Indiana Ghosts: The Danville Bridge

According to local legends, the Danville Bridge in Danville, Indiana, is the most haunted place in town. As with most hauntings centralized in small towns, there are several legends associated with the Danville Bridge, and each varies based on who is telling the story.

The Danville Bridge is located near Ellis Park in Danville. The history of the bridge begins with the Indianapolis & Eastern Railroad, which built through Danville in the early 1900s. The original plan was to create a railroad line moving east-west across the state of Indiana, but Danville never became part of that plan. When the US 36 highway was created, it ended the hopes of the railroad. The Danville Bridge was officially abandoned in 1930, and a playground placed nearby in 1998.

As for the stories surrounding the Danville Bridge, there are two main legends. One concerns an Irish immigrant, working on the bridge during its original construction. The workers used wood frames to set up the bridge, and then placed concrete inside the frame. When the concrete dried, the wood was removed, and the concrete had set into a bridge shape. One of those workers, known as Dad Jones, fell into the concrete while it was still setting and died. There was not enough time to pull his body out before the concrete dried, and Jones's body was left there for eternity. According to this legend, people can hear Jones screaming in pain, or crying for help late at night. Some also claim to hear the sounds of a hammer accompanying the screams. Of course that begs the question of why he would only do this at night, since he died during the day. Its also curious that he would be able to make any noise, especially since he was covered in solidifying concrete.

The other legend is similar to La Lorna, or the weeping woman legend as well as having connections to the crybaby bridge legend. The woman was standing on the Danville Bridge when a train approached. In shock and surprise, she jumped or possibly fell, into the White Lick Creek. Some say the woman was there with her baby, and accidentally dropped the baby when the train approached. Others say that she was poor, and could no longer care for her child. She went to the Danville Bridge, and threw her child into the Creek, thinking death was a better option for her baby. The train then approached, and she died alongside her child. People now claim to hear the woman crying late at night, while others claim to have seen a woman dressed entirely in white, walking across the bridge and standing at the base near the Creek.

Another legend surrounding the Danville Bridge involves a family traveling through the area on Halloween night. A deer darted in front of their car, and the father swerved to avoid hitting the animal. He missed the deer, but hit the concrete bridge head on, killing everyone inside. Now on Halloween night, some report hearing a woman screaming, and a baby crying, reenacting their last moments together.

Sadly enough, several people did actually lose their life at the Danville Bridge. A 14 year old girl fell from the bridge in 2004, and lost her life. Since the incident, the city has worked to close down the Bridge completely, and have discussed tearing it down. Previous accidents led to a fence placed around the area, as well as warning and danger signs, but the signs and fence were removed by visitors to the playground.

There is little left of the Danville Bridge in Indiana, and soon there may be even less.

Sources:
http://indiana.railfan.net/ghosts/danville-bridge.html
http://www.angelfire.com/in4/believe/danvillebridge/danvillebridge.html