Everett Road Covered Bridge
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
In 1810, Jonathan Hale, one of the earliest settlers of the Cuyahoga Valley, had requested for a road to pass through his farm. The road was never built because in 1832, the Ohio and Erie Canal was completed. But the canal had not brought sufficient agricultural and economic activity to the area to warrant an effort for building the road.
In 1840, Ira Hawkins requested for the road again. Conditions had changed significantly and the road was built—the Everett Pike cut through the Cuyahoga Valley and connected the towns of Boston and Peninsula. What is today a quiet valley byway was then a main road, but there was no bridge. Tragedy would eventually change this condition.
On February 1, 1877, John Gilson and his wife were returning home from visiting friends down south. A winter storm had caused the waters of Furnace Run to churn furiously. As they approached, they found a large piece of ice that blocked their way on the road and they had to edge around it through the water. When they were passing, Mrs. Gilson was thrown into the rapidly rising stream. John lost his footing and was dragged by his horse into the deeper water, which was cold and swirling with ice. Mrs. Gilson was rescued by a local resident, but John’s body wasn’t recovered until four days later. The death of this citizen was believed to be the reason for the construction of the Everett Road covered bridge. The bridge has been a part of the Cuyahoga Valley for more than 100 years.
Today, some witnesses report seeing a faceless man in gray coveralls with an old straw hat standing by the bridge. The sound of hooves has been heard, though no animals were anywhere near the bridge, and others have spotted lanterns by the bridge at night, only to find the lights gone when they approached. When our team went up there, we were able to catch a few photos that showed some paranormal activity. There are also reports of a cemetery being on the right-hand side of the bridge that has a dozen or so graves without headstones.
