Monday, October 26, 2009

The Ghost of Bellamy Bridge - Florida


One of the most interesting Southern ghost stories revolves around an old iron bridge that spans the Chipola River a few miles north of the charming small city of Marianna, Florida.

Local legend holds that the area around the bridge is haunted by the ghost of a young woman who died long before the Civil War. As the story goes, she somehow got too close to an open fire on her wedding night and her beautiful gown burst into flame. She rushed from the house in panic and was so severely burned that she died a short time later.

Since then, according to the story, her ghost has been seen around Bellamy Bridge. Often at midnight and usually in the form of a glowing figure moving through the Chipola River swamps. Her grave is nearby.

It is a fascinating story and while the facts don't stand up to much real scrutiny, the real story is even more fascinating. The Ghost of Bellamy Bridge is a strange combination of 19th century reality and fantasy involving one of that era's most famous novelists.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bellamybridge. Be sure to check out the photo of the ghost and also click the "True Story of the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge" link at the bottom of the page to read the detailed account of how the ghost story came about.

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