I think covered bridges are beautiful. They have their own charm, and they remind me that sometimes the simple things in life are wonderful. Covered bridges have been showcases in various movies, books, and other art; who remember The Bridges of Madison County, or the fact that the Maitland’s met their demise on a covered bridge in the movie Beetlejuice?
So today, I found a covered bridge story that may be interesting to you as well, let’s talk about Emily’s Bridge in Stowe, Vermont. Originally the bridge was built in 1844, and was known as Covered Bridge Road Over Gold Brook. Not very original, but I guess it served it’s purpose. The bridge itself is a single lane, covered bridge, 50-foot-long. The wood itself is dark and weathered, and if the legends are true it’s the site that a girl with a broken heart took her own life.
The love story goes that a girl named Emily was meeting her love at the bridge so they could run away and elope. Only, he never showed up. With a broken heart, Emily took her own life among the rafters of the bridge. It is heartbreaking when you hear the story, but don’t let it fool you, Emily still had plans for the bridge.
In the ghost story that followed, Emily became an angry specter. Tales of claw-like gouges down the sides of cars and other ghastly stories surround the bridge, including those of a strange voice emanating from inside the short tunnel.
Stories have also been shared that sightings of Emily lurking around the bridge, but not the sweet Emily as she was in life, oh no, it was a vengeful Emily. She was full of wrath and apparently had longer nails that she used on passing cars.
Passing cars aren’t the only thing that she attacked, people who choose to walk through the tunnel may receive scratches and marks on their back to attest to Emily’s anger, which has diminished in all these years.
If you go to Emily’s Bridge be sure to be respectful of not only Emily, but the residents near the bridge as well.
Happy Hunting!
Amateur Connoisseur 