Cincinnati Haunted Handbook. Jeff Morris

      directions

      Take I-75 north to Cincinnati-Dayton Road (exit 21). Turn left onto Cincinnati-Dayton Road. Follow this road for a couple of miles. It will eventually change its name to Maud Hughes Road. The Screaming Bridge is on Maud Hughes Road. Once you follow this road for two miles, it will appear to dead-end into Princeton Road. Turn right onto Princeton Road. Then take the first left, which will be the continuation of Maud Hughes Road. The first bridge that you come to will be the Screaming Bridge. It crosses railroad tracks about twenty feet off the ground.

      history

      The bridge that crosses the railroad tracks at Maud Hughes Road was originally steel with a steel deck. Whenever a car would go across the bridge, it would sound like someone was screaming. This is where its name originated. However, there have been tragedies on or near this bridge that could produce some human screaming.

      Many car accidents have happened here. The road turns sharply and blindly before the bridge, so if a car comes fast around the turn and someone is stopped on the bridge, there will be an accident.

      There are also rumors of many suicides on this bridge. The most common story involves a young woman who got pregnant and had a child out of wedlock. She took the baby to the Screaming Bridge and threw it to its death before hanging herself from the bridge.

      There have been train accidents near the bridge as well. One happened in 1976, when a northbound train carrying rails was approaching a southbound train. The rails somehow came loose and pointed out the side, working like a jouster’s lance toward the oncoming train. The engineer of the oncoming train was impaled and the brakeman was seriously injured. Another accident occurred in 1909 when the boiler on the train mysteriously exploded underneath the bridge. The engineer and brakeman survived the initial explosion, but they were slowly scalded to death by the water from the boiler. Other passengers also died in the accident.

      ghost story

      Many ghost stories are told about the bridge. A common one is that screams are still heard coming from the bridge even though the decking no longer makes the screaming sound when a car crosses. People also have heard voices and seen figures that appear to be crying. Sometimes people under the bridge will see two legs come over the side, as if someone has just hung him or herself. When they rush to the top to see what happened, the bridge is empty.

      There also are stories that involve the train accidents that occurred here. People will see men dressed in trainman uniforms walking down the tracks. These figures simply vanish or will look up at the witnesses first before vanishing. People also have seen ghostly train cars on the tracks underneath the bridge or sitting on the nearby tracks. The train cars slowly dissipate into the night.

      visiting

      Visiting this site is not easy. First of all, I can’t stress enough how dangerous it is to stop your car on the bridge itself. There are trees on all of the corners, and it’s impossible to see a stopped vehicle. If someone comes around the corner late at night, they are not likely to see you in time.

      Also, there is nowhere to park nearby. There are only private houses and driveways along the road for about a mile in either direction. I have asked someone to drive me to the site, and I got out of the car in one of the straight sections before the bridge. I then walked to the bridge to investigate and take photographs while my ride drove down the road and waited before turning around to pick me up.

      Another time, I stopped at the police station about a mile away and asked if I could park in their lot while I went to the bridge. They gave me permission, and I walked down the tracks to the bridge. I did this during the day. I don’t know how accommodating they will be at night. They did tell me that the tracks are on public property so there was nothing they could do to stop me from walking down the tracks.

      This area is in a safe part of town, but the underside of the bridge is covered with graffiti and I am always a little uncomfortable being anywhere at night where vandals frequent. Finally, the tracks are still in use. Keep an eye out for trains.