The True Haunting Tale of the Hangman’s Bridge in Jones County

Who would ever think that a bridge out in the middle of nowhere in West Texas would make the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up? This Hangman's Bridge just outside of Anson did just that. Even the air that flows beneath the bridge is creepy.

When I first learned of this story, I heard that authorities had hung a man from what was then known as the Jones County Clear Fork Bridge. He was accused of raping Mrs. Presley, an affluent Jones County resident, and hiding her body under the bridge.

A couple of days later, the Sheriff and two of his deputies found a man wandering near the bridge. After intense questioning, the Sheriff concluded that this man was the rapist and hung him right then and there, right off of the Clear Fork Bridge.

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The Sheriff says the real killer was captured weeks later committing a similar crime.

It's believed that it is that man's spirit that wanders around the 'Presley Bridge,' as the locals call it now, looking to exact his revenge on the Sheriff and his deputies for hanging an innocent man. I was told by Sheriff Larry Moore that "the real killer was captured weeks later committing a similar crime, and maybe that's why the wind can sometimes be heard blowing on one side of the bridge, but not on the other."

The really weird and freaky abnormality that I experienced when I was at the bridge is that underneath it, one side was hot while the other side was cool and somewhat calm. It just felt strange, so I got out of there as fast as I could.

Jones County Attorney Investigator Mike Middleton told me, "I've heard the stories, but the old all-steel bridge was replaced with a new bridge many years ago. The old bridge remains intact about fifty feet from the county road."

Google Maps and BridgeHunter.com have the location of the old 'Presley Bridge,' also known as the Jones County Clear Fork Bridge, on CR-429. The bridge was all metal and made lots of noise; it was squeaking and creaking.

A word of warning to anyone wanting to check out the bridge: first off, it's now off-limits to vehicles, and I'm not so sure that it's not on private property. Finally, no word if Investigator Middleton or Jones County Sheriff Moore had ever been on the Presley Bridge in the dead of night.