September 6, 2021 • 38 mins
Bridges represent so much to us. They make the impassable, passable. They connect us to the wider world. Yet in folklore terms, bridges are magnets for ghosts. Countless “crybaby bridges” dot the landscape of our great state. We share and reshare tales of disembodied voices and misty shapes rising over the water.
So you might think this episode is just another trite tale of a haunted bridge. Thank again.
Come hear the tale of the Bloody Bridge near St. Mary’s. This legendary story has been published in local newspapers for more than 160 years. It’s been written into a high school musical. This wrenching narrative, a love triangle turned lethal, has captured the imaginations of Ohioans for generations.
Locals believe the tortured spirits of those lost, remain. They erected a plaque, set in stone, to proclaim a history still very much alive.
Special thanks to Ms. Alysia Hatfield and Mr. Warren Bowery for their personal insights on the subject.
If you enjoy this episode, please rate, review and subscribe to Ohio Folklore on your chosen podcast platform. You can find Ohio Folklore at
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And as always, keep wondering…
Covert Affair - Film Noire by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100795
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:03):
Hello, and welcome to Ohio folklore. I'm your host,
Melissa Davies. I'm so glad youcould join me. Today, we're
exploring one legendaryNorthwestern Ohio folktale over
160 years in the making. It's astory full of drama and
intrigue, centering on theoldest of plots, love sought,
(00:26):
love denied love found in thearms of another. For as long as
humans have told stories, wepondered the workings of love
falling in it, falling from it,and wrestling with the hurt that
remains. Some of our mostpersistent legends turn on the
focal point of this universalquest, that a finding another
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who affirms us, accepts us andcompletes our missing pieces.
These kinds of narratives, atleast the ones with the happy
endings are what we call lovestories. They're the stuff of
romance novels, and romanticcomedies. In the end, the
hapless protagonist wins overthe elusive love interest, and
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we cheer the happy couple on. Wewalk away from the story with a
taste of what it feels like tofall in love, and be in love.
Leaving our own sense ofloneliness just a bit reduced as
we dream of finding or perhapsbuilding that same kind of
happiness for ourselves.
(01:39):
The story we're exploring todaysprings forth from the mid 19th
century. The freshly dug MiamiErie Canal once stretched from
the Ohio River in Cincinnati toToledo's Lake Erie shores. It
had just been completed in 1845.
Along the route, this manmadeearthen waterway plowed through
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remote fields and forests. Itpassed by a few dozen villages,
large and small, from north tosouth. For those Ohioans living
near it, this modern piece ofcivil engineering brought with
it the promise and increasedcommerce travel and growth. Yet
more than that, the canalbrought something much less
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tangible. For you see, with thevarious mix of new people drawn
by the jobs that created, somewere sure to find disagreements
with one another. For many youngpeople, eager to start their
adult lives, that canal broughta steady income. But beyond
that, this work allowed anordinary citizen to take part in
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the cutting edge technology thatwould change the landscape
forever. So many had high hopesfor what this monumental effort
would bring. building andoperating what they believed
would become a modernthoroughfare. Most of the
stories of those who lived andworked and traveled on the canal
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are now lost to the ages. Butnot the tale that I'm about to
tell you. This tale has beentold and retold for at least a
century and a half. I'm not justtalking about the oral stories
passed from one generation tothe next. This legend has been
published in local newspapersfor decades. It's engraved on a
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stone plaque at the site of thelocation itself. It's inspired
the writing of a musicalperformed by local high schools.
This story has permeated thecultural heritage of this
section of Northwestern Ohio.
(03:52):
I'm talking about the ghostlylegend of the bloody bridge near
St. Mary's.
In my research on this lovetriangle turn lethal. I was
surprised to see just how manytimes the story has been
reprinted in local newspapersacross Ohio since the late
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1800s. The earliest mention Iwas able to find was from 1894.
It was a front page article ofthe Cincinnati Enquirer dated
November 10 of that year, andtitled pretty many. It's written
in that stereotypical 19thcentury language with a flair
(04:36):
for the dramatic told with theflourish, filling the readers
need for a little escape intosomething extraordinary. So
imagine yourself in 1894 sittingdown next to the fireplace, a
pot of fresh coffee brewing onthe stove as you lean back in
your rocking chair to browse thefront page headlines. Come hear
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this story, as Read by countlessOhioans of years past, seeking a
sense of wonder at the worldaround them. There is scarcely a
person in northwestern Ohio whohas not heard of the bloody
bridge. Few There are, however,who can recite the legend from
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which the bridge derived itsghastly name. The bridge is
located five miles north of St.
Mary's, Ohio, and crosses theMiami and Erie Canal four miles
south of Casa at a point wherethe general country is level and
in consequence, large earth andstone abutments became necessary
that boats could pass under insafety. In the early 50s, Bill
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Jones and Jack billings wereemployed as drivers of two of
the many boats that plied thewaters of the canal. In those
days, Bill handled the mules ofthe mini Warren, named after the
captain's daughter, who presidedover the culinary department of
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the boat. While Jack wasemployed in the same capacity
with the daisy. Both bill andJack fell head over heels in
love with a pretty young cook.
But her affections were allbestowed on the big hearted Jack
Billings. A rivalry sprang upbetween the two men at first
(06:33):
friendly that which grew tointense hatred for each other,
and each trip. As the two boatspassed and exchanged greetings,
the rivals became more and moreaware of each other's hatred,
although they remained onspeaking terms. As the meals
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passed on the towpath, thedrivers would each wield an
extra crack of their long whips,as though the poor brutes were
the cause of the rivalry. Jackwould exchange greetings with
his pretty sweetheart. along inthe fall of 54, both boats
received orders for a cargo oflumber, which was being taken
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from the large timber landsadjacent to the fatal bridge. It
required several days to loadthe boats and the young people
became pretty well acquaintedwith the lads and lassies of the
neighborhood. The eveningprevious to their departure,
after the cargoes were all inshipshape, Jack and Minnie
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received an invitation to attenda party to be given by one of
the country girls. It was to bethe social event of that role
district. And Bill was fairlycrazed with anger at not
receiving a bid. The hour forthe frolic arrived, and the
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young people started off in highspirits at the thought of an
evening of fun, and a being ineach other's society for the
whole evening. After the guestshad played all the games, their
youthful minds could conceive.
The great front room or parlorwas cleared of the crude
furniture, and the wholeassemblage was soon in the gay
world of the giddy dance. It wasin the wee small hours when the
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last guest departed, Jacktenderly supporting many on his
great strong arm. They were onlytwo sorry that it was all over
so soon, and that by daylight,the boats would have to start on
their trips, and perhaps theywould not see each other again
for a week or a month. They atlast came to the bridge, which
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they had to cross to reach theboats on the Hill path side.
