By Lisa, Mrandazzo@neo.rr.com, 10/2/00
I grew up in an adjoining suburb. I lived in that area for 24 years of my life. Needless to say, as a teenager, we ventured to the "so-called Cry Baby Bridge" for entertainment several times.
The Bridge is located at the bottom of a winding/dangerous/one-lane hill. The hill is off limits in the winter and unless you have a 4 x 4, I wouldn't recommend going up otherwise, anytime.
I have many memories of Cry Baby Bridge. The first most important rule: Never turn off your car while sitting on the bridge. NEVER! For some unexplained reason, the car doesn't start. We had to put it in neutral and physically push the thing off the bridge. Once it was off, the car turned on. Believe me, if I wasn't there, I wouldn't have believed it myself. We turned the car off to listen for the baby crying. Yes, we heard the baby crying. It was as if it was coming from within the bridge. It is a very airy feeling. Not to mention, it is pitch black and surrounded by tall/older trees.
The rest of the story is the horseman that guards the bridge. Out of no-where you hear horses hoofs - as they get louder and louder coming towards you. My mother told me she knew of someone who's car actually got ran off the road by the horseman. Did I mention the horseman is missing his head?
No, I never personally saw the horseman. Not that I ever stuck around long enough.
The story I grew up knowing was that a mother threw her newborn baby into the stream/creek. The baby's body was never found.
If you talk to people that grew up around there, we call it Rogue's Hollow and/or Cry Baby Bridge. Everyone who knows of it can tell you a personal scarey story about it.
We were at dinner last evening in Smithville, OH, and our waitress overheard us talking about it. She told us the story about the carriage that lost the baby, etc. She said her Aunt came home one night petrified/crying from an encounter there.
Needless to say, I've never gone back - I'm 33 yrs. old, mother of two. However, my husband wants to go there NOW. I told him I will go there during the day, but not at night.
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Also, we have a grave stone in our area that was placed on a man who murdered his son. My mom said a man murdered his son and the people hung him in a barn. On the grave site, the stone turned black w/an orange dragon appearing on it. The stone has been replaced 3 or 4 times, but always turns black. I stopped yesterday on my way home, out of curiosity to show my husband. Yes, it is still there and yes, it is black with an orange image on the front side. I remember going there as a child.
Lisa