Tales Of Matheny's Bridge

Over the years I have heard and collected some of the legends and folklore concerning Matheny's Bridge.

Matheny's sits at the Jackson and DeKalb County Line on the Fyffe to Macedonia Road, the current structure was built in the 1950s and this is the second bridge to carry the name with the first being an old steel and wood structure which was situated about a hundred yards upstream.

My first recollection of hearing tales of hauntings at Matheney's Bridge
Is when I was a child and two of my great-aunts, Zelma Moore and Vesta Lee Maness were talking about a coffin floating under the bridge on certain nights at midnight. Of course this caught my attention pretty fast.
When I was a teenager is when I first heard stories of the bridge being haunted by a baby which would reportedly take a bite out of a candy bar if you left the candy on the bridge and drove off for a few minutes and I don't know if I went to school with anyone who did not try this at least once.

A friend in high school spun a tantalizing tale in which he claimed his grandfather was in the woods near matheney's Bridge in his youth when he encountered a beast which was half man and half goat. my friend said that his grandfather was paralyzed by the creature which then proceeded to tell the future to the young man. Afterwards he was released but warned if he revealed any of the secrets which had been told to him the beast would seek revenge on he and his family. My friend claimed his grandfather was never surprised by anything for the rest of his life.

Rex Drain told me a story once of one of his relatives crossing the original bridge in a horse-drawn wagon. Rex said his relative heard a thump in the back of the wagon and turned around to see a Hairy Ape like creature along for the ride, he then gave the reins to his wife while he took a 2x4 and proceeded to pummel the creature until it fell out the back of his wagon.

One young man I went to High School with showed up in Grenoble Mill parking lot one night with scratches all over his head. he claimed he was driving his pickup across the bridge when something flew inside the cab and attacked him. Later some friends and I decided to go under the bridge and investigate but all I found was a bag of garbage and some soiled baby diapers which I slipped and landed in attempting to scale my way beneath the bridge on a dark night.

Matheny's Bridge may look like a utilitarian concrete crossing to the casual observer but to the people who grew up hearing tales of the many apparitions and unworldly creatures which call it home it is more than just a bridge it is a treasure of local folklore and a haunted attraction all rolled into one.