They have proceeded abouthalfway across, when both were
startled at seeing Bill Jonesstanding in the shadow of the
abutment, with an axe in hishands. Whoa, whoa, my pretty
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pair. You have played it finetonight, said Bill. But my turn
comes now. Raising the axe tohis shoulder and with a well
directed blow. He brought itaround with the velocity of a
cannonball, the keen edge of thedeadly weapon completely
severing the head from the bodyof poor Jack. For a moment, poor
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mini stood as if in a dream, andthen with the full realization
of the horrible truth dawningupon her. She gave one wild
shriek and spooned away, fallingto the floor of the bridge. Her
lifeless body rolled to theedge, where it balanced for a
moment, and then went down tothe watery grave below. The
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whole neighborhood was soonaroused by the one shriek from
the grief stricken girl. Butthey were too late. And two
loving hearts that were deniedthe happiness of a union on
Earth were joined togetherbefore a higher Tribunal. The
good neighbors rescued the bodyof many Warren from the dark
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waters, and tenderly it was laidbeside that of her uncouth, but
big hearted lover. Bill Jonesdisappeared, and no trace of him
was found. And it was a generalbelief that he committed suicide
as a human skeleton was foundyears after an old well nearby.
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This is the legend that gave theghastly name to the bridge. The
blood which flowed from the bodyof Jack billings, the boat
driver marked the bridge, andfor 40 years, the bloodstains
defied the rain and weather.
Four years ago, a new bridge wasbuilt, the old one becoming a
property of relic hunters,nearly everyone for miles around
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securing a piece of bloodstained timber as a memento of
one of the most horrible crimesever committed.
This most horrible crime wouldbe investigated some 40 years
later by reporter text Elise ofthe Lima news. His August 1935
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article details his efforts tounderstand the bridges appeal
from those living far and widefrom the location. After hearing
the story, intrigued, onlookersjust had to get a look at the
place for themselves. Just likethem do Luis went to the spot as
well. The original bridge hadbeen replaced. It was iron
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framed, and wooden floored.
Nothing was left of the originalbloodsoaked planks. 40 years of
rain and weather couldn'tcleanse the boards of Jack's
blood. That's how the bridge gotthe name. The original remnants
had been looted by locals whowanted a souvenir of the
legendary structure, picking itclean and relieving the
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engineers of any disposalduties. Like any good reporter,
Dewey's put his feet to theground and sought out interviews
with the people who knew atbest, the locals. He had the
good fortune to connect with thestoner family who lived directly
across the road from the spot.
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Mrs. Stoner regaled him withfamily tales of the murder and
his lasting impact. Hergrandfather, Gideon sheiks had
worked on the canal for manyyears while it operated. He'd
known the story well and hadbeen alive at the time it
happened. And in his old age, herepeated the tale for all who
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would listen. It all happened in1854. He was sure of it. Another
bit of evidence revealed byLouise's investigation was the
discovery of the nearby well.
It's believed that the remainsof the murderous Bill Jones were
later proclaimed to have beenfound there. Harold folk, an
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owner of a St. Mary's millingcompany, owned a farm which ran
adjacent to the bridge. One day,he'd made the gruesome discovery
of the skeleton at the bottom ofas well. That matched Bill
Jones's imposing height andframe. Bill had gone missing in
the months following theslayings all assumed it was
(13:51):
indeed him whether he taken hisown life under the weight of
regret for the act, or whethersome vengeful loved one had
issued the Justice themselves.
Now over time, most folktalesevolve and grow. They take on
(14:15):
new subplots, and are retold formore current perspectives. This
is where the legend of thebloody bridge stands out. The
story, as I've read to you fromhistorical newspaper articles,
reprinted year after a year,remains the same legend as told
today. The characters, theirmotives, and the tragic outcome
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all stays the same. So much soin fact, that in 1976, the
Auglaize County HistoricalSociety memorialized a condensed
version of the story and placedit on a plaque at the location.
This plaque still stands in asmall parking lot adjacent to
the bridge This tribute to thisenduring story was not its first
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bony met. However, the firstmonument was a large stone on
which the story was engraved.
While reaching out to locals, Ihad the great fortune to connect
with someone who had seen thisstone before it was removed and
replaced by the plaque. MissAlyssa Hatfield is a resident of
St. Mary's, a true native, shehas lived in the area all her
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life, and has had unexplainedexperiences at the bridge. She
was gracious enough to sharethose experiences here with us
today. She starts by recalling achildhood memory of an impromptu
visit with her family. Come hearher story. I don't remember
where we are coming back frombut my mom had taken a video
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camera because I think we wentout for a family day or
something. And we were justcoming back to that area. And
when we got out, my mom, youknow, just recorded it because
she's making memories andeverything of us being young and
her taking us thread. So shemade a video of us there. I
could have sworn she had apicture of it. Like 100%. I know
she had a picture of it. But Ithink she may have just taken
(16:15):
the picture from her camera, andthen printed it out and
developed it separately, which Idid call her and asked if she
could find the video. Butunfortunately, because it's been
so long, it's just kind of beenstashed somewhere that she
doesn't know where anymore.
Yeah, I can understand thatabout that. What year would you
guess? This was? Oh, okay. Um, Iwould say early 2000. Okay.
(16:42):
Yeah, early 2000. So we'retalking about going on 20 years.
That video is probably who knowswhere you have? Yeah. Can you
describe the visual? So when wehad watched the video, my mom
has originally watched it firstand everything. And we were at
school when she had watched it.
So when we came home, she waslike, Girl, come here, you want
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to see something to scold usover. And she showed us the
video. And obviously, it wasjust a video of us getting out
of the car going up and readingthe stone and then looking
around. What was my mom wasmoving the camera around, you
know, just getting the sceneryof it. She had turned back
towards the rock. And when shehad turned back towards the
rock, there was an imprint of aface pushing out of the rock.
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And I mean, I'm not saying likeyou could people would go oh,
well, maybe you thought it was aface? No, there were defining
features. You could see thebridge of the nose. You could
see I like you could see the eyesockets. You could see a mouth
pushing out open, you could seelike the lining of the jawline
and chin. Like it was a veryprominent face. Like there was
no mistaking. Yeah, so it wasn'tlike there's just these markings
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on the rock and you kind of putyour your mind puts it together.
I mean, what you saw was verydistinct. Yeah, it was it was
super distinctive, because wewatch the whole video. And when
my mom first goes over the rockrecord that there was nothing
there. It was just the flatsolid rock with the engravings.
And then as she panned back overit, we seen the face pushing
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out. Oh, well that's kind of awhole other level there. Right.
So there's an initial picture ofit looking normal. And then
coming back is where you see theface. Yeah. Oh man, and it was
coming like protruding out ofthe rock. Yeah, it looks like
like the little you remember thelittle toys, you could put
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people like kids would put theirhands and it would have the
imprint of your hand in it. Itwas kind of like that it looked
like somebody was screaming andthen pushing their face against
the surface trying to get out.
Wow, screaming that would be abit intense to see that
expression. Yeah, because likeit was open mouth like the mouth
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was wide open. It wasn't like aclosed mouth just somebody
pushing their face through itwas wide open mouth and then the
rest of the defining featuresand didn't look like a male or
female. Or it was it was male,just by like the structure from
what I can remember. Itdefinitely looks like a male
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head just because the noseitself was more like the bridge
of it was a little bigger andwider than a woman's would be
and then the mouth itself wasn'tlike big lift or anything. It
was just kind of like thin lips.
