麻豆APP

13 Scary Urban Legends of Florida

Communities across the globe have different myths and legends. They range from Bigfoot to the Loch Ness monster. Florida is no exception as it has its own legends.

Below are 13 intriguing Florida myths.

1. During a full moon, the river at the Bloody Bucket Bridge runs red

Wauchula, Florida: Panorama view of former city hall. Photo by Ebyabe/

The bloody bucket bridge is Wauchula鈥檚 legend. A slave who worked as a midwife during the Civil War had her baby taken from her. Angered by this, the midwife suffocated every child she delivered and told their parents they were stillborn. The midwife carried the children鈥檚 remains in a bucket and threw them off the bridge. Her murdering ways drove her mad. She could see the bucket fill with blood on its own. Myths indicate that if you look down into the river during a full moon, you鈥檒l see blood running in the river.

2. Florida has its own BigFoot known as the Skunk Ape

Dating back to the 60s and 70s, a two-legged creature was spotted at the height of the Bigfoot sightings. Said to have inhabited Arkansas, North Carolina, and Florida, the creature was known as Stink Ape, Myakka Skunk Ape, and Swamp Cabbage Man. The creature鈥檚 name is from the overpowering odor resulting from living in the swamp alongside alligators and other beings.

3. Lake Wales has a gravity hill known as Spook Hill

Spook Hill in Lake Wales. Photo by Marc Averette/

Legend is, years ago, Lake Wales was plagued by alligators. The chief of the Indian village, a great warrior, killed the alligator. The battleground formed a small lake. When the chief died he was buried on the northern side. Over the years, people noticed cars moving uphill with ease while horses labored downhill. One myth is, that the alligator was seeking revenge. The other is the chief was protecting his land.

4. A 40-inch doll named Robert

Robert the doll. Photo by Cayobo/

In 1906, a voodoo-practicing nanny gave a young boy a wood wool stuffed doll dressed in a sailor鈥檚 outfit. The boy whose name was Robert Eugene Otto named the doll after himself. The boy chose Gene as his name. Gene was Robert鈥檚 best friend and often whispered secrets to Robert. Rumour is, the doll could be heard whispering back. Today, Fort East Museum in Key West is Robert鈥檚 home. Since cameras are said to malfunction, visitors are encouraged to ask Robert for permission before taking photos.

5. The Devil has a chair in Cassadaga

Located in a cemetery in Cassadaga, is a brick bench known as the devil鈥檚 chair. Myths state the devil built that chair. If you sit in it, you can hear the devil whisper to you. The devil whispers evil ideas and the experience haunts you forever.  

6. Tallahassee had a witch who still receives visitors at her graveside

Rumour is Elizabeth 鈥淏essie鈥� Budd-Graham was a witch. The 23-year-old wife and mother, died in Tallahassee in 1889, with no reports linking her to witchcraft. Her tombstone faces west unlike Christian tradition one of the reasons she鈥檚 considered a witch. Edgar Allen Poe鈥檚 poem is inscribed on Elizabeth鈥檚 tombstone. The adaptation titled 鈥楲enore鈥�, insinuates Elizabeth was killed like a vampire. It also insinuates that Elizabeth was 鈥榙oubly dead鈥�. Witches only die after being killed twice. It鈥檚 said that witches still visit Elizabeth鈥檚 grave and leave her gifts.

7. The St. Augustine Lighthouse has more than one ghost

Built-in 1874, the legend is, one of St. Augustine鈥檚 Lighthouse ghosts is Peter Rasmussen. Rasmussen loved cigars and it鈥檚 believed you can still smell the cigar smoke. The other ghosts are young girls who are usually heard laughing at the lighthouse late at night. The girls, Eliza and Mary Pity, drowned in the nearby water in the late 1800s. Their mother was renovating the lighthouse at the time of the incident.

8. The famous Florida bar with a dozen skeletons

Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, Florida. Photo by Bubba73/

Sloppy Joe鈥檚 bar, Key West was repurposed several times in the past. Recently referred to as Captain Tony鈥檚 Saloon, rumor is the bar was built on a well containing holy water. During the bar’s renovation in the 1980s, a dozen skeletons were found beneath it. Legends indicate, over the years, mysterious activities took place at the bar. Doors open or close by themselves and there are also ghostly voices in the bathroom.

9. The vanishing woman of Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Photo by Robert Neff on Flickr/

Sunshine Bridge which opened in 1954 runs from St. Petersburg past Tampa bay and into Bradenton. Its height made it a suicide jumpers spot. Over 200 cases were reported over a decade. Legend is, a beautiful blond hitchhiker is on the bridge. In the drive to the top of the span, the lady starts crying. She vanishes before the driver can ask why she鈥檚 crying.

10. The beautiful Fairchild Oak has intense sorrow

Fairchild Oak in Creek State Park. Photo by Ebyabe/

Fairchild Oak is located at Bulow Creek Park, Ormond Beach. Despite its beauty, there are rumors of two suicides at the site. Myths state that a man haunts the Fairchild site. Those who stand beneath the oak say they are filled with extreme sadness.

11. The ghostly woman of Bellamy Bridge

Bellamy Bridge is part of the Bellamy Bridge Heritage Trail and Elizabeth Jane Bellamy is the most popular ghost story. In 1837, Elizabeth and her son suffered from fever and died a week apart. 15 years later, her husband Samuel slit his throat. Samuel turned to alcohol due to depression. He went to the Chattahoochee River Landing and slit his throat with a razor. Samuel鈥檚 last request to be buried next to his wife was not fulfilled. Legend is, since the late 1800s, a woman has been spotted on the bridge.

12. There are spirits of children where Sunland Hospital stood

W.T. Edwards Tuberculosis Hospital in Tallahassee, Florida; the year 1960. Photo by Florida Photographic Collection/

Sunland Hospital, Orlando was a tuberculosis hospital. It was later converted into a training center for children with special needs. Allegations of neglect, health code violations, and abuse resulted in its closure. The main building was later converted into a park. Rumors are park visitors hear children laughing when there are no children nearby. The playground equipment move when no one is using them. Torn down in 1999, there were reported cases of experiments in other Sunland hospitals. Cases of abuse led to a lawsuit and the 1983 closure of all Sunland Hospitals.

13. Koreshan State Park is a historic site watched by spirits

Koreshan State Historic Site: Founder’s house. Photo by Ebyabe/

Cyrus Teed known as Koresh was a doctor who set up a community in 1894. Koreshan鈥檚 comprised 250 individuals at their peak. They believed the universe existed in a hollow realm. Teed died in 1908 but his followers didn鈥檛 bury him. They placed him upright and waited for him to resurrect. Three weeks after Teed鈥檚 death, the health department asked his followers to dispose of his body. It was placed in a mausoleum at the beach which washed out to sea in a hurricane. In 1982, the last Koreshan died. It鈥檚 said their spirits watch over the area. Witness accounts indicate unexplained voices and people vanishing at the trails.