| Gudgeonville Bridge |
| Built in 1837, it is one of the oldest covered bridges in the country. In approximately 1855, a Kentucky man named Obadiah Will was delivering a mule named Gudgeon to Meadville. As they entered the bridge, a couple canal boats passed by playing a tune - My Old Kentucky Home. The mule dropped dead in its tracks. Mr. Will was given permission to bury the mule on the west bank of the creek and he had the word "Gudgeonville" painted on the end of the bridge. There is rumor of an apparition of a little girl seen by the cliffs near the bridge where she fell to her death in the 1940's or 1950's. There is also a report of a manifestation of a headless horseman with a black steed with demonic eyes. There were also apparently many tragic deaths associated with Elk Creek, which runs under the bridge, during the war of 1812. We've also heard that beheading was not uncommon at that time. In October 2005, five members traveled to Girard, PA, to find out if these rumors were true. We found the bridge still in use by automobiles, preventing us from setting up video camera tripods, as we normally would. The interior of the bridge was completely covered in graffiti, which was sad since there are so few covered bridges left. We took a good number of still photos, but nothing turned up in any pictures. There were no temperature changes, nor were there any EMF spikes. No one had any personal experiences, or found anything that would suggest a reason that this place would be considered haunted. Audio recordings provided no EVP evidence, either. While there, a car with a group of teenagers showed up carrying on about the "haunted" bridge. Thankfully, they did not stay, and did not interfere much with our endeavors. So, one must conclude that once again, urban legend and teens out looking for a late night thrill, is the most probable explanation for the stories told about this bridge. |
The bridge in the dark
| The sign on bridge |
| Graffiti on the interior of the bridge |
| The curve before the bridge. You can see there is a huge drop-off point. |
| Opposite side of the bridge |