The legends of Crybaby Bridge are an odd phenomenon, since it seems that almost every state in this country has a similar urban legend about a bridge where a crying baby can be heard or seen. These legends are often associated with the death of a baby who drowned in the river or creek below.
We’ll never know why there are so many rumors across the country about something so specific, but here are some of the nation’s most famous versions of the story.
Highway 601, Pageland, South Carolina.
One of the oldest Crybaby legends in the country, this southern folktale describes a woman in the 1940s who frantically crossed this bridge to greet her husband after he’d been away at war for a long time. As she crossed the bridge, she dropped her baby into the river. She heard the baby’s cry get softer and softer as she was carried away by the current. You can still hear that cry to this day and see the distraught woman looking for her child.
Governor’s Bridge Road, Bowie, Maryland.
In the 1930s, a woman was pregnant, but unmarried. In order to avoid being judged by her family, she drowned her baby in the river below. Not only do people hear a baby crying while on the bridge, but sometimes a ghostly car will appear.
West 181 Street, Kellyville, Oklahoma.
Legend has it that a woman and her infant were driving across this bridge trying to escape the woman’s husband. The car fell off the bridge, killing the mother. The baby was never found, but if you visit the bridge at midnight, you can hear her screaming.
230th Avenue, Monmouth, Illinois.
One of the many legends surrounding this bridge involves a school bus that plunged off the side during a flood. The screams and gurgling of the drowning children can still be heard to this day.
Whitesville Road, Columbus, Georgia.
Legend has it that a woman drowned her three children in this creek. It’s said that you can hear their cries at night, and if you put baby powder on the ground, you can see their footsteps. Some even claim to see a mysterious woman walking along the edge of the forest.
Egypt Road, Salem, Ohio.
On what used to be West Pine Lake Road, this dead end is home to an old legend about a baby that fell into the river below. In 2010, an elderly woman was found burned and strangled to death next to the bridge. Although the road is now closed, the baby’s cries and the woman’s ghost are often detected by nearby utility workers.
Sarah Jane Road, Port Neches, Texas.
It is said the eponymous Sarah Jane was a baby who was thrown into the alligator-infested water from this bridge by the man who also beheaded her mother. Sarah Jane’s cries can often be heard near the bridge, and sometimes her headless mother even makes an appearance.
It’s pretty shocking how similar some of these stories are. What are the chances that there’s a story in almost every state about a mother losing her baby over a bridge? I guess it’s possible…but still very, very weird.
