These 8 Urban Legends In Mississippi Will Keep You Awake At Night
By Daniella DiRienzo|Updated on December 11, 2022(Originally published December 06, 2022)
×
Daniella DiRienzo
Author
Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for more than 30 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as the Mississippi-based Parents & Kids Magazine. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
Even though urban legends are generally untrue, they are believed to contain some small smidgeon of fact which definitely adds to their weird factor. From Native American folklore to unnerving tales of witches and spooks, Mississippi has quite a few of its own urban legends that are worth a look. How many of these tales in Mississippi folklore are you familiar with? Are you familiar with any legendary haunted places in MS? Let us know.
Local legend murmurs that the area of the Natchez Trace known as "Witch Dance" was a popular meeting spot for witches. Upon gathering in this location, the witches would perform ceremonies that included dancing. It is said that wherever the witches’ feet touched the ground during these dances, the grass would wither and die never to grow again. These barren or "scorched" spots on the ground can still be seen to this day. This is probably one of the creepiest Mississippi urban legends!
Pascagoula River is rumored to possess quite a dark past. Allegedly, the Pascagoula Indian tribe was in danger of being attacked by the Biloxi tribe. Rather than accept this dire fate, the tribe chose mass suicide by way of drowning. It has been said that the tribe marched into the Pascagoula River while singing a death song which can still be heard to this day.
Dating back to the 1950s, the urban legend of Mercritis came to life in Mississippi. At the time, folks insisted that Mercritis was a disease that originated in Europe before eventually making its way to Mississippi, specifically. Symptoms of the disease were different for men and women. Apparently, infected men would emit an odor that would cause women to go crazy and become homicidal. Some people believe that Mercritis did actually exist and was just covered up by both the government and medical community. Needless to say, we have doubts.
The tale of Columbus’ most famous ghost has been around for quite some time, and while there are several variations of this local urban legend they all include the ghost of a three-legged lady. The story goes that those that stop at the church on Nash Road can turn off their headlights and honk their horn three times, at which point the three-legged lady would knock on the roof of the car.
After hearing the knock, the driver is supposed to race the ghost to the end of the road. Sources claim that the three-legged lady doesn’t go down without a fight, as she hits the car during the entire race. Another version of this legend includes the kidnapping and murder of a young girl, possibly by a satanic cult (because of course). Supposedly the girl’s body was dismembered and her body parts were strewn about the woods. The ghost of the girl’s mother is said to have been seen walking up and down Nash Road, carrying the only part of her daughter she could find – her leg. Either way, this MS urban legend gives us the creeps.
While this legend was popularized by author Willie Morris’ book "Good Old Boy," the story dates back to the late 1800s. The legend claims that an old woman, who lived on the Yazoo River, would torture local fishermen. After hearing the reports, the sheriff tried to confront her, at which point he gave chase. By the time the sheriff caught up to the old lady, she was sinking in quicksand. Angered by this turn of events, she vowed to get revenge exclaiming, "In 20 years, I will return and burn this town to the ground!" Of course, nobody paid much mind to the threat – that is until 20 years later when a huge fire broke out and destroyed over 300 of the town’s buildings. The day after the fire, several residents visited the witch’s grave in Glenwood Cemetery at which point they found the large chain around her grave had been broken into two. Could this Mississippi urban legend have actually happened? Maybe. The fire sure did, though.
Located just outside of Meridian, Stuckey’s Bridge spans the Chunky River. Legend has it that a man by the name of Stuckey ran a local inn and just so happened to be in the habit of robbing and murdering his guests. After killing several customers, Stuckey was finally caught and hanged from this bridge. After some time, his body was cut down and fell into the water below. Visitors to the area have reported seeing the ghost of Stuckey roaming the riverbank with a lantern in hand while others have reported seeing his ghost hanging from the bridge followed by a splashing sound. They say this is one of the most haunted places in Mississippi, and they might just be right.
7. Blues Legend Robert Johnson’s Deal with the Devil
Born in Hazelhurst, blues musician Robert Johnson made quite the name for himself, but some say it was at a deep price, a very deep price. It is a popular urban legend that Johnson sold his soul to the devil in Clarksdale in exchange for his musical talent. Perhaps it is the fact that several of Johnson’s songs mention the devil or some form of the supernatural that led many to believe this urban legend. By the way, the town of Clarksdale MS is one of the best places you can visit in Mississippi.
It seems that there are a number of states that have a legend of a local "Crybaby Bridge" and apparently Mississippi is no different. Legend has it that a young woman got pregnant out of wedlock and, in order to rid her family of shame, threw the baby off of this Dennis, Mississippi bridge. Visitors to the bridge have claimed to hear the faint sound of a baby crying in addition to seeing the ghost of a baby on the rocks below the bridge. Check out this creepy video by TheseMyths on YouTube for the full story:
Talk about yikes. Have you had any personal experience with one or more of these urban legends, or know of any additional Mississippi folklore not on this list? Feel free to add your stories and photos to the comments!
If you can’t get enough of the high strangeness in Mississippi, you might want to check out this road trip to the creepiest places in Mississippi!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
More to Explore
Mississippi Folklore
Tori Jane|December 11, 2022
What are some of the eeriest Mississippi urban legends?
Mississippi, like anywhere else, is home to plenty of intriguing – and spooky – urban legends. Some of the creepiest Mississippi urban legends are stories like:
Of course, Mississippi isn’t the only place with the occasional cryptid or mythical critter sighting. Some notable reports of mythical creatures around the country are:
3. What were some famous hauntings in Mississippi?
Mississippi is an old state, and naturally, this means there are plenty of ghost stories to go around. Some of the most famous hauntings in MS include:
