The Hitchhiking Ghost at Everett Road Covered Bridge in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Along the old bridge crossing the stream in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Everett Road Covered Bridge is said to be haunted by the ghost trying to catch a ride, often connected to a tragic tale that happened years ago.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park stands as a haven of rolling hills, bucolic farmland, and scenic historic structures along the Cuyahoga River that used to be so polluted it caught fire a couple of times in the past.

The park between Cleveland and Akron in Ohio, offers a lush and diverse landscape that stands in stark contrast to the surrounding urban areas. Visitors can explore more than 125 miles of hiking trails, including the famous Towpath Trail, which follows the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal. The park is home to Brandywine Falls, a stunning 65-foot waterfall, and the Beaver Marsh, a vibrant wetland teeming with wildlife. Cuyahoga Valley also preserves numerous cultural and historical sites, such as the 19th-century buildings in the village of Peninsula and the scenic Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, which offers a nostalgic journey through the heart of the park.

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While it may not boast the fame of some other national parks, with a staggering 2.2 million visitors annually, it conceals stories that transcend the ordinary – tales of specters and hauntings that linger within its scenic expanse.

The Everett Road Covered Bridge

One of the park’s eerie focal points is the Everett Road Covered Bridge over the Furnace Run stream, the last vestige of covered bridges in Summit County, Ohio. Steeped in history, this bridge holds a mysterious tale that intertwines tragedy and the supernatural as rumor has it that it is haunted.

According to local lore, on a chilling winter night in 1877, a farmer named John Gilson and his wife embarked on their journey home from a holiday party with some friends. Usually they crossed another place of Furnace Run, but the rising water and ice blocked where they usually crossed.

As their sled wagon traversed the Everett Road Bridge, tragedy struck – one of the horses stumbled, sending them both, including the Gilsons, into the icy river below. Mrs. Gilson miraculously survived, but her husband did not.

However, historical discrepancies challenge this narrative, as records suggest the bridge did not exist at the time of Mr. Gilson’s purported demise, although the road was built in 1856 already. Some say that the incident is what sparked the construction of the bridge, connected to the United States Centennial in 1876.

An alternative story suggests that the Everett Road Covered Bridge was constructed over a Native American burial mound, as some road construction workers claimed to have found, adding an extra layer of mystique to its already enigmatic history that no one really knows how or when it started.

The Ghost Haunting the Park

Regardless of the tale, an unsettling presence has left its mark on the Everett Road Covered Bridge – a ghostly hitchhiker, perpetually wandering in the hopes of catching a ride with an unsuspecting driver between the supposed burial ground and the wooden bridge. It is unknown when the rumors started to spread, but in the end, the tale sounds alot like the ghost story of the vanishing hitchhiker.

Is it the lingering spirit of Mr. Gilson, yearning to find his way back home? Or perhaps, a restless Native American soul of the Hopewell culture native to Ohio as far back as over a millennia, seeking its final resting place?

People claim to have heard disembodied voices in the night, pleading for help as if they are in dire danger. Paranormal researchers make the claim of seeing orbs and mysterious fogs when seeking the ghosts.

The mysteries shrouding the Everett Road Covered Bridge invite brave souls to venture forth, to traverse the haunted span and uncover the secrets whispered by the winds that dance through the timeworn timbers. The original bridge was washed away in a spring flood in 1975, and another built close by years later. The Haunting is said to remain the same.