And it wasn't something you wereseeing physically when you were
there. It was only reviewing thevideo afterwards. Is that right?
(19:40):
Yeah, we never seen anything onit like we had come up and
everything we were looking atthe rocks touching it reading
the words and then lookingaround the bridge because I
think when my mom had caught iton camera me and my sister were
on the bridge looking over thebridge into the water. Hmm And
that's you know, it's similar towhat you're describing there is
(20:02):
similar to the claims that I'veread about in terms of those
sightings there, it's usuallyhas to do with, you know,
looking over the water, is thatwhen the viewer is looking over
the water is when the ghostappears. So I mean, there's that
commonality, I guess. Yeah, Iknow, there's, I know, I've
(20:23):
heard people from when I went toschool, because, you know, kids
being kids, when they get theirwife and son, they've heard
about the bridge, like, Oh,we're gonna go there at night,
because nothing's gonna happen.
I have heard multiple storiesfrom people going to the bridge
at night and looking over thebridge, and then hear somebody
come running up them. And whenthey turn, they see the figure
of a man with an axe comingtowards them, and then he
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disappears before it reaches.
And while they're turned awayfrom the bridge, they will hear
a loud splash in the water likesomebody had fallen in. So those
specific sequence of events, andyou've heard that from other
people, you know, in their eyes.
Yeah, I've heard that from otherpeople that I went to school
with who had gone and done it.
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And then when we went to thebridge, the third time, I was
talking about it. And myboyfriend's nephew, was actually
saying, Yeah, I've heard aboutthat. And he's younger than me.
Okay, so, you know, there's moreaccounts, and people, after you
have had some unexpected,unexplained experiences, but but
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it all seems to relate to thislegend, especially a guy with an
axe and, you know, running andthat kind of thing. Yeah, it all
relates to the story itself.
Right. Okay. Do you have anyguesses as to who or what you
think that they might haverepresented or what it was? Um,
I think, with how brutal themurder of I think his name was
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Jack was, yeah, that could haveeasily been him lingering in
that area, just because of howviolently he died. Right. And he
could have just been hanging outin that area and then happened
to be attached to that stonebecause it's in the air. And we
just caught it by accident andof him trying to do something or
communicate in some way, shapeor form. I mean, it's not hard
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to imagine, you know, if webelieve in ghosts, and you know,
here's a rock that tells thestory of his brutal murder. You
know, why he would be attachedto Yeah, I mean, that's just
it's letting everybody know,hey, this is how Jack billings
died. And when people read itand say his name, it could
(22:39):
easily just pull force, eitherhis spirit or something along
the lines of what remains of hisspirit. Yeah. What may remain
object building spirit, orperhaps any number of other
worldly beings has been thetopic of discussion for more
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than a century. It's a storythat's been told at slumber
parties. It's been divulged overbarbarum tables. Locals have
owned the tale as their own. Amarker of the sordid lives once
lived by their ancestors. Thisstory holds so much clout that
it's been written in stone forall to come learn. Not only do
(23:24):
Auglaize county residents claimthe story as their own, they
want passers by, to comediscover it for themselves.
This unique piece of drama froma time gone by has captured the
imagination of so many, not theleast of which are local
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artists. To such people, aretired high school band
director named Mr. Warren Boweryand his colleague and elementary
school teacher by the name ofMrs. Celeste Ngozi were so
inspired by the ghostlyreputation of the bloody bridge
that they wrote and produced aHigh School Musical on the
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subject. It was first performedat Otterville High School in
1994. Otterville is a tinyhamlet 25 miles north of the
bloody bridge. It too, was oncea stop on the Miami Erie Canal
lock 16 as it was known backthen. As a tribute to the
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enduring legacy of thisfolktale, these two educators
created their first ever musicalon the subject. They were both
surprised and thrilled at thereception it received people
from all around, especiallythose living up and down the
historical canals many milescame to see the show. There is
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indeed a hunger for seeing thistale brought to life. If the
spirits of those long dead doindeed remain at the spot. and
perhaps they'd take solace andknowing they're not forgotten.
But you don't have to take myword for it. For today's second
interview, I've been so lucky toconnect with Warren Bowery, the
(25:13):
musicals composer. You'll hearhim start by sharing how they
decided on writing the musicalin the first place. Celeste was
the it was near the end of herteaching career. And she
approached me in the teacherslounge one day and said, Hey,
(25:35):
I'm writing a script for music.
And would you be interested inwriting the music? And I'm like,
yeah, what's it about? And thenshe told me the story of the
bloody bridge, because I hadnever heard that, you know, I'm
not from around here originally.
And, you know, if you drive by,I didn't go down 66 months, but
you go down state route 66. Andthere's this the marker there
little parking area. And youknow, unless you know what it
(25:56):
is, you would even think tostop. But she told me the story.
She said that her husband, whenthey were dating back in the
late 50s, early 60s, I guess,told her the story, and they
went down there and, you know,just kind of creeped her out, I
guess, is what he was doing. Butsee, became fascinated with it.
And then when that booklet cameout from the Canal Commission,
(26:17):
she got the bug to write amusical about it. And she asked
me if I would do it. And Ithought, Well, sure. Not all she
ever does this, you know, thenwithin about two or three weeks,
she said, here's a script, hadlyrics and everything she said,
you can start writing the music,like, okay, so it was cranking
up the music, it was trying to,I was trying to get a song done
(26:38):
about every three to four days,you know, because I only worked
on it after school and in theevenings and stuff. And it took
a lot of time, a lot of fixingthings up. But the it was a lot
of fun. But see, you know, Isaid I had a personal connection
to her to her husband when theywere dating. And to me, I just
thought it was a cool story. Soyou happily or I don't know, we
(27:00):
got kind of roped into it. Butit sounds like you know, it was
fun. It was a lot of fun. Andplus, I got the director show,
you know, I was going to dothat. I knew that right off the
bat. But and that was kind ofnice having the the author right
there the playwright on standby,for sure. change anything, you
(27:21):
could do that. And it was it wasgreat. I love how it comes up
just organically out of her ownexperience. And then it just,
you know, it's through somesynergy or what have you, you
name it. And it took on a lifeof its own. It really did. The
kids had a great time with it. Imean, we had no problem getting,
(27:44):
having people donate costumesfor us to use from people that
are I don't know what the groupwas, but they were in delis.
They're kind of like reenactorsfor parades and things. So we
got a lot of clothing from them.
We didn't have a whole lot ofexpensive and that obviously
because we wrote the story. Sowe didn't have any royalties to
pay or scripts the buyer andyeah, so a lot of advantages
(28:05):
that way, even though there wasmore work on the front end.
Sure. Sure. So you've been tothe location yourself. I've been
down there a few times. Butevery time we were down there it
was in the daytime, I've nevergone down there at night. I I
don't know I don't go lookingfor trouble.
