The state of Ohio is full of paranormal spots and more than its fair share of ‘Crybaby’ locations from tunnels to bridges to cemeteries. There are at least thirty different locations in Ohio that claim to be the source of a baby’s cries for supernatural reasons, and there are many, many more locations spread throughout the continental United States that have their own ‘Crybaby’ haunts and legends. Ohio, however, is the only state that is home to the Crybaby Bridge of Salem, Ohio found off Egypt Road.
Why is the Salem, Ohio Crybaby Bridge so unique? Like many other ‘Crybaby’ bridges it involves a tragic story of a child’s death. This particular bridge has two well-known stories attached to it. In the first story an unwed mother is disowned by her family. Desperate and starving, the gives birth to a child and has no way to feed or care for it. Distraught with nowhere to go for help and no one to turn to for support, she looks at her starving baby and decides to end its misery. Late one night she wanders out onto the bridge off Egypt Road and heaves her starving baby into the water – better to die quickly of drowning than slowly of starvation.
In the second story a young family is out enjoying a picnic together. The mother and father suddenly get into an argument that quickly becomes heated. Unhappy and looking for something to distract from the fighting, their child wanders off towards the rushing water and bridge. The parents are too wrapped up in their fight to notice their child has disappeared and by the time they realize it’s missing it’s far too late and their child has been caught up by the waters rushing beneath the bridge and pulled under.
These stories aren’t particularly unique to the bridge or the area – many of the other ‘Crybaby’ locations have similar or even the same stories attached to them. After all, these are called ‘Crybaby’ locations because you can hear the cries of the lost children calling out to you at night. What makes the Salem, Ohio Crybaby Bridge location unique is its placement off Egypt Road and the number of other supernatural occurrences that have happened there. It’s said if you park your car at the end of the bridge where it’s blocked off at night with your headlights on you can watch the mist rise from beneath the bridge and come towards your car.
If you travel into the woods around Egypt Road you may be visited by the Dark Man of the Woods. Some feel he’s the father of the child, there hunting for his lost loved one, seeking to find the source of the cries. Paranormal researchers and ghost hunters have explored the area and given reports of paranormal activity including EVP recordings of voices telling them over and over to ‘Get Out’.
Whatever you do, don’t take off down the road to nowhere on the other side of the bridge. Locals will tell you – those who head down the road on the other side of Crybaby Bridge never seem to make their way back again.
