Philadelphia Weirdness

Haunted Bridges, etc.

Bridges, towpaths, canals, pathways and other water-related avenues peppered throughout the United States always have eerie folklore connected to them, whether it's what is rumored to lurk underneath them, or what's reputed to walk across them, or other legends. Philly is no exception, so here we present to you a small catalogue of strange phenomena pertaining to a few local bridges and the like...

In the canal and towpath area of Walnutport, Northampton County is said to wander a restless female spirit. The figure is always adorned in white, but no one seems to know anything else about her, except that she may have connections to the Locktender's House. A female phantom is also said to lurk in the vicinity of The Five Locks in Hamburg, Berks County. The forlorn specter floats aimlessly along the Schuylkill Canal and may be the ghost of a suicide victim who lept into the inky waters. Meanwhile, Old Birdsboro Bridge in Berks County, which also has connections to the Schuylkill River, is haunted by a ghost of a woman who is similar to hordes of phantom hitchhiker cases around the world in that she once disrupted buggies and later cars on the old toll bridge.

More ghosts of suicide victims are said to patrol the Pendora Park region of Reading, Berks County. The Lindbergh Viaduct which crosses the park has seen a handful of deaths and several witnesses have reported terrifying screams and shadowy figures plummeting from the structure.

One of the oldest ghost stories of Philly originates from the late 1800s and is also based in Reading. Legend states that a pregnant woman, Louise Bissinger, jumped in the Union Canal whilst clutching her three young children. This terrible tragedy remains a mystery but researchers believe that the woman was fed up with her husband's ways and this was how she chose to end the torment of herself and her children. Another tormented mother haunts the Red Bridge at Wertz's Mill, Berks. She also threw her children into the depths and screams are said to often be heard in the area, on dark nights.

Image Credit: Flickr user raindog