Cry Baby Bridge & Kali Oka
Saraland, Alabama
By Robin Wright
Take a turn off of Kali Oka Road in Saraland, Alabama, go carefully around Dead Man’s Curve (so named for the numerous fatal car accidents) and you will be heading towards Cry Baby Bridge and the Kali Oka Plantation. The plantation may look familiar to independent film buffs as it was used as the location for the horror film “Dead Birds,” where a mix of demonology and voodoo create a horrible place to stay the night in post-Civil War Alabama. There is an eerie aura around the plantation house and the smaller house that was once the slaves’ quarters. Some have said they have seen a woman in white lighting candles in a window. Others have spotted a hulking African American man, believed to have once been a slave on the plantation, walking the Kali Oka Road. These two ghosts, it has been said, are the reason you can hear a baby cry at night on the bridge just down the road.
The woman was the mistress of the plantation house, and her husband was an abusive, cold-hearted master. The giant was a slave and the Mistress’s lover. One night, the master of the house followed his wife as she entered the slaves’ quarters just behind the plantation house. He caught them in a lovers’ embrace, pulled them apart and at knife-point, forced the slave to a tree where he was chained up. Both of his hands were cut off for daring to touch the master’s wife, and he was left to die as a warning to others. Afterwards, the mistress of the house discovered she was pregnant. According to local tradition, she delivered a baby boy in the woods and drowned him in the nearby creek, where Cry Baby Bridge crosses today. Now, they say, one can hear the baby cry as his poor, innocent body touches the cold, running water in a constant repetition of his mother’s desperate betrayal. The slave still walks the road, looking for the son he’ll never know on the mortal plane.
But there is another version of the story, too…
Some believe the Master actually showed favoritism towards his behemoth slave. After the master’s death, however, the wife was the one who tied him up to the tree because she hated him so much. Insanely jealous, she supposedly left him tied to the tree in front of the house so that she could watch as he died a slow death.
Cry Baby Bridge also has multiple legends as to why one can hear a baby cry when you cross it at night. Some say a bunch of kids were playing on the bridge when they knocked a boy into the creek, where he downed. There are a few versions that a woman and her baby had a tragic accident. In some versions, she escapes and doesn’t even try to save the baby, in others, both she and the baby die. Those who follow logic claim that the sound is actually the wind blowing across the pipes that lay beneath the bridge, but that does not explain why cars have so much trouble crossing the bridge at night. Cars will stall, lights will go haywire, and some have even reported that their cars have moved from one end of the bridge to the other without any earthly aid.
Some have tried to get physical proof of the bridge’s haunting by sprinkling baby powder on a car from bumper to bumper. Wait inside the car for a few minutes, then go out and look. Some say that you will see a toddler’s hand and footprints. Another, much more satisfying twist on this (some have suggested) is to send a passenger out to sprinkle the car with baby powder. When they get out, drive away, leaving them alone in the dark to experience the bridge for themselves for a few frightening minutes. But we would never suggest such shenanigans….
No one knows which, if any, of the stories are true. Everyone does agree, however, that there is something definitely otherworldly in this area of Alabama. The plantation house has been relatively recently purchased and renovated by a family who do not seem bothered by the ghosts that haunt Kali Oka Road.
309 comments on this haunted house. Share your story »
309 Comments |
« · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · [6] · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · … 16 · Next » ·
Show All Comments
alan says: |
October 25, 2006, 2:22 pm |
Well what I think is that its not a baby but a coon ya see one night I went a hunting with my redbone named blue and we caught a coon underneath this hear bridge and I had some friends of mine that were partaking in some activities of which we will not speak of ontop of this here bridge and when my dogs caught this coon under the brige they swore that they heerd a baby crying but as soon as I heerd this tale I knew better it was that coon crying for its life
amanda says: |
October 27, 2006, 3:22 pm |
yeah so its like..u can also put baby powder on a car and the footprints will show up! ive been out there numerous times n have seen and heard things. Theres alot more haunted places down there in those plantations
Magen says: |
October 28, 2006, 12:14 am |
Hey.. Yes there is also a crybaby bridge in Russellville A’L. It is on old water plant rd. Just rite out of russellville.. The story is true i just live right down the road from it. It is very true about the babys foot prints they are seen all up and down the creek that runs threw my house
H says: |
October 28, 2006, 12:51 am |
I live in Mobile I went to the plantation home and I did not believe in haunted houses ghosts ect.we were 4 adults going out there to prove a point and point proven I am now a believer! Yes the house was bought there was an article in the Press Register today 10-27-06, and I say they are nuts! but they fixed the house up and it looks great…from the picture they showed in the paper and that is about how close I will ever get to it again! After seeing the aparition I will never go there again.
