Jamestown, North Carolina, US Highway 70 Underpass is also known as Lydia’s Bridge. The ghost of a beautiful young lady has been said to appear just outside of Greensboro since 1923. She stands next to the underpass in a white evening gown, frantically waving her arms and asking for them to get her to an address in High Point. She says she has had car troubles having come from a dance in Raleigh and then as they get close she disappears.
There are now more stories for this that slowly add to the myth/legend of her haunting to do with the ideas she was on her way home and a car hit her so she now hutches back from the bridge. The girl always says her name is Lydia, address and that she needs to get home but nothing more. Whatever the story the death remains in the year of 1923 so at least that seems a little consistent but what else is there?
There are two bridges around the area, one is a newer one that has been built up for trains to cross, and there is a lot of graffiti on it. The other is a more hidden one 40ft away, the original bridge that they talk about and this is Lydia’s Bridge. Of course all of this is still nothing more substantial than an urban legend for me, especially as there is another bridge nearby that was possibly also used. And why do the kids feel a need to shove pentagrams on them?
More fuel for a legend but yet there is a reference for a death is for Guilford County, High Point. The death certificate is for Lydia Jane M who was born in 1904, she died December 31st 1923 from injuries she sustained in a motoring accident. Whilst not actually evidence it certainly corresponds with the date and could explain where the story came out. A little more digging however shows that this is not necessarily correct either, another blogger here has apparently done some homework and found that the lady was 76 years old and not involved in an accident.
Like many of these stories there’s nothing more than a ton of old legends, possible vague memories from locals and not a whole heap else. But if you can correct me on it and give me more I’d love to see it.
I received an update on the “About” section of my page and so I have left it here in addition:
I am Mchael Renegar, author, and 27 ear veteran ghost hunter. You can catch me in an interview about “Lydia’s Bridge” in NC next month on the show MONSTERS AND MYSTERIES IN AMERICA. You have info here about one Lydia Jane M. who is allegedly the girl killed. This is false. Any death record with this info s a fake. Only ONE Lydia died in all of NC on December 31, 1923. This was Lydia Jane McCarthy, and she was a 76 year old widow. And her death certificate says nothing about a “motoring accident…” Ms. McCarthy died of heart failure. I have seen the actual record, and have a certified copy.
In fact, we accounted for EVERY woman with the first, middle, even last name Lydia who died in NC between 1900 and 1940, 2 years AFTER the first reports of a ghost. NOT A SINGLE ONE FIT. The closest was a Lydia Fields, who was struck by a car in 1921. But SHE was also a widow, and 64,
NO ONE named Lydia EVER died at either underpass out there. Period. In my original research for my first book, I talked to some old people who DID remember a fatal crash in the 20’s… but the girl killed was NOT named Lydia. They thought it was something lie Mary, Mary anne, Marrianne, or something lie that. Couldn’t recall a surname. You can catch theories on that show.
Fact though… This Mary Jane M. does NOT exist, unless they are trying to pass off the old lady McCarthy as the girl.
Michael Renegar, Author of ROADSIDE REVENANTS, TAR HEEL TERRORS, and co author of GHOSTS OF THE TRIAD.
CoFounder, Camel City Spirit Seekers
In March, 2015, the name of the girl killed was finally revealed, found in old newspapers and a death certificate. Annie L. Jackson died in a car wreck at the location @ 10PM on Sunday, June 20th, 1920. Recently, we finally uncovered the fact that her middle name was LUDIA, same as Lydia. She was NOT a teenager headed home from any dance, and did NOT live in High Point. The facts are covered in the just released book, by Michael Renegar (me) and Amy Greer from CaryPress International: Looking For “Lydia” The Thirty Year Search For The Jamestown Hitchhiker…
Investigations into the unknown and weird 