Helens Bridge is in fact a small byway that is located on Beaucatcher Mountain in Asheville, NC. The classic stone bridge was originally constructed as a roadway for the Zealandia Estate in 1909. The estate was created by a politician named John Evans Brown who enjoyed nature and the view that the mountain provided. Brown passed away after only a few years; leaving the estate abandoned for the early 1900’s. It was eventually sold to Philip S. Henry, an Australian who build Medieval type architecture structures on the land. This included a lot of stone work, such as the bridge itself.
Over time Henry passed away as well and left the property to his children. They maintained the land until the mid-1960’s. From that point, the estate became a museum until it was set to be demolished in order to build an interstate. However, historical activists had their way and much of the property still stands today; including the bridge. That’s where the real legend starts.
Beaucatcher Mountain in the early 1900’s
Helens Bridge
In the 1930’s a local Ashville woman whose name was Helen was starting a new chapter in her life. She was a mid-aged single mother in her late 40’s who has just given birth to a beautiful young girl. Due to a tragic cooking accident, Helen’s house caught fire one evening. She ran upstairs to grab her daughter, but fell unconscious from the smoke. Fire fighters reached both Helen and her daughter, pulling them out in the street to begin CPR. They brought Helen back but could not resuscitate the young baby.
When Helen awoke to the news that her child, her only reason to live, had perished she was heart broken. She spent the following week grieving over her loss. Eventually the pain became too much and she went into the woods, where she found the bridge and hanged herself. She remains attached to the bridge to this day, haunting those who visit her. When you visit (typically during the evening hours) you must call her name three times before she appears. While she wont appear for all visitors, she likes to make herself known by either calling out in a loud scream or influencing cars. This includes locking cars from the inside, draining batteries, and more.
Visitors say Helen is not an evil spirit, but rather one who just misses her daughter. She will remain at the bridge, playing with guests and remembering the day she lost her little one.
Try to Scare me is NOT intended as a guide to trespassing. We present these sites, locations and stories as local unwritten history and the legends surrounding it that are told to us while traveling. Although we provide locations, and some directions, these articles are intended to be read with the knowledge that some places cannot be visited. We do not encourage trespassing onto private property and do not encourage trespassing to obtain articles, videos, pictures and other evidence to be submitted. Trespassing is illegal and those who disregard this advice will (in most cases) be arrested and charged.