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    Thursday, July 17, 2008

    Helen's Bridge

    When the Zealandia Castle caught fire in the late 1900's, a woman named Helen lost her only child, a daughter. Helen was so crushed by the loss that she hung herself from the bridge right down the road from the castle, thereby the name, Helen's Bridge, located on Beaucatcher Mountain. On Halloween night, people go to the bridge and try to conjure Helen. There are many versions of this legend and some say you must call for Helen 3 times.





    Helen's Bridge photo by Mike. I've heard the bridge has been restructured. Has anyone been to the bridge lately?

    Speaking of folklore and urban legends, Asheville has many good ones that attract visitors from afar. Grove Park Inn's Pink Lady is a popular one. See about more of them here on Ghost Stories of Asheville.

    38 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    me and some friends went to helen's brigde and one of them put their hand on my forehead and said helen come forth and nothing happened while we were there but when i woke up the next morning i hand a handprint on my leg

    Anonymous said...

    Pretty freaky! Thanks for your comment.

    I was trying to remember what you're supposed to say 3 times and you said it.

    "Helen, Come Forth"
    "Helen, Come Forth"
    "Helen, Come Forth"

    Anonymous said...

    i live in asheville i have for 16 years and me and some friends went up to the bridge just a couple weeks ago, the bridge is still in the same condition it always has been, but the mansion is gone the only thing left is the cement blocking

    Anonymous said...

    I've lived in Asheville for 19 years and have been to the bridge many times. I've heard of people turning their car engines off under the bridge and having trouble starting their cars afterward, but nothing strange has ever happened to me there.

    Anonymous said...

    I am a paranormal investigator and we have visited the bridge many many times. So far other than negative energy...absolutely nothing has happened there. I have done alot of research on the myths on what is to happen up there. Ironically they are a mirror image of a similar story out in Indiana. Also the stories did not start being spread until the 70's. There are no documents to back up the claims of what happened there, the only thing that can be verified is there was a fire at the castle. Other than that, its just campfire stuff.

    Unknown said...

    Hi, My name is michael. I went to Hellens bridge on 8-31-08. Nothing happened although it was creepy. But I did buy a book from the Ghost tour we went on in Asheville and the story was very informative. There is apparently a guy who went there one night and hellen did appear for him and scared him so bad he is now a vegetable. You can get this book from Ghost tours of Asheville read it.

    DreamWeaver said...

    I have pictures that convinced me that Helen's Bridge is very true. The things we've seen - the things we've heard - the things we've felt are more than enough to convince us four once nonbelievers that Helen and the myth is true.

    lacey_chandler2002@yahoo.com

    anna said...

    i have pictures of helens bridge and im conviced yes there is somthing there and yes the catle is still there

    mylidlradio said...

    I have lived in Asheville all my life, and my mom got me a book about the different haunted places in Asheville. My friends and I went to Helen's Bridge a few weeks ago, but we didn't see her, but we saw shimmers. The castle is still there, but has been changed into Peppertree resorts and now into Festiva resorts.

    ashlyn said...

    my boyfriend & i live in maion, nc & hes told me about helens bridge. i always wanted to go but could never get up enough courage to go. so on halloween after we went to the movies in asheville he decided to take me up to helens bridge. he failed to tell me that helen doesnt really like girls until we got on the bridge & by then i was sooooo scared. & it doesnt help that his friend taylor peed right on the part of the bridge where she hung herself. my boyfriend said her name three times & my legs started to shake. but still they wernt satisfied. so they started yellin out cuss words to her & eventually i joined in. so nothing happened & we decided to leave. as soon as i got back in his car my left leg started hurtin like someone had hit it with a bat & so i pulled my pant leg up & there was a scratch in my knee that was bleedin that i couldnt explain. & i hadnt ran into anythin so i know that my leg woldnt just bleed for nothin a know? then i got mad & called her a few not nice names lol & right after that my boyfriend lost control of his car & we almost ran off the side of the road. & the other day me & my boyfriend were ridin around through town & i turned around & there was an h on his back windshield. so he went to the car wash & tried to wash it off but it was on the inside... & ever since we went i feel like shes been followin us both. like the weirdest things happen to me. just the other night i had a wordcross puzzle on a table beside my bed & i was just about to fall asleep when i heard somethin fall on the floor. so i turned my light on & the crosspuzzle was in my floor & there was no fan on in my room or any wind. so im 100% convinced that helen IS real & that she has some kind of connection with me & my boyfriend. creepy huh? :)

    Sudeaux Lux said...