(28:30):
I've had a few experiencesmyself over the years. And like,
I don't go looking for itbecause I didn't feel
comfortable with anything I'veever had any dealings with so
but, you know, just going downthere. You know, obviously, it's
not the original bridge. But ityou know, a lot of people still
say they go down there and theysee things and nobody that I
(28:51):
know personally has ever saidthey've seen anything or
experienced anything down there.
But it's still kind of neat tosee. I guess. If he went down
around a full moon, it would bekind of have a high creep
factor. Yeah. Right. So I getthe sense that you are open
minded to possible unexplainedphenomenon. You don't have any
(29:11):
interest in seeking it outpurposely. That's correct. I
said I've had a few experiences.
That's a story in itself. Butyes, I don't really go looking
for things like it. I like towatch some of those ghost
hunting shows on TV, but youcouldn't pay me to go. I just
(29:34):
wouldn't, I wouldn't enjoy it.
Yeah, you'll watch it from thecomfort of your home. That's
correct. And I think it's goodthat people are open minded. And
don't assume that you know, alleverything about how the world
works, and that there could besome things that we still just
don't quite understand fully.
(29:55):
Yeah, so I think we've coveredmost of the questions that I had
For you, were there any stones Ileft unturned? Anything else?
One of the questions you had onthere was about the public
response. Yes, yeah. Cuz themusical. It was amazing. We were
interviewed online, the TV, allthe newspapers ran stories about
(30:16):
it. I mean, some pretty in depthstories. Mike lackey, for the
Lima news, wrote a, a, like afeature story on it. That was
kind of neat. And all thatpublicity, really renewed
interest in the bloody bridgeand the history and the story.
And it brought us a lot ofaudience that came from St.
Mary's and Spencerville areas inparticular, you know, usually we
(30:38):
had about 200 seats on the floorin the old gym, and then we
would open all three or four,five rows of the bleachers where
they could sit and then thespotlight would be behind it. We
had to keep moving spotlighthigher and higher, because we're
getting so many people in forthose two shows. So yeah, I
mean, it was a lot of it wasword of mouth. But we had people
(30:58):
from Lima, defiance area, like Isaid, always Spencerville and
south. And he that holds at St.
Mary's area. I mean, it was a itwas very well received. The one
thing that kind of surprisedboth Celeste and me, was near
the end of the bridge, you know,of course, the one character
gets his head cut off. And itrolls across the bridge. And
(31:20):
people laughed. When they hadrolled across the bridge, I
thought maybe because it's kindof sound like a ball. It was
made a plaster it's rollingcross a wooden bridge deck. I
hope that's it, maybe, or maybeit was nervous laughter but
people, they got a kick out ofthat. I thought, well, ways we
(31:41):
could have made a little scarieras has, you know, the the
character come back with thebloody X and go running off or
something. Yeah, that might havebeen better than the head roll.
But it was still memorable.
Yeah. You know, it is what itis. And, yeah, interesting.
You're mentioning the wideappeal. But it had, I think,
(32:05):
stories there's a real appetite,especially for local folklore.
And I find that whenever I doone of these episodes, I you
know, wherever the location is,I reached out for local people
to really get from theirstories. And there's so eager to
tell me, I don't have to, likepry anybody? Oh, no. Yeah. It's
(32:29):
just so much a part of, I guess,kind of human experience that we
want to share these unusualthings with others. Our
eagerness to share a story suchas this is quite simply how
folklore is made. There's a kindof magical quality, a discerning
(32:51):
difference between an ordinarystory and one that gets imbued
with generations of lore. Like aliving thing, a folktale drives
roots deep into the bedrock of aregion. It reflects something of
our past of the people we oncewere. It reflects something of
(33:11):
our presence of the values wecelebrate, and the lessons we
hold up. And sometimes, itechoes what we might yet become
when some number of generationshence, others will tell tales of
what it meant to live during ourdays.
(33:34):
Today, you can find sections ofthe Miami Erie Canal, which yet
remain. In fact, two locationsoffer replicas of 19th century
canal boats, which can bewritten as a tourist attraction.
This includes one operatingsection and Pequod, the other,
and Grand Rapids offers the onlysurviving and functional lock in
(33:57):
all of Ohio. Lucky writersaboard the volunteer get to
experience the lock and actionas part of the price of
admission. Other areas of thecanal vary widely in their state
of disrepair. Remnants of longdormant locks can be found
(34:17):
scattered along the route.
certain sections like whatremains between St. Mary's and
dollfuss parallel to State Route66 are yet navigable by canoe or
kayak. It's this section wherethe banks have been most
thoroughly preserved. The canalremains filled with water, the
same as it once looked shortlyafter it was constructed. It's
(34:40):
for this reason that thissection of the canal was
designated a national historiclandmark in 1964. So whether or
not you believe in the ghostlyspirits said to inhabit the
bloody bridge itself. If you gothere today, you can be sure To
see the canal in the same way,these long dead Ohioans once saw
(35:02):
it with their own eyes. You'lljust have to imagine the teams
of meals along the towpathpulling wooden boats weighed
down with cargo. There there'ssomething uniquely satisfying
about spotting fragments of thisonce bustling thoroughfare of
(35:23):
commerce and travel. While muchof the canal today is clogged
with rotting trees are fullydrained from compromised banks.
There's something comforting andspotting places where parts are
recognizable. It's a kind ofmonument to the heroic efforts
of its construction. Countlessmen died while building it, and
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are rumored to have been buriedin its banks. As morbid as that
sounds, it reflects the cost wewere willing to pay just to be
more connected with one another.
And those years before therailroad shorten distances
(36:08):
between us, going somewhere waslong, arduous, and usually
something we had to do on ourown. The canal became the first
kind of mass transit, a way totravel with others, to go see
other people and places. Onceout of our reach. The canal
(36:29):
offered a hope, not just forincreased commerce, but for
connecting with other Ohioansover wide expanses. And in the
end, connection is what we'reall seeking. I'm sure many rural
Ohioans living in small villagesalong the canals route, dreamed
(36:51):
of walking the streets of alively city, like Toledo, or
Cincinnati, the canal but suchdreams and closer reach for
them. Connection is also whatsought by the enduring
characters of the bloody bridgelegend. Just like the rest of
us, they seek love, acceptanceand belonging and the thought of
(37:15):
losing love. In Bill Jones'smind led to a jealous, murderous
rage. The true lesson of thestory, I believe, is that love
can't be one only given it can'tbe demanded, only received. It's
(37:35):
a common theory that ghosts arethe ephemeral souls of those
lost those searching forconnections never made in life.
Maybe the reason the legend ofthe bloody bridge sticks with us
is the way it encapsulates thatmost elemental of fears. That of
rejection, dismissal, and lovelost just as we've met our
(37:59):
Beloved. May you find love andkeep love. And may you give love
when it's hardest, especiallywhen it's hardest. That's a
lesson I think most wanderingspirits could agree on.
