The wierd, the unexplainable, the myterious ....don't you just love them?

Nothing quite tweaks the human interest quadrant of our brain than something that is beyond our comprehension, and better yet, beyond that of many experts that have studied the phenomena. Add a touch of weird, and maybe even, a dash of evil, and wow; do you have our attention. Novelists and film makers have developed empires over this part of us, not to mention, the teams of engineers designing higher & faster roller coasters.

 And what kind of people would put a device on top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas which propels people (who pay for this and many are drunk) over the top and tilts you down like you are going to fall over 900 feet to the pavement below. Oh my God! The desire to understand and experience these things can be addictive to some, and I am certainly no exception. Let’s face it: as a society we love to get the ever loving hell scared out of us!

My first opportunity to investigate the weird was back in my high school days. Any of you that lived or went to school in Norton, Doyestown, or Clinton, Ohio, indubitably have heard of, and possibly have been to the infamous "Rouge's Hollow". The story, as I recall from hanging out with high school friends, was a murdered child's spirit was trapped for eternity under a bridge in Rouge's Hollow. Now, why in the world does that intrigue us? What could be a more terrible occurrence? Maybe it’s the fact that it was long ago and to visit the site is a tribute to the person who is trapped under the bridge, boy, I'm weird, your right: we just love to get the ever loving hell scared out of us! Anyways, late at night, if you had the nerve, you could park your car on the bridge and listen to the screams and crying of this misplaced child's soul.

Wow, a bunch of us just couldn't wait to check that out! We heard first hand accounts from others at school telling us of the bazaar encounters. How they approached the bridge, sure that they had plenty of nerve to stay there, only to be frightened beyond their wits, and ran away with no explanation of what it could have possibly been, other than "pure evil". Great! PURE EVIL. Doesn't get much better than that!

For my younger readers, this was way before computers, smart phones, Ipads, the Internet, and all of the information that, today, is at our fingertips. Heck, we didn't even have hand held calculators or digit watches! So, getting information required a trip to the library to see what we could learn before we  ventured into our quest.

So with little info and as much courage as any 16 or 17 year old can pretend to have, off we go in my 1948 Chevy (quit laughing...I’m not that ancient, it was old when I got it) on the quest to solve this mystery. It was dark, fogy, and cool that evening. Perfect for the adventure. We found the town, and behold: we found the bridge! We quietly and slowly approached the bridge when someone said: “Wait! If we park going this direction, we will have to cross it again....coming back... if we find anything.” Great thinking. The ‘48 was a large, black, car with a little back window. So, backing it in was a group effort; “ more to the left”........”now, a little to the right”.....”now STOP” were the instructions from the back seat.

Now in good position for our exploration (and a speedy retreat), down went the 4 windows of the massive 4 door. “ Hear anything?”. “Hear anything?” . Asking each other in anticipation af an encounter with the paranormal. Nothing.........Nothing.......Nothing...Then: The most chilling sound of a baby screaming in pain! We out volumed the baby with screaming of our own as, petal to the metal, with all 6 cylinders propelling the ‘48, off we went for the safety of Norton! Was is scary?. Yes. Did I want to go back to the bridge? No!

Years later, I moved to Northeast Oklahoma to work for B. F. Goodrich. I heard many tales at the tire plant about the “Spook Light” of Miami (Oklahoma). As recorded by “Prairie Ghosts . com” the story is:

“In Oklahoma, the Miami Spook Light has been seen since the late 1800's. The legend behind the light says that it is the lantern of a woman searching for her missing daughter. The story goes that a woman sent her daughter out to look for some stray cows in heavy fog. The girl took a lantern with her to light the way but after several hours did not return. Her mother took the other lantern and went out to search for her, going back out night after night until she went insane with grief. When the woman died, her spirit returned to the hills and is said to still walk on cool, foggy nights. The light which appears near Miami is said to be that of the mother's lantern as she still continues to search for the daughter who never came home.”

Pretty spooky, right? Add to this that the fact that Army Corps of Engineers, as well as many other creditable sources, have studied this paranormal phenomena, without explanation, makes, as some call it: “The Hornet Spook Light”, even more creepy. I personally have seen it from a distance and my wife and kids have had much closer, bouncing over and around their bodies, types of experience. Lisa has some great pictures of this weird, but real, phenomena. They love to chase it, photograph it, almost to the point of “pestering” the poor spirit. My stand: “Leave me alone and I’ll let you alone to wander the hills in search of your daughter without my interference!” I guess this is good with “the spirit” as I have not, nor do I want to, seen the spirit coming to my house, peeking into my windows, chasing me, photographing me, or any of the other activities that us humans do to it! I’m good with that agreement.
Whatever is the spark that starts our internal fire for the super scary, death defying, and our overwhelming desire to get the ever loving hell scared out of us, I thank God for it, as it is obvious for many: This is another way of enjoying life. So go for it; watch a spooky movie or read a scary book, I think it might be good for you!

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and send me a note when you get a chance. Remember, if you have any strange bumps (other that goosebumps from the spook light), lumps, or pains, see your doctor.

Loving Life and Fighting Cancer,

John L.

Information is now available on sites like  http://www.deadohio.com/CrybabyBridges.htm which will also lead you to more history on the area.