    Great comments, everyone!

    Ashlyn: That is very creepy stuff. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

    Unknown said...

    Ive lived in Waynesville, North Carolina all my life and heard the story of Helen's Bridge from a friend. So I went up there with a few of my girlfriends, we could only go to the bridge though because they have a gate blocking the road up to the house, and it was dark so we couldnt even see what the house looked like. We went up on top of the bridge& nothing happened... but I had two or three nightmares about the bridge and the house. (Which I had never seen.) So, I convinced my sister to go back to Helen's Bridge with me during the day& I took my camera to take pictures.. All the way up Beaucatcher Mountain a black dog chased our car, then it just dissappered? So we park the car& get out and take pictures of the bridge and we walk around the gate& up the road a little bit to the house but I got the feeling I was being watched and it freaked me out so we just took a few pictures from the road below the house& turned around& went back to the car. When we got back to my sisters house we uploaded the pictures from my digital camera to her computer& we were looking through the pictures& came to one picture of the house& it looked like the shadow of a woman looking out the window so I deleted the pictures from my camera& the computer because I was so scared.. And I continued to have nightmares about the castle, everytime we go to Asheville I like going up to Helen's Bridge hoping maybe I'll see something. One day we drove up& the gate to the castle was open so my friend& I drove all the way up to the house& it looks EXACTLY like it did in my dreams& I had never seen the house before. CREEPY. ;) mandeesays@aol.com

    Anonymous said...

    should i go up to helens bridge? sounds fun

    Anonymous said...

    I have always wanted 2 go 2 Helens mountain it seems so cool. My moms parents live in Hendersonville, NC and when we visit them we go 2 Ashville and we hang out at the mall. Did I mention I live in Beckley, WV? I am hopin 2 go 2 Helens mountain someday I am hopin 2 take some of my buddies hopefully we don't get scared. Haha. So if I ever go 2 Helens mountain I will come back on here and comment and tell yall my experience there. So peace till then. By the way that might not happen 4 a couple more years cuz right now, 8/18/10, I am 12.

    Anonymous said...

    My Language Arts teacher told me a very similar story. A newlywed couple dies on their way to their honeymoon, because their car falls off of the edge of a cliff. The wife's name happens to be Helen. When you say "Helen come forth" 3 times, the bride comes up as a figure in a fire.

    When he was a teenager, one of his friends had a new car. He brought another friend with him and said, "Helen come forth." His new paint job was ruined, and a handprint was imprinted on the hood of the car. The 2 acted differently since then.

    He didn't tell us which mountain it was.

    A few weeks later, the 2 friends were throwing fire crackers out of their car window on the 4th of July. A fire cracker bounced off of the window and exploded in the car. The friends died.

    Raegan said...

    I have drove on helens bridge and i have said helen come forth 3 times and then it started to rain and when we left our windsheild wipers tore up.

    Alexandra said...

    My best friend and I just went to Helen's Bridge this evening :) While we were there my volume on my radio started to turn itself down, then blasted all the way back up before turning to static and then just quitting. It wouldn't work for two hours after we left, and now it doesn't want to turn up very loud. We have it on film and plan to upload the videos to youtube soon :)

    Anonymous said...

    My name is meghan murphy, me and my husband went to Helen's Bridge 3-3-2011. It was my first time up there my husband told me about it so we went it was neat i didnt see anything but i know she was their the hairs on the back of my neck where standing up. I took some pictures but i still have to look at them. Helen did nothing to me cause i think when i came up i told her that i was not going to hurt her that i was a friend and to take pictures and said she can be in them if she wants too.

    Sudeaux Lux said...

    I love how this blog post continues to evolve as others add their experience with Helen's Bridge.

    Mandeesays: That was TOO creepy. lol! To dream something and then later see it for real.

    Anonymous from Beckley, WV: Glad to have you visiting with us. There is always something new to experience around here, too, and if you do go up to Helen's Bridge I suggest going in the day time. But you must go downtown to Pritchard's Park especially on the weekend. It's a busy spot right on the corner of Patton Ave (downtown Patton) and College Street. There are street musicians, jugglers, and folks people watching, sitting on benches and visiting the surrounding restaurants and bars, tattoo shops, etc.