(38:21):
This concludes today's episodeon the bloody bridge. I hope
you've liked it. If so, pleaseconsider writing a review on
Apple podcasts. It helps peoplefind the show. You can find Ohio
folklore at Ohio folklore.comAnd on Facebook. And as always,
keep wondering
Hello, and welcome to Ohio folklore. I'm your host,
Melissa Davies. I'm so glad youcould join me. Today, we're
exploring one legendaryNorthwestern Ohio folktale over
160 years in the making. It's astory full of drama and
intrigue, centering on theoldest of plots, love sought,
(00:26):
love denied love found in thearms of another. For as long as
humans have told stories, wepondered the workings of love
falling in it, falling from it,and wrestling with the hurt that
remains. Some of our mostpersistent legends turn on the
focal point of this universalquest, that a finding another
(00:49):
who affirms us, accepts us andcompletes our missing pieces.
These kinds of narratives, atleast the ones with the happy
endings are what we call lovestories. They're the stuff of
romance novels, and romanticcomedies. In the end, the
hapless protagonist wins overthe elusive love interest, and
(01:12):
we cheer the happy couple on. Wewalk away from the story with a
taste of what it feels like tofall in love, and be in love.
Leaving our own sense ofloneliness just a bit reduced as
we dream of finding or perhapsbuilding that same kind of
happiness for ourselves.
(01:39):
The story we're exploring todaysprings forth from the mid 19th
century. The freshly dug MiamiErie Canal once stretched from
the Ohio River in Cincinnati toToledo's Lake Erie shores. It
had just been completed in 1845.
Along the route, this manmadeearthen waterway plowed through
(01:59):
remote fields and forests. Itpassed by a few dozen villages,
large and small, from north tosouth. For those Ohioans living
near it, this modern piece ofcivil engineering brought with
it the promise and increasedcommerce travel and growth. Yet
more than that, the canalbrought something much less
(02:23):
tangible. For you see, with thevarious mix of new people drawn
by the jobs that created, somewere sure to find disagreements
with one another. For many youngpeople, eager to start their
adult lives, that canal broughta steady income. But beyond
that, this work allowed anordinary citizen to take part in
(02:46):
the cutting edge technology thatwould change the landscape
forever. So many had high hopesfor what this monumental effort
would bring. building andoperating what they believed
would become a modernthoroughfare. Most of the
stories of those who lived andworked and traveled on the canal
(03:08):
are now lost to the ages. Butnot the tale that I'm about to
tell you. This tale has beentold and retold for at least a
century and a half. I'm not justtalking about the oral stories
passed from one generation tothe next. This legend has been
published in local newspapersfor decades. It's engraved on a
(03:31):
stone plaque at the site of thelocation itself. It's inspired
the writing of a musicalperformed by local high schools.
This story has permeated thecultural heritage of this
section of Northwestern Ohio.
(03:52):
I'm talking about the ghostlylegend of the bloody bridge near
St. Mary's.
In my research on this lovetriangle turn lethal. I was
surprised to see just how manytimes the story has been
reprinted in local newspapersacross Ohio since the late
(04:15):
1800s. The earliest mention Iwas able to find was from 1894.
It was a front page article ofthe Cincinnati Enquirer dated
November 10 of that year, andtitled pretty many. It's written
in that stereotypical 19thcentury language with a flair
(04:36):
for the dramatic told with theflourish, filling the readers
need for a little escape intosomething extraordinary. So
imagine yourself in 1894 sittingdown next to the fireplace, a
pot of fresh coffee brewing onthe stove as you lean back in
your rocking chair to browse thefront page headlines. Come hear
(05:02):
this story, as Read by countlessOhioans of years past, seeking a
sense of wonder at the worldaround them. There is scarcely a
person in northwestern Ohio whohas not heard of the bloody
bridge. Few There are, however,who can recite the legend from
(05:24):
which the bridge derived itsghastly name. The bridge is
located five miles north of St.
Mary's, Ohio, and crosses theMiami and Erie Canal four miles
south of Casa at a point wherethe general country is level and
in consequence, large earth andstone abutments became necessary
that boats could pass under insafety. In the early 50s, Bill
(05:48):
Jones and Jack billings wereemployed as drivers of two of
the many boats that plied thewaters of the canal. In those
days, Bill handled the mules ofthe mini Warren, named after the
captain's daughter, who presidedover the culinary department of
(06:08):
the boat. While Jack wasemployed in the same capacity
with the daisy. Both bill andJack fell head over heels in
love with a pretty young cook.
But her affections were allbestowed on the big hearted Jack
Billings. A rivalry sprang upbetween the two men at first
(06:33):
friendly that which grew tointense hatred for each other,
and each trip. As the two boatspassed and exchanged greetings,
the rivals became more and moreaware of each other's hatred,
although they remained onspeaking terms. As the meals
(06:55):
passed on the towpath, thedrivers would each wield an
extra crack of their long whips,as though the poor brutes were
the cause of the rivalry. Jackwould exchange greetings with
his pretty sweetheart. along inthe fall of 54, both boats
received orders for a cargo oflumber, which was being taken
(07:19):
from the large timber landsadjacent to the fatal bridge. It
required several days to loadthe boats and the young people
became pretty well acquaintedwith the lads and lassies of the
neighborhood. The eveningprevious to their departure,
after the cargoes were all inshipshape, Jack and Minnie
(07:40):
received an invitation to attenda party to be given by one of
the country girls. It was to bethe social event of that role
district. And Bill was fairlycrazed with anger at not
receiving a bid. The hour forthe frolic arrived, and the
(08:00):
young people started off in highspirits at the thought of an
evening of fun, and a being ineach other's society for the
whole evening. After the guestshad played all the games, their
youthful minds could conceive.
The great front room or parlorwas cleared of the crude
furniture, and the wholeassemblage was soon in the gay
world of the giddy dance. It wasin the wee small hours when the
(08:25):
last guest departed, Jacktenderly supporting many on his
great strong arm. They were onlytwo sorry that it was all over
so soon, and that by daylight,the boats would have to start on
their trips, and perhaps theywould not see each other again
for a week or a month. They atlast came to the bridge, which
(08:49):
they had to cross to reach theboats on the Hill path side.
They have proceeded abouthalfway across, when both were
startled at seeing Bill Jonesstanding in the shadow of the
abutment, with an axe in hishands. Whoa, whoa, my pretty
(09:10):
pair. You have played it finetonight, said Bill. But my turn
comes now. Raising the axe tohis shoulder and with a well
directed blow. He brought itaround with the velocity of a
cannonball, the keen edge of thedeadly weapon completely
severing the head from the bodyof poor Jack. For a moment, poor
(09:36):
mini stood as if in a dream, andthen with the full realization
of the horrible truth dawningupon her. She gave one wild
shriek and spooned away, fallingto the floor of the bridge. Her
lifeless body rolled to theedge, where it balanced for a
moment, and then went down tothe watery grave below. The
(10:00):
whole neighborhood was soonaroused by the one shriek from
the grief stricken girl. Butthey were too late. And two
loving hearts that were deniedthe happiness of a union on
Earth were joined togetherbefore a higher Tribunal. The
good neighbors rescued the bodyof many Warren from the dark
(10:22):
waters, and tenderly it was laidbeside that of her uncouth, but
big hearted lover. Bill Jonesdisappeared, and no trace of him
was found. And it was a generalbelief that he committed suicide
as a human skeleton was foundyears after an old well nearby.
