So, there we were looking for a nice place to investigate in the local area when we first learned of "Screaming Bridge." Now, let me first say that there is a lot of confusion draped around this bridge. Where it is, what it is... there were even conflicting stories about whether or not this place even existed, so needless to say, we were dealing with a lot of misinformation from the very start.

The Background:

From what we gather, the story of "Screaming Bridge" takes place in the early 1920's. As it's told, there was a woman who gave birth to a child out of wedlock. Her father was threatening to disown her and possibly worse and left her with an ultimatum: Take the child into the woods and leave him to die, or be kicked out of the house and deal with the taboo of being a single mother.

The young woman set off into the woods that night, but instead of leaving the child to die, she committed suicide by hanging herself off a bridge (today known as "Screaming Bridge"). The legend is that late at night a woman's scream can be heard, accompanying a child's cry. Screaming Bridge earned itself a name.

Another story tells of a woman involved in a fatal car wreck, passing over the bridge's side never to be seen or heard from again… except for on nights when the moon is full and the roads are wet. The desperate screams of her ghost have been reported heard on nights such those at the stroke of midnight.

We couldn't seem to find any additional information on this bridge. We kept running into the same three sentences: "It is said to be haunted by several spirits, if you go out on the bridge at midnight you can hear a woman screaming. It is no longer accessible. They blocked off the road because of too much traffic and violence at the bridge."

Most of the accounts we learned stated that the bridge had been torn down and was no longer even there, others saying it was nothing more than a pile of wood and metal. One particular account claimed that the bridge had never even existed.

Our Investigation:

We found no documented evidence of either of the stories surrounding the bridge being legitimate; though that's not to say they didn't happen. Driving up to the bridge at night, it's easy to see how someone going too fast wouldn't be able to see it coming and would fly right over the side.

That aside, thanks to some excellent research by Sean, we found one little sliver of information that allowed us to track this phantom bridge down using satellite imagery. Contrary to popular opinion, even that of credible websites, the bridge is still there, though not in original form. The wrought iron bridge of legend has long since been torn down due to safety violations. In its place is a more modern bridge, utilizing the original supports and sub structure.

What a change of pace. To the extent of our knowledge, the pictures we took are the only ones available and may very well be the only ones in existence. Also, it's not located at the end of a long dirt road you can only get to from another dead-end road, as most people telling of the bridge would have you believe. It's been incorporated into a residential neighborhood, smack in the middle of new housing and families. The stigma of the bridge's past has been left behind, all but forgotten except by those old enough to recall the tales.

Our investigation night found us working under the glow of a full moon, in accordance with the legends. Shortly after arriving at the bridge, the cameras started rolling and the data started being collected.

The Results:

Aside from a few classic orb pictures there wasn't much. We were very skeptical of this location heading in, so we were extremely surprised when we experienced a few unusual occurrences common to paranormal activity.

1.) Batteries drained – New batteries on our digital thermometer as well as our audio recorder were drained to nearly worthless within 10 minutes of use. The fully charged battery on our video camera was also drained well before it should have even lost one bar.

2.) Temperature drop – Despite the night being chilly, there was still a noticeable change in temperature. Given the fact that we were outside, it would be very difficult to say this was the result of something more than a natural condition. Still, it was noted.

3.) EMF spikes – Cary recorded medium spikes with our EMF detector a couple times throughout the investigation. This was somewhat interesting considering that it takes quite a bit to get a jolt out of our reader.

4.) EVP (Responsive) – Jim and Craig recorded five and a half minutes of audio while attempting to record EVP. Nothing was heard at the time but later during review they detected four, possibly five, distinct responses to questions being asked. They are decidedly Class B EVPs (very nearly Class A), and will be made available for review on the website.

The Conclusion:

After reviewing all the evidence collected, this is still a very tough decision to make. The legends tell of a residual haunting, yet the evidence may be interpreted as intelligent. The real question to answer would be whether or not a couple EVPs and spikes on our readers would constitute a "haunting." Many people split at this point, as it is a personal interpretation. Officially, it is the opinion of N.I.G.H.T. that while there is indeed evidence of paranormal activity, we do not feel there is just enough to call Screaming Bridge an actual haunting.

You can view all of the photos and EVP's for this investigation in our Screaming Bridge Gallery

If you just wish to hear the EVP's feel free to utilize the media clips below:

     

When Craig Asks The Spirit, "Do You Mind If We Take Your Picture?"
The Spirit Replies With A Very Faint "Yes".

     

We Think The Spirit Is Saying, "Go Now".
We Welcome You To Let Us Know What You Think.