Haunted Bridge, Spring Ranch
The Haunted Bridge in Spring Ranch, Nebraska, is the site where Elizabeth Taylor and her brother Tom Jones were lynched by a mob in 1885 for accusations of cattle theft, burning a barn, and other crimes. Their spirits are said to linger, with some reports including the sound of ghostly voices pleading for mercy and the creaking of bodies swinging from the bridge on the anniversary of their deaths. The lynching of Taylor is noted as the only instance of a woman being lynched in Nebraska. In the early morning hours of March 15, 1885, vigilantes dragged Taylor and Jones from their home and hanged them from a bridge over the Little Blue River. The siblings were accused of stealing cattle, burning a neighbor's barn, and other disputes over land and crops. On the anniversary of the lynching, visitors have reported hearing ghostly voices screaming and begging for mercy. Some also hear the creaking sounds of their bodies swinging from the bridge, according to local legends. The town of Spring Ranch was a small community in the 19th century that is now largely a ghost town. The original bridge has been replaced, but the site remains known as the Haunted Bridge.