(10:48):
This is the legend that gave theghastly name to the bridge. The
blood which flowed from the bodyof Jack billings, the boat
driver marked the bridge, andfor 40 years, the bloodstains
defied the rain and weather.
Four years ago, a new bridge wasbuilt, the old one becoming a
property of relic hunters,nearly everyone for miles around
(11:11):
securing a piece of bloodstained timber as a memento of
one of the most horrible crimesever committed.
This most horrible crime wouldbe investigated some 40 years
later by reporter text Elise ofthe Lima news. His August 1935
(11:37):
article details his efforts tounderstand the bridges appeal
from those living far and widefrom the location. After hearing
the story, intrigued, onlookersjust had to get a look at the
place for themselves. Just likethem do Luis went to the spot as
well. The original bridge hadbeen replaced. It was iron
(12:03):
framed, and wooden floored.
Nothing was left of the originalbloodsoaked planks. 40 years of
rain and weather couldn'tcleanse the boards of Jack's
blood. That's how the bridge gotthe name. The original remnants
had been looted by locals whowanted a souvenir of the
legendary structure, picking itclean and relieving the
(12:26):
engineers of any disposalduties. Like any good reporter,
Dewey's put his feet to theground and sought out interviews
with the people who knew atbest, the locals. He had the
good fortune to connect with thestoner family who lived directly
across the road from the spot.
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Mrs. Stoner regaled him withfamily tales of the murder and
his lasting impact. Hergrandfather, Gideon sheiks had
worked on the canal for manyyears while it operated. He'd
known the story well and hadbeen alive at the time it
happened. And in his old age, herepeated the tale for all who
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would listen. It all happened in1854. He was sure of it. Another
bit of evidence revealed byLouise's investigation was the
discovery of the nearby well.
It's believed that the remainsof the murderous Bill Jones were
later proclaimed to have beenfound there. Harold folk, an
(13:30):
owner of a St. Mary's millingcompany, owned a farm which ran
adjacent to the bridge. One day,he'd made the gruesome discovery
of the skeleton at the bottom ofas well. That matched Bill
Jones's imposing height andframe. Bill had gone missing in
the months following theslayings all assumed it was
(13:51):
indeed him whether he taken hisown life under the weight of
regret for the act, or whethersome vengeful loved one had
issued the Justice themselves.
Now over time, most folktalesevolve and grow. They take on
(14:15):
new subplots, and are retold formore current perspectives. This
is where the legend of thebloody bridge stands out. The
story, as I've read to you fromhistorical newspaper articles,
reprinted year after a year,remains the same legend as told
today. The characters, theirmotives, and the tragic outcome
(14:39):
all stays the same. So much soin fact, that in 1976, the
Auglaize County HistoricalSociety memorialized a condensed
version of the story and placedit on a plaque at the location.
This plaque still stands in asmall parking lot adjacent to
the bridge This tribute to thisenduring story was not its first
(15:03):
bony met. However, the firstmonument was a large stone on
which the story was engraved.
While reaching out to locals, Ihad the great fortune to connect
with someone who had seen thisstone before it was removed and
replaced by the plaque. MissAlyssa Hatfield is a resident of
St. Mary's, a true native, shehas lived in the area all her
(15:26):
life, and has had unexplainedexperiences at the bridge. She
was gracious enough to sharethose experiences here with us
today. She starts by recalling achildhood memory of an impromptu
visit with her family. Come hearher story. I don't remember
where we are coming back frombut my mom had taken a video
(15:54):
camera because I think we wentout for a family day or
something. And we were justcoming back to that area. And
when we got out, my mom, youknow, just recorded it because
she's making memories andeverything of us being young and
her taking us thread. So shemade a video of us there. I
could have sworn she had apicture of it. Like 100%. I know
she had a picture of it. But Ithink she may have just taken
(16:15):
the picture from her camera, andthen printed it out and
developed it separately, which Idid call her and asked if she
could find the video. Butunfortunately, because it's been
so long, it's just kind of beenstashed somewhere that she
doesn't know where anymore.
Yeah, I can understand thatabout that. What year would you
guess? This was? Oh, okay. Um, Iwould say early 2000. Okay.
(16:42):
Yeah, early 2000. So we'retalking about going on 20 years.
That video is probably who knowswhere you have? Yeah. Can you
describe the visual? So when wehad watched the video, my mom
has originally watched it firstand everything. And we were at
school when she had watched it.
So when we came home, she waslike, Girl, come here, you want
(17:02):
to see something to scold usover. And she showed us the
video. And obviously, it wasjust a video of us getting out
of the car going up and readingthe stone and then looking
around. What was my mom wasmoving the camera around, you
know, just getting the sceneryof it. She had turned back
towards the rock. And when shehad turned back towards the
rock, there was an imprint of aface pushing out of the rock.
(17:23):
And I mean, I'm not saying likeyou could people would go oh,
well, maybe you thought it was aface? No, there were defining
features. You could see thebridge of the nose. You could
see I like you could see the eyesockets. You could see a mouth
pushing out open, you could seelike the lining of the jawline
and chin. Like it was a veryprominent face. Like there was
no mistaking. Yeah, so it wasn'tlike there's just these markings
(17:49):
on the rock and you kind of putyour your mind puts it together.
I mean, what you saw was verydistinct. Yeah, it was it was
super distinctive, because wewatch the whole video. And when
my mom first goes over the rockrecord that there was nothing
there. It was just the flatsolid rock with the engravings.
And then as she panned back overit, we seen the face pushing
(18:10):
out. Oh, well that's kind of awhole other level there. Right.
So there's an initial picture ofit looking normal. And then
coming back is where you see theface. Yeah. Oh man, and it was
coming like protruding out ofthe rock. Yeah, it looks like
like the little you remember thelittle toys, you could put
(18:32):
people like kids would put theirhands and it would have the
imprint of your hand in it. Itwas kind of like that it looked
like somebody was screaming andthen pushing their face against
the surface trying to get out.
Wow, screaming that would be abit intense to see that
expression. Yeah, because likeit was open mouth like the mouth
(18:54):
was wide open. It wasn't like aclosed mouth just somebody
pushing their face through itwas wide open mouth and then the
rest of the defining featuresand didn't look like a male or
female. Or it was it was male,just by like the structure from
what I can remember. Itdefinitely looks like a male
(19:15):
head just because the noseitself was more like the bridge
of it was a little bigger andwider than a woman's would be
and then the mouth itself wasn'tlike big lift or anything. It
was just kind of like thin lips.
And it wasn't something you wereseeing physically when you were
there. It was only reviewing thevideo afterwards. Is that right?
