Along an aged bridge crossing a stream in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Everett Road Covered Bridge is said to be haunted by a ghost trying to catch a ride, often linked to a tragic story that happened many years ago.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is an oasis of rolling hills, idyllic farmland, and picturesque historic structures along the Cuyahoga River, which has been so polluted that it has caught fire several times in the past.
The park between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, offers a lush and diverse landscape that contrasts starkly with the surrounding urban areas. Visitors can explore over 120 miles of hiking trails, including the notable Towpath Trail, which follows the historic route of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The park is home to Brandywine Falls, a stunning 70-foot waterfall, and Beaver Marsh, a dynamic wetland teeming with wildlife. The Cuyahoga Valley also preserves numerous cultural and historic sites, such as the 19th-century buildings in Peninsula Village and the scenic Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, which offers a nostalgic journey through the heart of the park.
While it may not have the fame of other national parks, with a staggering 2.2 million annual visitors, it holds stories beyond the ordinary – tales of ghosts and hauntings that persist in its picturesque area.
Everett Road Covered Bridge
One of the park's most iconic landmarks is the Everett Road Covered Bridge over Furnace Run Stream, the last remnant of covered bridges in Summit County, Ohio. Steeped in history, the bridge harbors a mysterious history that weaves together tragedy and the supernatural as it is rumored to be haunted.
According to local lore, on a icy winter night in 1877, farmer John Gilson and his wife were traveling home from a holiday party with friends. They usually crossed another point on Furnace Run, but rising water and ice blocked the place where they usually crossed.
As their sleigh was crossing the Everett Road Bridge, tragedy struck – one of the horses tripped, throwing them both, including the Gilsons, into the icy river below. Mrs. Gilson miraculously survived, but her husband did not.
However, historical discrepancies challenge this narrative, as records suggest that the bridge did not exist at the time of Mr. Gilson's alleged death, although the road was built as early as 1856. Some say it was this incident that sparked the construction of the bridge in conjunction with the 1876 United States Centennial celebration.
An alternate history suggests that the Everett Road Covered Bridge was built over a Native American burial mound, as some road construction workers claimed, adding an extra layer of mystery to an already puzzling story that no one really knows how or when it began.
A ghost haunting the park
Whatever the story, a disturbing presence has left its mark on the Everett Road Covered Bridge – a ghostly hitchhiker, constantly wandering in hopes of catching a ride with an unsuspecting driver between the supposed burial ground and the wooden bridge. It's unclear when the rumors began to spread, but ultimately the story sounds very similar to the ghost story of a missing hitchhiker.
Is this the ghost of Mr. Gilson longing to find his way back home? Or perhaps the restless Indian soul of the Hopewell culture, native to Ohio for over a millennia, seeking its final resting place?
People claim to have heard disembodied voices at night, pleading for support as if they were in mortal danger. Paranormal investigators claim that while searching for ghosts, they see orbs and mysterious mists.
The secrets hidden within the Everett Road Bridge invite brave souls to venture forth, traverse the haunted span and discover the secrets whispered by the winds dancing through the worn wood. The original bridge was washed away in the 1975 spring flood, and another bridge was built less than a year later. It is said that the Haunting remains the same.
Reference:
12 haunted national parks | Shaka's guide
Everett Road describes the bridge's haunted history | Ohio, the heart of it all
Everett – Cuyahoga Valley Covered Bridge
Image Source: Pixabay.com