    Each Friday night there is a drum circle with tons of locals and tons of tourists participating, dancing, talking. They stop at 11:00 pm.


    Next Anonymous : I thought if you said "Helen, come forth" three times that you would be safe. It's definitely Asheville's biggest local legend.


    Raegen: That sucks about the wipers but I'm glad nothing worse happened to you. Thanks for your comment!

    Alexandra: Now THAT is freaky about the radio volume. You must come by and post us a link to your video when you get it uploaded. We all would enjoy that.

    Meghan Murphy: Can't wait to hear more about the photos. I think you handled it the right way by talking to her and reassuring her. Wouldn't it be great if you can see her or something like her in the photos? Thanks.

    Anonymous said...

    this is meghan i looked at the pictures and i think i see her face and some orbs it looks really neat.

    Anonymous said...

    we wen to the bridge tonight and we heard footsteps following us back to the truck the mansion is not there anymore by the way to whoever said that all that is left of that mansion is the foundation

    Barb R said...

    My husband and I went to see the bridge in 2009 or so. We went in the morning after not being able to find our way in the dark. Its creepy then believe me. We parked our car and turned it off, putting the keys on the dashboard as we were told to do. I said, "Helen come", 3 times. After a few minutes we got out of the car. On the top passenger side of the car, there was a skeletal hand print. Neither my husband and I could believe it. I quickly took some water and washed it off, then left quickly. I wish I had photographed it. This is 100% true but still hard for us to believe what happened.

    Anonymous said...

    To Anonymous on April 15, 2011:

    You must have missed the castle. My son took me there on June 27, 2011 and it was there. You couldn't see inside because of the sun's glare on the beautiful windows, but it was there! The building is also in tact and looks good--not abandoned at all.

    Anonymous said...

    9-30-11 Me & my uncle went up to Helen's Bridge and i went on the bridge while my uncle sat in the car and he said he seen a black shadow dart towards me as i was saying "helen" on the bridge. Afterwards we got off the mountain and then my speedometer started going crazy and my check engine light came on (i just had my car tuned up not long ago) So i SERIOUSLY believe there is something evil and negative up there! God bless all and be careful if you go! -Ambo&JoJo-

    Anonymous said...

    I went on the ghost Tour 10/8/2011 at 9pm. We went to Helen's bridge and our tour guide "conjured" Helen up. Nothing happened as we sat there. So, just the the heck of it, i stuck my camera out of the window and snapped the only photo I took on the tour. I aimed it at the wall of the bridge where there was nothing but vines and stone. Today, i looked at that photo and to my astonishment, there appears to be a woman in the photo. Now I am not a paranormal buff and I always say show it to me in a photo if you want me to believe it. Maybe I'm crazy...I sent the photo to several people waiting on confirmation. It clearly is a woman's head and shoulder's she has dark hair. I can even see her ear. The plastic window coverings were all up so it wasn't a reflection. And our tour guide was young with a cap on her head and she was facing inside the trolley, so i can't figure who this woman is, except for Helen or some other spirit who wanted me to know she really does exist...I'm still floored by this.."Wow" is all I can say.

    Anonymous said...

    Helens bridge on halloween .... :D i think so!

    Anonymous said...

    11-05-11 My bf and I rode to Helens Bridge today snaped a few pics out my open window I felt a little weird but said to my bf. Ok if she "hung" herself from the bridge what did she tie the rope to??? We got home I looked at the pics and omg there looks like a blueish see-through rope hanging way down from a tree branch on the left of the bridge freaky!!!!! Deb <3's Kei!!!!!!!

    neko_ghost_huntress said...

    OMG I went up there tonight. She pulled my cousin into the woods by the hand that was holding her car keys!! She also walked down the edge of the hill that no person could ever walk up or down without hurting themselves. The car we were in wouldn't start two times and even started rolling backwards down the hill when we tried to call her!! It was really freaky!! Even after we left, I believe she followed us, because the headlights of the car we used were sort of flickering as we headed back home. We took some pictures with the flash on, hoping we could call her that way, and it worked. After the third flash, all the other pictures we took (with the flash on) were nothing but blackness. I believe she tried to show herself in several of the other pictures that we took up there without the flash, and even some of the ones we took as we passed by this old church that was beside the road. It truly was a frightening experience.

