Case #02 : 9 Mile Bridge

For Your Consideration...

A lot of towns across the United States have stories about a "haunted bridge," most involving hangings. 9 Mile Bridge, located outside Auxvasse, MO, located down a very long and winding gravel road, has just such a story.

Supposedly, during the time of the Civil War, many slave women and children were hung from this bridge. Legend says that now the bridge, as well as the church and cemetery up the hill from it are haunted by the spirits of these women and children. Other people have claimed to have gone out to the bridge, dangle their bare feet over the edge and have sensations of someone or something tickling them. It is also rumored that if you lean over the edge you'll see sets of eyes staring back up at you. These eyes are also said to be viewable within the many trees that line either side of the creek. The final myth says if you stop your car in the center of the bridge, turn off the engine and sit a spell, you'll be enveloped in a fog. After it clears you'll be able to see hand prints all over your car, which won't start until you push it off the bridge. Other versions say you'll have to leave your car and come back to get it in the morning.

The PROOFteam has been out to 9 Mile several times, and every time the only thing we've experienced is severe amounts of dust in all our photos. No one has had a personal experience of any kind. The only thing that feels creepy about the location is the fact it's out in the middle of nowhere. We've looked for the eyes, tried leaning over the edge, dangled our feet, but nothing has happened. The only thing we haven't tried is stopping a vehicle on the bridge, as we didn't want to strand ourselves out there (it'd be a long walk, with no cell service).

In our opinion, this place is chock full of urban myth. The "eyes" people see could be any number of things reflecting light, or perhaps bugs or animals. The "tickling" sensation could be the wind blowing tiny particles of dirt, dust, sand, etc off the bridge and onto the bottom of someone's foot. Even our research thus far hasn't yielded any results to prove anyone was ever hung there. Both the church grounds and the cemetery feel peaceful and at rest.

Until our research yields something conclusive, we can't call this bridge haunted. Unfortunately, the bridge itself is a popular hangout for teenagers and the target of a lot of graffiti. For directions, email us at proof.hq@gmail.com. Please note that both the church and cemetery are private property and tresspassers will be prosecuted.