(19:40):
Yeah, we never seen anything onit like we had come up and
everything we were looking atthe rocks touching it reading
the words and then lookingaround the bridge because I
think when my mom had caught iton camera me and my sister were
on the bridge looking over thebridge into the water. Hmm And
that's you know, it's similar towhat you're describing there is
(20:02):
similar to the claims that I'veread about in terms of those
sightings there, it's usuallyhas to do with, you know,
looking over the water, is thatwhen the viewer is looking over
the water is when the ghostappears. So I mean, there's that
commonality, I guess. Yeah, Iknow, there's, I know, I've
(20:23):
heard people from when I went toschool, because, you know, kids
being kids, when they get theirwife and son, they've heard
about the bridge, like, Oh,we're gonna go there at night,
because nothing's gonna happen.
I have heard multiple storiesfrom people going to the bridge
at night and looking over thebridge, and then hear somebody
come running up them. And whenthey turn, they see the figure
of a man with an axe comingtowards them, and then he
(20:44):
disappears before it reaches.
And while they're turned awayfrom the bridge, they will hear
a loud splash in the water likesomebody had fallen in. So those
specific sequence of events, andyou've heard that from other
people, you know, in their eyes.
Yeah, I've heard that from otherpeople that I went to school
with who had gone and done it.
(21:06):
And then when we went to thebridge, the third time, I was
talking about it. And myboyfriend's nephew, was actually
saying, Yeah, I've heard aboutthat. And he's younger than me.
Okay, so, you know, there's moreaccounts, and people, after you
have had some unexpected,unexplained experiences, but but
(21:30):
it all seems to relate to thislegend, especially a guy with an
axe and, you know, running andthat kind of thing. Yeah, it all
relates to the story itself.
Right. Okay. Do you have anyguesses as to who or what you
think that they might haverepresented or what it was? Um,
I think, with how brutal themurder of I think his name was
(21:53):
Jack was, yeah, that could haveeasily been him lingering in
that area, just because of howviolently he died. Right. And he
could have just been hanging outin that area and then happened
to be attached to that stonebecause it's in the air. And we
just caught it by accident andof him trying to do something or
communicate in some way, shapeor form. I mean, it's not hard
(22:16):
to imagine, you know, if webelieve in ghosts, and you know,
here's a rock that tells thestory of his brutal murder. You
know, why he would be attachedto Yeah, I mean, that's just
it's letting everybody know,hey, this is how Jack billings
died. And when people read itand say his name, it could
(22:39):
easily just pull force, eitherhis spirit or something along
the lines of what remains of hisspirit. Yeah. What may remain
object building spirit, orperhaps any number of other
worldly beings has been thetopic of discussion for more
(23:01):
than a century. It's a storythat's been told at slumber
parties. It's been divulged overbarbarum tables. Locals have
owned the tale as their own. Amarker of the sordid lives once
lived by their ancestors. Thisstory holds so much clout that
it's been written in stone forall to come learn. Not only do
(23:24):
Auglaize county residents claimthe story as their own, they
want passers by, to comediscover it for themselves.
This unique piece of drama froma time gone by has captured the
imagination of so many, not theleast of which are local
(23:45):
artists. To such people, aretired high school band
director named Mr. Warren Boweryand his colleague and elementary
school teacher by the name ofMrs. Celeste Ngozi were so
inspired by the ghostlyreputation of the bloody bridge
that they wrote and produced aHigh School Musical on the
(24:05):
subject. It was first performedat Otterville High School in
1994. Otterville is a tinyhamlet 25 miles north of the
bloody bridge. It too, was oncea stop on the Miami Erie Canal
lock 16 as it was known backthen. As a tribute to the
(24:28):
enduring legacy of thisfolktale, these two educators
created their first ever musicalon the subject. They were both
surprised and thrilled at thereception it received people
from all around, especiallythose living up and down the
historical canals many milescame to see the show. There is
(24:51):
indeed a hunger for seeing thistale brought to life. If the
spirits of those long dead doindeed remain at the spot. and
perhaps they'd take solace andknowing they're not forgotten.
But you don't have to take myword for it. For today's second
interview, I've been so lucky toconnect with Warren Bowery, the
(25:13):
musicals composer. You'll hearhim start by sharing how they
decided on writing the musicalin the first place. Celeste was
the it was near the end of herteaching career. And she
approached me in the teacherslounge one day and said, Hey,
(25:35):
I'm writing a script for music.
And would you be interested inwriting the music? And I'm like,
yeah, what's it about? And thenshe told me the story of the
bloody bridge, because I hadnever heard that, you know, I'm
not from around here originally.
And, you know, if you drive by,I didn't go down 66 months, but
you go down state route 66. Andthere's this the marker there
little parking area. And youknow, unless you know what it
(25:56):
is, you would even think tostop. But she told me the story.
She said that her husband, whenthey were dating back in the
late 50s, early 60s, I guess,told her the story, and they
went down there and, you know,just kind of creeped her out, I
guess, is what he was doing. Butsee, became fascinated with it.
And then when that booklet cameout from the Canal Commission,
(26:17):
she got the bug to write amusical about it. And she asked
me if I would do it. And Ithought, Well, sure. Not all she
ever does this, you know, thenwithin about two or three weeks,
she said, here's a script, hadlyrics and everything she said,
you can start writing the music,like, okay, so it was cranking
up the music, it was trying to,I was trying to get a song done
(26:38):
about every three to four days,you know, because I only worked
on it after school and in theevenings and stuff. And it took
a lot of time, a lot of fixingthings up. But the it was a lot
of fun. But see, you know, Isaid I had a personal connection
to her to her husband when theywere dating. And to me, I just
thought it was a cool story. Soyou happily or I don't know, we
(27:00):
got kind of roped into it. Butit sounds like you know, it was
fun. It was a lot of fun. Andplus, I got the director show,
you know, I was going to dothat. I knew that right off the
bat. But and that was kind ofnice having the the author right
there the playwright on standby,for sure. change anything, you
(27:21):
could do that. And it was it wasgreat. I love how it comes up
just organically out of her ownexperience. And then it just,
you know, it's through somesynergy or what have you, you
name it. And it took on a lifeof its own. It really did. The
kids had a great time with it. Imean, we had no problem getting,
(27:44):
having people donate costumesfor us to use from people that
are I don't know what the groupwas, but they were in delis.
They're kind of like reenactorsfor parades and things. So we
got a lot of clothing from them.
We didn't have a whole lot ofexpensive and that obviously
because we wrote the story. Sowe didn't have any royalties to
pay or scripts the buyer andyeah, so a lot of advantages
(28:05):
that way, even though there wasmore work on the front end.
Sure. Sure. So you've been tothe location yourself. I've been
down there a few times. Butevery time we were down there it
was in the daytime, I've nevergone down there at night. I I
don't know I don't go lookingfor trouble.
(28:30):
I've had a few experiencesmyself over the years. And like,
I don't go looking for itbecause I didn't feel
comfortable with anything I'veever had any dealings with so
but, you know, just going downthere. You know, obviously, it's
not the original bridge. But ityou know, a lot of people still
say they go down there and theysee things and nobody that I
(28:51):
know personally has ever saidthey've seen anything or
experienced anything down there.
