Program

Legends & Lore®

Subject

Folklore, Legend

Location

430 E Main St, Jamestown, NC 27282, USA

Lat/Long

35.997435, -79.925817

Grant Recipient

Carolina Haints, Inc.

In Jamestown, North Carolina, whispers of an eerie legend have persisted for a century, echoing a tragedy that unfolded on a rainy night in the 1920s. Lydia, a young woman in a white dress, was returning from a dance when disaster struck. Her date lost control of their vehicle, slamming into a bridge. Lydia did not survive the crash.

Lydia’s spirit, it seems, refused to find rest. Travelers, especially on stormy nights, began reporting an uncanny encounter. A vision of a young woman, soaking wet and dressed in white, would often be seen hitchhiking near the bridge. Concerned motorists would offer her a ride home, which she would accept in steely silence. The soggy and pathetic woman’s only desire, it seemed, was to return home to her mother. But upon pulling up to her house, the driver would invariably be left with a chilling realization. The seat, where only moments earlier Lydia sat, would be empty.

Bewildered, many drivers braved the storm to knock on the door of the house they had just been directed to. An elderly woman, not entirely surprised by the visitor’s presence, would answer. She’d recount the tragic tale once more, of her daughter, Lydia, who had perished in that accident all those years ago. And she’d reveal the heart-wrenching secret—many a good Samaritan had tried to bring Lydia home, but none had ever succeeded.