The Spirits of Jericho Covered Bridge

Posted: 10.06.2025 | Updated: 10.06.2025

From a bygone era, covered bridges are dwindling in number, but not in evocative tales. They are structural oddities, spanning creeks and rivers across the country, though the one in Kingsville, Maryland, spans more than that. It spans the gulf between the living and the dead. 

Widely considered one of the most haunted bridges in the eastern United States, Jericho Covered Bridge continues to deliver on that promise. The phlegm-choked promise whispered just beyond the tattered veil, stretched thin enough to see the other side. And many travelers have indeed seen the other side while crossing the bridge. 

The site of several horrifying events, the bridge is charged with an eerie energy, one that lingers like walking through a cobweb in the dark. As headlights carve the darkness, the bridge looms as it always does, swallowing those willing to dare enter. Rising from the black of night to strike dread in anyone willing to tempt the spirits, the bridge waits, its ghostly residents desperately searching the darkness, lurking and longing.

Are you brave enough to tempt the other side? If you’re willing to walk on the other side, why not find out more about the Annapolis area ghostly legends by taking one of our ghost tours with Annapolis Ghosts? 

Is the Jericho Covered Bridge Haunted?

If the stories are to be believed, the answer is unequivocally yes. For over one hundred years, the bridge has been at the center of several persistent hauntings, spirits lingering, to ensure their tales are not forgotten. 

Is that scent of flowers teasing your nose? Or did your eyes catch something dangling from the trusses above? Those are just some of the spirits that cross the weathered bridge beside weary travelers night after night.

Spanning More Than Little Gunpowder Falls

The Jericho Covered Bridge was built in 1865 to link the towns of Frankville and Jerusalem Mills. While not the largest bridge—a mere 88 feet long and not quite 15 feet wide—this narrow passage is far more than just a manmade convenience. 

No, it is far more than that. It is the backdrop to the heartbreaking tales of a young Amish woman, the murder of escaped enslaved people, and a disfigured woman wailing for someone to help her. The shiver of the past is hard to escape when crossing this bridge; the spirits are restless and growing desperate.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the bridge has undergone several restorations over the years, each one aimed at preserving the original aesthetic and appeal of the structure. 

Lurking in the Dusty Confines of the Bridge

Those brave enough to face the gaping maw of the bridge have a practiced ritual to coax the spirits into showing themselves. 

Would you dare perform the ritual? Well then, let us begin. 

First, cross the bridge and turn around at the dead end beyond. Then return and cross back across the bridge, stopping in the middle. Put the car in park and have all passengers look through the back window. Then have the driver press the brake pedal. In the dim crimson glow, what will you see? 

The Flower Girl

Perhaps the most heart-wrenching of all the Jericho Bridge ghosts is that of a young Amish girl. Fair skin, flaxen hair tucked beneath a white bonnet, she walks from one side of the bridge to the other carrying a basket of freshly cut flowers. 

She has a forlorn expression that has led many witnesses to speculate about who the flowers were for. Perhaps to commemorate a lost love or to adorn the grave of a deceased family member. Her somber path has remained unchanged for over one hundred years, steps slow and deliberate.

Car Trouble

As cars pass over the bridge, a peculiar phenomenon often occurs. No matter how new or well-maintained the vehicle is, it usually will inexplicably stall. As time stretches for more than a few minutes, the cars won’t start. Only when the spirits have thoroughly vetted those in the vehicle will they release their hold. 

The Wailing Woman

More chilling than the flower girl is the spirit of a hopeless, wailing woman. Her disembodied cries can be heard, the undeniable pain evident. And if that weren’t enough, a few unlucky travelers have seen her spirit. 

The victim of a horrible fire, she rushes up to the brave souls crossing the bridge. Her disfigured face, rutted and scarred by flames, comes into view as she pleads for help. The despair can be clearly heard, though help never comes.

Escaped Enslaved People 

Another frequent haunting is that of a group of escaped enslaved people. Braving the hardships of traveling hundreds of miles to secure their freedom, they sought refuge for the night under the cover of the bridge, only to be discovered and hanged from the trusses. If you’re brave enough, stop midway across the bridge at night and turn off the lights. Wait for a few minutes and then turn them back on. It’s said you can still see their spirits.

Forbidden Love

Almost a century ago, two desperate lovers were forced to meet in secret, as their families forbade them from being together. On one such night, in the secretive darkness, they agreed to meet beneath the bridge to plan their future together. 

Making plans to elope, tragedy struck, and they perished. Though the details are few, the power of their love is undeniable, forever linking their troubled spirits to the bridge. 

Forever Lost Travelers

There have been more than a dozen travelers across the decades who have sought shelter from storms within the confines of the bridge. However, when the storms pass, they are never seen again. Their whispers can frequently be heard as the wind rises and the storms close in on the bridge.

Haunted Annapolis

Are you curious what might happen tonight when you turn off the light? Will something brush against your bare arm or perhaps whisper sweet nothings in your ear? If you’re brave enough to face the night, why not find out more about the Annapolis area hauntings by taking one of our ghost tours with Annapolis Ghosts? 

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Annapolis hauntings.

Sources:

• https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jericho-covered-bridge-maryland
• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/experiences/maryland/haunted-jericho-covered-bridge-md
• https://www.wmar2news.com/marketplace/halloween/13-haunted-places-in-maryland
• https://preservationmaryland.org/friday-the-13th-2016-haunted-maryland/
• https://www.mazzastick.com/haunted-jericho-covered-bridge/