Type
Vehicle bridge over water
Legend
You’re not going to get much in the way of backstory here. Just some vague references to a “woman in white” throwing her newborn baby off this bridge. Who she was, when she supposedly did it, and even the reason why she committed this heinous act are never explained or even alluded to. But ever since this event allegedly took place, people parking their car on the bridge and conducting a strange ritual have found that their car starts up on its own. Tiny handprints are also said to appear all over vehicles parked on the bridge.
Ritual
**PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES**
For such a vague legend, the ritual itself is quite detailed. First, you need to drive your car up onto the bridge. Next, put the car in park while still on the bridge, turn the motor off, and then, while leaving the keys in the ignition, lock the car up and walk away. After waiting a while, you can return to the car, which will now be mysteriously running, even though the doors are still locked. You’ll also supposedly find that your car is now covered in tiny handprints.
Location
Located on Boston Mills Road in Peninsula. The bridge crosses over the Ohio & Erie Canal between Main Street in Peninsula and Riverview Road in Brecksville.
Notes
One of the more intriguing aspects of this particular legend is how it came to be associated with the legends of Helltown. True, the Helltown legends are geographically close to this bridge. But there is nothing in this bridge’s vague backstory that shows any connection to Helltown.
The reason seems to be tied to the bridge’s location, specifically the road it is on: Boston Mills Road. Boston Mills is one of the (many) locations named in the Helltown legends. So it would appear that since the bridge was on a road named Boston Mills, it eventually became associated with Helltown.
As far as appearance goes, this bridge falls ranks near the bottom of all Ohio Crybaby Bridges in terms of spookiness. The main reason for this is that the current, modern-looking bridge was erected in 1999, replacing a weathered covered bridge that certainly would have made ghosts feel more at home.
Finally, it should be mentioned that even though this bridge is commonly known as a Crybaby Bridge, none of the stories associated with this location mention you being able to hear a baby crying. In fact, other than “ghostly handprints” appearing in the dust on your car, I currently have no versions of the legend that attribute anything ghostly here being the result of a baby’s ghost.
Personal Experiences
This bridge is freaky! One night, me and a bunch of friends went there and saw all kinds of weird stuff. We didn’t stop the car or do the thing where you lock your keys in the car. We just drove back and forth across the bridge a bunch of times. One time, we all saw what looked like a lady in a long white dress standing on the side of the bridge. When we got closer and the headlights hit her, she disappeared! We drove back across the bridge a few more times but we never saw her again. We did see what looked like a giant black cat or something run right in front of our car.
–Melissa S., Akron, OH
I grew up hearing all these stories about Helltown and all the bad stuff in the woods. Not a lot to do in that area, so I would go out there from time to time just to see if there was any truth to the stories. I never heard or saw anything that made me believe the place was haunted. I don’t even remember hearing stories about the bridge until around 2004 or so. Been there a couple of times and it just seems like a normal bridge.
–Stephen A., Peninsula, OH
Whatever you do, do not go down under the bridge! That is where the real haunting is and you don’t want to be under the bridge when s**t starts going down! Believe me because I’ve been there and it scared me half to death!
–Name withheld upon request
You know you want to tell me what happened when you visited this bridge, don’t you? E-mail me your story at jim@strangeandspooky.com
Additional Information
Dead Ohio: Helltown Crybaby Bridge
Forgotten USA
The Shadowlands: Ohio
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