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The
day was warm for October, but he loved the fall, regardless. The crisp cool mornings
and warm afternoons of north
Texas were perfect for those exhausted from the scorching summer heat. The
year was 1948 and four cattlemen were on their way back to Chico
after a trip out to west Texas on
a cattle buying excursion. The weather was dry as drought had claimed the land
earlier that year, recalled G. E. Francis, age 92 when he shared this story back
in 2002.
"We had been driving for hours, stuffed into a dark colored sedan.
There was no air-conditioning in cars in those days and the trip had been warm,
even for October". The car rattled along the winding road through what was known
as "the bottoms," a stretch of roadway that is now under water and encompassed
by the north end of Lake Bridgeport on the Jack-Wise County line.
The last leg of the journey home ran from Wizard
Wells (now a ghost town) to Chico.
"We had to stop for a nature break. We'd been driving for hours and though we
were close to home, we decided to pull over," the driver coming to a complete
stop right on the bridge. "We could do that back in those days as you might not
pass another car on these old country roads for half an hour or so." The bridge
he spoke of spanned the west fork of the Trinity River and was constructed of
iron frame and wooden slats.
The four companions exited the car as the
sun was just about to set in the western Texas sky. As they finished their business
they stood on the bridge taking in the scenery and the cool of the autumn evening
watching the vast blue sky fade into orange across the horizon. The bridge was
known as the "Green Elm Cemetery Bridge" because of its proximity to an
old cemetery located about 500 feet south of the river crossing just beyond the
bend. |
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Suddenly, without
warning, a blood-curdling scream vibrated across the air amongst the men with
a waling that chilled the soul. The feminine like cry was so loud and startling
that they found themselves dumbfounded of its origin. All four were confused about
what it was or where it came from. Once able to gather their senses they realized
the sound was coming from about 100 feet or so up river.
"We saw this
thing", said Mr. Francis. "It floated in the air about eighteen to twenty feet
above the river and was moving toward the bridge as if it were floating in unseen
flood waters. It was coming straight toward the bridge…and us. I was scared half
to death. Actually, terrified in my shoes was more like it. I couldn't move I
was so scared and apparently, either could anyone else. We just stood there in
complete horror and bewilderment trying to figure out just what this thing was
and just what was its purpose. As it got closer we all began to realize that it
appeared to be a woman, a Mexican woman, in a white dress…screaming and moaning
as if she were in great turmoil, as if she were drowning, being carried downstream
through invisible turbulent waters, in mid-air.
I was so scared, not knowing
if I should run or hide or just get back in the car. She floated right toward
the bridge, wiggling and thrashing about as she went right over it and right over
us. She floated on south down the river about 500 feet or so till she got to the
bend near the old graveyard then, just like that…she just faded away like a vapor
in thin air. We all stood there completely stunned not knowing exactly what to
do next. We just looked at each other not knowing what to say. We then quickly
got into the car. Everyone was screaming at once with extreme consternation. We
just got the heck out of there, still not sure what to make of the strange ghostly
encounter."
The men couldn't get away from the bridge quick enough as they
realized they needed to calm down and get a grip on their emotions. Taking a while
to gather their composures they began to discuss what they had just encountered.
Obviously shaken by the incident the four decided they would not tell anyone what
they'd seen as they feared friends and neighbors would think them taking to fast
liquor or at least, pulling some sort of prank. They simply didn't think anyone
would believe them and wondered if they could believe it themselves.
But
as human nature would have it, secrets are known to be shared and within a couple
of years word of the "Ghost of Green Elm Bridge" began to leak out. Teenagers
looking for a thrill and the curious from Jacksboro,
Chico and Bridgeport
began to visit the bridge in hopes of seeing the specter. Some got just that over
the following years, reported Mr. Francis who swore the ghost was the real deal.
He said, "I remember every minute of the terrifying event as though it had happened
yesterday. A fella don't forget that kind of thing…it stays with you always."
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As of 2002, most
of the area around the old bridge belonged to the son of G.E. Francis who declined
to comment on the story. He, according to his father, has had his share of the
spook over the years. He and his wife have heard the screaming woman down on the
river several times in the past.
"Back in 92, said Francis, two oilfield
fella's got quite a scare down at the compressor station near the bridge. They
were working and went to leave long about sundown one evening when their truck
wouldn't start. While working on the truck they heard a horrifying scream coming
from the direction of the river. I'm not sure if they actually saw her or not
but they did hear her because it scared them both something terrible. They high-tailed
it on foot and came to my son's house down the road. One of them fella's quit
his job right there saying he was never going back down to the river where that
ghost was. He was really, really scared from whatever he saw or heard".
Not much is known about the old Green Elm Cemetery (also known as Verner
Cemetery), or those buried in it. It is located down river from the bridge
on the left side of a right bend in the river among a dense area of mesquite bush
and post oak trees. The grave yard is located just on the Jack and Wise County
line. The earliest grave in the cemetery is entered in 1870 and the last in 1909.
The cemetery is occasionally mowed but mostly un-kept. According to Jack County
records, 55 or so graves have been entered into the cemetery with 20 to 30 sadly
unmarked.
The life and times of pioneers in north
Texas was a very rough road to travel in the mid to late 19th century. Many
died from the hardships endured by life in this once savage land. Who knows who
or what the phantom could be. What terrible fate had befallen this poor soul?
What is it that still holds her to this plane so many years after her death? Did
she die in a flood? Did she simply drown in the river? Is she buried in an unmarked
grave in the near-by cemetery or is she something from beyond our realm of understanding?
We will obviously never know.
Perhaps, however, we could find it in our
hearts to say a simple prayer for this specter in hopes she may find peace.
Green
Elm/Verner Cemetery is located about five miles down a lonely dirt road that
basically turns into a trail eventually ending in the cemetery. The old skeletal
remains of the bridge still remain. The bridge was burned many years ago and is
not passable. There are no longer roads on the other side anyway. The cemetery
lurks just down from the bridge, lonely and isolated, reflective of the lonely
soul that haunts it.
If you ever feel brave enough to venture down that
lonely road be very mindful and respectful to the present property owners and
know that the scream you may hear in those hollows could be your own.
© Bob
Hopkins
September
3, 2011Column |
Forum
Subject:
Green Elm Cemetery Story Dear
TE: I loved the story about the ghost of Green Elm Cemetery & the bridge. I discovered
that cemetery about 3 1/2 years ago. I found the bridge
when I made a wrong turn on that dirt
road while trying to find the cemetery.
It had a haunted feel to it. Because the latest date on the stones was around
the turn of the 20th century, and because most of the graves were those of young
people, it seemed to me that something happened to cause the people to abandon
that area & the cemetery. I read somewhere that the reason was that they found
higher ground around Cundiff.
I have attached some photos
of the bridge and cemetery for you to post, if you wish.
I absolutely
love Texas Escapes
& it has enhanced my enjoyment of my many road trips around Texas. Thank you for
creating this wonderful and very interesting site.
Sincerely, Kay Garsea,
September 04, 2011
More Texas
Ghost Stories | Texas Cemeteries | Texas
Bridges |
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Green
Elm Cemetery Bridge
Photo courtesy Kay Garsea |
The
dirt road leading to the Green Elm Cemetery Bridge
Photo courtesy Kay Garsea |
Green
Elm Cemetery
Photo
courtesy Kay Garsea |
Green
Elm Cemetery
Photo
courtesy Kay Garsea |
Green
Elm Cemetery
Photo
courtesy Kay Garsea |
Green
Elm Cemetery
Photo
courtesy Kay Garsea |
Green
Elm Cemetery
Photo
courtesy Kay Garsea | |
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