Helen's Bridge

Asheville and it's surrounding areas have long been ripe with Paranormal activity. One of the most famous haunted sites in the city itself is the rather infamous Helen's Bridge, located on Beaucatcher Mountain on Vance Gap Rd. This bridge has long been the site of local folklore and quite a few professional and amateur Paranormal Investigations. The bridge was built in 1909 to provide better access to the Zealandia Castle which was built 20 years earlier in 1889 by John Evans Brown. 30 years before building the property, Brown had left the Asheville area for California during the Gold Rush, and after his success there, lived in New Zealand raising sheep, leading Brown to name the property he later built atop the Beaucatcher Mountain Zealandia. Helen's Bridge was later added on by Philip S. Henry as part of an expansion of the Castle in 1908. Much of Brown's original castle has burned down, much of it during the 1950's. What is left of the Castle is now the headquarters of the Festiva Hospitality Group.

There are many different variations of the story of Helen's Bridge, and many believe that some of the aspects of the original story were crossed with the Legend of Helen's Mountain in Arden. The most common rendition of the story is that a long while ago, a woman named Helen, who lived either on Beaucatcher Mountain or in Zealandia itself, lost her only child, a daughter, in a fire. The grief of this loss proved too great for her, and Helen eventually hung herself from the bridge that would later bear her name. The reference to the child dying in a fire ties in greatly to Zealandia's past of loosing most of its original structures to flame, however, very few if any records exist supporting the legend. Regardless, a number of individuals have reported a wide range of Paranormal occurrences.

People have reported uneasy feelings around and on the bridge itself, including feelings of being watched and feeling a tightening around the neck like a rope, as well as feeling hands on them going so far as to even push or scratch people who do not give the proper respect to Helen or her dead child. Strange dark creatures have been seen in the woods surrounding Beaucatcher Mountain, and some people claim to have seen a glowing apparition of Helen herself, sorrowfully asking if anyone has seen her child. Some rumors suggest that saying her name three times, or chanting "Helen Arise" three times will make her appear, especially on Halloween, but this is the exact legend of Helen's Mountain, and is likely just a crossover of similar folklore. The most common activity reported are strange lights and Orbs, and car trouble. Apparently, a car that stalls out underneath the bridge on Vance Gap Rd. will not start again, and anyone who sees Helen will have car trouble very soon after encountering her.

The variation of activity is impressive, suggesting that Helen's grief was great enough to give her a lasting effect in this world. Her spirit also seems to have a violent and angry side, particularly to people who do not answer her questions or treat the area without proper courtesy. Many people have woken up to find red handprints on there body after visiting the bridge, and others, one whom I personally know, have been viciously pushed towards or in the case of my friend, off the bridge itself. This strengthens my theory that Helen's overwhelming grief left a deep spiritual scar on the area, similarly to the Japanese Onryo spirits. Because of this, anyone visiting the bridge should take extreme care to show deep respect to Helen, and genuine sympathy for her daughter. It would not be wise to provoke her spirit.

One of these days I would like to do my own investigation of Helen's Bridge, and I will update periodically on my efforts.