North Carolina is full of ghost stories. One such tale originates from Jamestown, near Greensboro, and is a true story, but like other paranormal stories, the events that occurred have evolved over time.
The real story emerged in 2020, thanks to two individuals researching the horrifying event. They say the ghostly specter was a thirty-five-year-old woman named Annie L. Jackson, who met her demise in a traffic accident on the bridge at 10:30 p.m. on June 20, 1920, and was later laid to rest at Holt’s Chapel on June 22.
She was an employee at Vick’s Chem Company and was dead on arrival at the hospital. Now, her restless spirit still travels along the nearby road, searching for a way home. The real bridge was shut down decades ago and sits about fifty yards from the graffiti-covered railroad bridge buried in kudzu.
People who have encountered Lydia say the best time to get a glimpse of her is on foggy and rainy nights. The ghostly pale hitchhiker wears a white gown and appears beneath the bridge.
If you happen to stop and assist her, she will point you to a home in High Point for drop-off. Once you arrive, Lydia or Annie will disappear from your vehicle seat into thin air.
Written By John G. Clark Jr
Meet Lydia, and this bridge belongs to her… Unofficially. For the last 70 years, her story has grown as people have shared their encounters with her apparition, some claiming to have let her into their car, only for her to disappear when they arrived at their destination. She’s known as a hitchhiking spirit, attempting to get drivers’ attention as they pass under the bridge.
“Hardison claimed to see a girl dressed in a white gown. She signaled for him to stop and asked him to help her get to High Point. He drove her home, and when he went to get out of the car, she had vanished into thin air. He knocked on the door of the house, asked if the girl was there, only to learn from her mother that she had been killed in a car accident at a nearby overpass the year before.” – An Illustrated Guide to Ghosts & Mysterious Occurrences in the Old North State, 1959
Many artists have passed through, showcasing their portfolios for all to see. Lydia’s bridge has continued to stand the test of time, collecting debris, wear and tear, and occasionally pieces of graffiti.
What’s intriguing is that Burke Hardison reported that Lydia had died in 1923, so counting his story, the legend is over 100 years old! So, if you visit Jamestown and approach the bridge, be aware that bumping into Lydia is within the realm of possibilities.
Written By: Israel Petty