But it's still kind of neat tosee. I guess. If he went down
around a full moon, it would bekind of have a high creep
factor. Yeah. Right. So I getthe sense that you are open
minded to possible unexplainedphenomenon. You don't have any
(29:11):
interest in seeking it outpurposely. That's correct. I
said I've had a few experiences.
That's a story in itself. Butyes, I don't really go looking
for things like it. I like towatch some of those ghost
hunting shows on TV, but youcouldn't pay me to go. I just
(29:34):
wouldn't, I wouldn't enjoy it.
Yeah, you'll watch it from thecomfort of your home. That's
correct. And I think it's goodthat people are open minded. And
don't assume that you know, alleverything about how the world
works, and that there could besome things that we still just
don't quite understand fully.
(29:55):
Yeah, so I think we've coveredmost of the questions that I had
For you, were there any stones Ileft unturned? Anything else?
One of the questions you had onthere was about the public
response. Yes, yeah. Cuz themusical. It was amazing. We were
interviewed online, the TV, allthe newspapers ran stories about
(30:16):
it. I mean, some pretty in depthstories. Mike lackey, for the
Lima news, wrote a, a, like afeature story on it. That was
kind of neat. And all thatpublicity, really renewed
interest in the bloody bridgeand the history and the story.
And it brought us a lot ofaudience that came from St.
Mary's and Spencerville areas inparticular, you know, usually we
(30:38):
had about 200 seats on the floorin the old gym, and then we
would open all three or four,five rows of the bleachers where
they could sit and then thespotlight would be behind it. We
had to keep moving spotlighthigher and higher, because we're
getting so many people in forthose two shows. So yeah, I
mean, it was a lot of it wasword of mouth. But we had people
(30:58):
from Lima, defiance area, like Isaid, always Spencerville and
south. And he that holds at St.
Mary's area. I mean, it was a itwas very well received. The one
thing that kind of surprisedboth Celeste and me, was near
the end of the bridge, you know,of course, the one character
gets his head cut off. And itrolls across the bridge. And
(31:20):
people laughed. When they hadrolled across the bridge, I
thought maybe because it's kindof sound like a ball. It was
made a plaster it's rollingcross a wooden bridge deck. I
hope that's it, maybe, or maybeit was nervous laughter but
people, they got a kick out ofthat. I thought, well, ways we
(31:41):
could have made a little scarieras has, you know, the the
character come back with thebloody X and go running off or
something. Yeah, that might havebeen better than the head roll.
But it was still memorable.
Yeah. You know, it is what itis. And, yeah, interesting.
You're mentioning the wideappeal. But it had, I think,
(32:05):
stories there's a real appetite,especially for local folklore.
And I find that whenever I doone of these episodes, I you
know, wherever the location is,I reached out for local people
to really get from theirstories. And there's so eager to
tell me, I don't have to, likepry anybody? Oh, no. Yeah. It's
(32:29):
just so much a part of, I guess,kind of human experience that we
want to share these unusualthings with others. Our
eagerness to share a story suchas this is quite simply how
folklore is made. There's a kindof magical quality, a discerning
(32:51):
difference between an ordinarystory and one that gets imbued
with generations of lore. Like aliving thing, a folktale drives
roots deep into the bedrock of aregion. It reflects something of
our past of the people we oncewere. It reflects something of
(33:11):
our presence of the values wecelebrate, and the lessons we
hold up. And sometimes, itechoes what we might yet become
when some number of generationshence, others will tell tales of
what it meant to live during ourdays.
(33:34):
Today, you can find sections ofthe Miami Erie Canal, which yet
remain. In fact, two locationsoffer replicas of 19th century
canal boats, which can bewritten as a tourist attraction.
This includes one operatingsection and Pequod, the other,
and Grand Rapids offers the onlysurviving and functional lock in
(33:57):
all of Ohio. Lucky writersaboard the volunteer get to
experience the lock and actionas part of the price of
admission. Other areas of thecanal vary widely in their state
of disrepair. Remnants of longdormant locks can be found
(34:17):
scattered along the route.
certain sections like whatremains between St. Mary's and
dollfuss parallel to State Route66 are yet navigable by canoe or
kayak. It's this section wherethe banks have been most
thoroughly preserved. The canalremains filled with water, the
same as it once looked shortlyafter it was constructed. It's
(34:40):
for this reason that thissection of the canal was
designated a national historiclandmark in 1964. So whether or
not you believe in the ghostlyspirits said to inhabit the
bloody bridge itself. If you gothere today, you can be sure To
see the canal in the same way,these long dead Ohioans once saw
(35:02):
it with their own eyes. You'lljust have to imagine the teams
of meals along the towpathpulling wooden boats weighed
down with cargo. There there'ssomething uniquely satisfying
about spotting fragments of thisonce bustling thoroughfare of
(35:23):
commerce and travel. While muchof the canal today is clogged
with rotting trees are fullydrained from compromised banks.
There's something comforting andspotting places where parts are
recognizable. It's a kind ofmonument to the heroic efforts
of its construction. Countlessmen died while building it, and
(35:48):
are rumored to have been buriedin its banks. As morbid as that
sounds, it reflects the cost wewere willing to pay just to be
more connected with one another.
And those years before therailroad shorten distances
(36:08):
between us, going somewhere waslong, arduous, and usually
something we had to do on ourown. The canal became the first
kind of mass transit, a way totravel with others, to go see
other people and places. Onceout of our reach. The canal
(36:29):
offered a hope, not just forincreased commerce, but for
connecting with other Ohioansover wide expanses. And in the
end, connection is what we'reall seeking. I'm sure many rural
Ohioans living in small villagesalong the canals route, dreamed
(36:51):
of walking the streets of alively city, like Toledo, or
Cincinnati, the canal but suchdreams and closer reach for
them. Connection is also whatsought by the enduring
characters of the bloody bridgelegend. Just like the rest of
us, they seek love, acceptanceand belonging and the thought of
(37:15):
losing love. In Bill Jones'smind led to a jealous, murderous
rage. The true lesson of thestory, I believe, is that love
can't be one only given it can'tbe demanded, only received. It's
(37:35):
a common theory that ghosts arethe ephemeral souls of those
lost those searching forconnections never made in life.
Maybe the reason the legend ofthe bloody bridge sticks with us
is the way it encapsulates thatmost elemental of fears. That of
rejection, dismissal, and lovelost just as we've met our
(37:59):
Beloved. May you find love andkeep love. And may you give love
when it's hardest, especiallywhen it's hardest. That's a
lesson I think most wanderingspirits could agree on.
(38:21):
This concludes today's episodeon the bloody bridge. I hope
you've liked it. If so, pleaseconsider writing a review on
Apple podcasts. It helps peoplefind the show. You can find Ohio
folklore at Ohio folklore.comAnd on Facebook. And as always,
keep wondering
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