Tunnels and bridges aren't just ways to get somewhere, but they are riddled with dark histories. Let's take an extensive look at the troublesome tunnels first -
Sensabaugh Tunnel, Kingsport, TN
The legend goes that a man named Sensabaugh lived near the tunnel with his family. It is said that he killed his entire family and threw their bodies into the creek within the tunnel. If you enter the tunnel and turn off your car engine, it supposedly will not restart and if you look into your rearview mirror, you will see Mr. Sensabaugh approaching your car. Then, as he approaches, your engine will start again.
Bunny Man Bridge
This one is from my hometown of Fairfax, VA. There are a lot of versions of this story including the urban legend of a man in a bunny suit killing people with an axe. There is also a legend of long ago, a mental hospital transported their patients to a new facility and a man escaped. He left half eaten bunny carcasses in the woods and killed kids who came near the train bridge tunnel. All legends had been disproved, but still the creepy legend continues on. In fact, I did one of my candlelight tales based on the story -
Silver Run Haunted Train Tunnel, Cairo, WV
The Gadsden Hotel in Douglas, AZ
Tunnels beneath this inn in the basement are said to have the headless ghost of Pancho Villa walking around. He is described by witnesses as a tall man, black pantsuit, and no head.
Church Hill Tunnel, Richmond, VA
In the 1800s, a collapsed killed a bunch of people. People report a man trying to get to the tunnel to retrieve the bodies and others report the faint sounds of a ghost train coming to the closed off tunnel.
The Moonville Tunnel, Moonville, OH
This legend began with a supposed brakeman on the train getting crushed by the wheels. Here's a song to get you in the mood for this -
Merritton Tunnel, St. Catherine's Ontario "The Blue Ghost Tunnel"
The "Blue Ghost Tunnel" was closed in 1915. Accidents, suicide and also sabotage have supposedly tainted the energy in this long-abandoned tunnel. A report in the St. Catherine's Daily said,
"On the Grand Trunk rail line near Merritton a serious and fatal accident occurred near the Merritton Tunnel today. The accident occurred around 7:03am. Engine Number 975 to leave from Niagara falls at 6:00am and run through to [the city of] Hamilton. The Engine Number 4 express train was scheduled to arrive in Merritton at 6:28am.
As nearly as can be learned it was 7:03 am when the ill-fated express train passed a small telegraph station near the tunnel, a few moments later Engine 4 and Engine 975 met with a terrible crash.
Both engines were in full steam when they met head on. The estimated speed of both trains was about 22 MPH (miles per hour) at the time of the collision.
Both engineers escaped with only broken limbs and minor cuts to face and arms while Mr. Charles Horning (firemen) for Engine 4 was killed instantly.
The reporter described the condition of the body as being jammed in the boiler, his body horribly mangled. When rescuers went to pull on the limbs of the man to try to free him, they broke off. When some of the remains were taken away, his mid-section was so tightly wedged that his remaining body could not be pulled free. It was noted that his wrist watch was still working.
The other firemen, Abraham Desult, from Engine 975 was smashed into the boiler of the train, and received burns to 90% of his body. He was rushed to the St. Catharines General Hospital where he died 5 hours after the accident."
Florida, MA The Hoosac Tunnel "The Bloody Pit"
This tunnel got the name of "the bloody pit" because back in the 1800s when it was being dug, over 200 workers died. They used nitro at one point to blast it, and killed more folks in the process. Then, 13 miners died in a gas explosion. Villagers nearby had heard moans and seen strange vaporous shapes. Another man was found stumbling around the area, lost for days, babbling about ghosts in the tunnel. Another man was electrocuted by the lines. The list goes on and on of bad things associated with the tunnel to the point that one comes to the wise conclusion - it is cursed.
St. Louis Ghost Train
If we're going to talk about haunted tunnels, how about a ghost train? This one is seen in St. Louis, Saskatchewan, Canada. A light is reported to run up and down over an old train railway, changing colors and intensity. These are often referred to by many as "spook lights" or "earth lights" but their correlation with the track makes many wonder if a ghost train is riding this old railway.
How about the bridges that cause trouble? Let's have a look -
Crybaby Bridges
There are so many reported haunted bridges that involve a child, that they are now lumped together as "cry baby" bridges. The legends involve either hearing a child crying or speaking or even their apparition on a bridge that has a legend involving a child dying in an accident, being thrown or jumping.
For example, in Doylestown, Ohio, there is a bridge on Galehouse Road referred to as Rogue's Hollow. Rogue's Hollow was once a bustling town but is now a ghost town. Lots of outlaws and rogues were rampant there and when it gets dark at night, many believe the phantoms appear in wisps of fog, hollow footsteps and whispered voices. Nearby mines were long ago sealed after accidents and the shadowy figures of rogues, victims and mine accidents are said to be seen from time to time.
Seven Gates to Hell
In Collinsville, Illinois, there are a series of 7 nasty-looking train bridges that have been vandalized by youths and carry a legend that if you drive through all seven tunnels and go through the last one at midnight, you will enter Hell.
Then, there was the mystery of the bridge that dogs were jumping off of. What was happening? The mystery of the haunted bridge in Scotland was finally solved.