    Unknown said...

    When the first time I went up there, me and a few other friends didn't get to freaked out, and we left all had scratches on our arms Or legs and felt like we were on fire. One night in 2010 me and a friend drove up to the mansion we left Aw I looked in the rearview we saw something coming at us while driving threw the neighbor hood it still was there keep in mind both back glass and mirror was spottless few weeks later the car broke down and no mechanic would be able to see What was wrong with it. Car wouldnt start for us but would for a mechanic

    Unknown said...

    Helen IS REAL!! my name is T and I went to Helen's bridge this morning 10/21/2012 4:15 a.m. I went with my boyfriend my sister and another friend.
    I ONLY WENT BECAUSE MY BF SAID HE'S BEEN SEVERAL TIMES AND NOTHING'S HAPPENED!! WE DROVE UP THE MOUNTAIN AND WENT UNDER THE BRIDGE TO THE GATE ENTRANCE. WE JUST SAT THERE FOR LIKE 45 MINUTES AND TRIED TO SCARE OUR FRIEND WHO WAS JUST FRIGHTENED OF BEING ON THE MOUNTAIN. WELL THAT GOT BORING SO JUST FOR FUN AS WE PASS THE GATE ENTRANCE I DECIDE TO ROLL MY WINDOW DOWN AND SCREAM "HELEN" AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. I THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT! AS WE GET TO THE SPLIT IN THE ROAD MY BF ASKS DO YOU WANT TO GO UNDER THE BRIDGE... I SAY NO!!!! HE TURNS RIGHT!!!! AS WE HEADED UNDER THE BRIDGE AND I SAW A DARK HAIRED WOMEN STANDING TO THE RIGHT OF IT WEARING WHITE!!!! IT SCARED ME SO MUCH THAT I JUST STARTED TO CRY, I WAS LITERALLY SHAKING!! I LAYED WITH MY HANDS OVER MY FACE IN HIS LAP THE WHOLE WAY HOME! I EVEN CALLED MY MOTHER FOR PRAYER AT 4 A.m. AND YOU DON'T CALL MY MOTHER AFTER 10 P.m FOR JUST ANYTHING! I AM STILL A LITTLE SHOOK BUT OTHERWISE OK! I THINK " MAYBE PROBABLY LESS LIKELY" I NEED TO GO BACK JUST TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T SHADOW TRICKS {cause no one believes me} BUT I -T.C.H. AM A WITNESS & BELIEVER OF HELEN'S BRIDGE!!!! IT'S 5 A.m AND IM STILL AFRAID TO FALL ASLEEP!
    God Bless ♥ T

    Unknown said...

    You kinda got your stories and locations mixed up.I have been to both places.The bridge is one thing,but the Mtn.which is in Arden,is a whole different ball game.I wll answer any questions if there are any.

    Unknown said...

    People keep getting these stories mixed up.The bridge is in downtown Asheville,Nc.Helen's Mtn.is in Arden,Nc.I have been to both places,and the bridge is a very sad story.The Mtn.however,is a totally different situation.I went of foot to the top of Helen's Mtn.yrs.ago,when there was still a water tower.We didn't have the courage to call her fourth,especially after some other things that we found up there.Let ne just say that there is a very inherent evil at work on that mtn.,and it's not all spiritual either.

    Unknown said...

    Where is the mountain in Arden?

    Unknown said...

    It's been so long ago,that I would have to drive to where I remember it.

    Wendy Page said...

    How scary is this: I used to walk home that way from work at night. I worked at the mall and I lived downtown... And the tunnel was too weird. I never knew the story about this bridge until years later.

    Unknown said...

    Is it near Royal Pines? I am In mills river. have always heard of the story but don't know to much about it.

    Unknown said...

    Is it near Royal Pines? I am In mills river. have always heard of the story but don't know to much about it.

    Unknown said...

    Helen's bridge was originally a covered wooden bridge and was torn down and replaced with a cement bridge about a decade ago. So, if anyone happens to wonder how could Helen have hung herself to the current cement bridge, there is your answer.She didnt't. But there were plenty of places where she could have hung herself from the original wooden bridge. It was WAY CREEPIER THAN THE CURRENT ONE TOO!