SALEM, Ohio (WKBN/WYTV)- Halloween is the perfect time to explore the legends, the stories, and the rich folklore of the valley, this time in Salem.
Daybreak Anchor Len Rome and videographer Jim Bowser guide you through Salem and its secrets in the video above.
Screams and cries from the Egypt Road Cry Baby Bridge. A desperate father searching for his lost toddler at the bridge and they both vanish.
Now, the dark man of the woods creeps.
In a different tale of the bridge. A young, unmarried mother who is abandoned and unable to support her baby does the unthinkable. Throws the child from the bridge.
Next stop. Teegarden Covered Bridge — built in 1876. A piece of history and shelter for the dead.
Legend tells of a woman in white on this bridge whose twin boys died young. A strange light follows her through a bridge she can never escape
A covered bridge covers secrets. It is 1886 and Jacob Taylor is cooking elderberry jam. His young daughter, Goldie Bell, is eager for a taste. When he is done filling jars, Jacob leaves the near-empty kettle and Goldie is waiting. But the vessel she is eating out of had a little bit of lead in it and it was enough to kill her.
A heartsick Jacob buries Goldie beneath her marble likeness and brings fresh flowers each day until he too dies and is buried at her feet — and yet, fresh flowers keep appearing each day.
On this day, it may be best to avoid dark bridges and long walks in the woods. A reminder that the folklore we enjoy holds at least a tiny bit of truth. Happy Halloween!
