
Posted on July 23, 2008 14:25