The Hannah Ward Bridge is another spot in the Elkmont area where the strange and unexplained can be heard. It is an old bridge, a steel and wood structure that stretches across the Elk River. It is believed to be one of the oldest of its type in the country. Many of our Elkmont folk remember walking on the bridge before it was closed due to safety issues (teenagers would build fires on the wood floor). Several will tell you about the strange screams that could be heard during the dark of night. Was it just their imaginations or do the spirits of a mother and baby still haunt the area?
Years before the bridge was built across the Elk River, the story of Hannah Ward was already told around the fires at night. Hannah and her husband moved into the area back in the early 1800s. They settled on a piece of land that overlooked the Elk river, and built a home. Life was good for the young couple as they worked to build their future together. A baby soon came to bless their lives but little did they know that darkness was creeping ever closer.
In these early days, Indians still traveled through this area. Settlers were watchful of the potential threat and there were the stories... Hannah was at home with her little one when she became aware that she wasn't alone. She grabbed her baby and ran toward the river to try to escape the Indian band heading her way. In her efforts to avoid capture, she and her baby went over the river bluffs into the watery depths below. From that time on, late at night, as the owls called to each other through the darkness.. her screams and the cries of a baby could be heard floating up from the silent waters below. Perhaps they still can .....
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