And about cry baby Bridge the story is a woman and her baby’s had an accident and the baby’s were thrown from the car and they cry for their mother yes it is true. Whether or not they cry about 50 % say yes they have heard it and 50% say they did not or it was just the wind through the trees….guess we will never know?????
H says: |
October 28, 2006, 1:14 am |
noone do you have a cousin by the name of arthur g.? I am not going to put his last name on here if so please give a clue to prove it
brinnie says: |
October 29, 2006, 6:36 pm |
theres a cry baby bridge in viola, illinois. the story says that a bus of toddlers or whatever crashed on the bridge and they all died. if u go there ur supposed to put ur car in neutral, turn ur lights off, putbaby powder on ur bumper, and roll down ur windows. ur supposed to c handprints on ur bumper bcuz the kids push ur car across the bridge. if u roll down ur windows u can hear footprints. 3 of my friends went there and they said it really works. one of them started cryin. they were too scraed to roll down there windows but they did c handprints on the bumper the next day. they also said that its kind of on a hill but sometime soon im goin to c if its really real. oh and also if u go on like friday the 13th or halloween people go down there jus to scare u. people have also gotten there cars messed up. theyll smash ur windows in with baseall bats n shiit so watch out.
yadaddy says: |
October 29, 2006, 10:07 pm |
I live in Saraland, Al. This is a really scary place, but its not haunted. What happens is if you go out on the bridge every few minutes you can hear the bridge moving from the wind are whatever. I does sound like a baby crying though. The whole thing about the baby powder was started because if you drive out there with your friends in the middle of the night, you get one to get out and sprinkle baby powder. While they do that you drive off and leave them, HA, Ha, hA! They will be scared stiff because it so dark. Its actully pretty dangerous around Halloween time because the crazies (cult lovin weirdos) will hide in the woods and have there little rituals and stuff while people drive up. That whole area is freaky with the old plantation house and cemetary!
ashley says: |
October 30, 2006, 3:18 am |
hey, i live in edgefield, sc and although i have never been to crybaby bridge (also known as Horn Creek), partially because all of my friends have been there and gotten over it, i know how to get there…(it was on the way to school). If you are heading from I-20, take exit 5 and turn towards edgefield. Go about 3 miles Then turn left on Sweetwater Rd. Take sweetwater for 15? miles (a ways down the road) and look for a road on the right that says May’s Way. You’ll be driving in the middle of nowhere so i’d def. do a day run so you don’t get lost. Take may’s way to the end and take a left. I don’t know the name of that road but the state pen is on it. Look for horn creek dr. (something to that effect) and follow it out into the woods. There should be a abandoned church that looks EXTREAMLY scary. Alot of cult activity goes on here and is pretty dangerous, especially around halloween (cops do hang out there during this time too to deter any bad stuff). Horn creek bridge (crybaby bridge) should be just past the church. I would advise taking a 4wheel drive truck or something cause it is an old dirt road with a lot of twists and turns. All of my friends have said that they either heard a baby crying or just plain got freaked out! have fun!
lildizzy says: |
October 30, 2006, 7:11 pm |
Hi,i live in flintville,tn,and there is a crybaby brigde located here!it is a very active bridge and im here to say it is not it very big.its a small bridge located on mason road in flintville,tn.i have been there about two times before october 28,2006 and i thought it was just an old folk tale,and like them two times nothing happened!well me and my friends went to it october 28 ,2006 and i felt like this time something would happen.i dont know why but i just had a feeling it would.well the first time we went it was about 11.56 p.m and we was sitting in my car and for the first 2 to 3 min we were very quite.then we whispered to each other nothing is going to happen and by that time i heard a little sound it came from a distance.i told them did yall hear that!they said no we didnt hear nothing,and it happened again and this time we all heard it!it was almost 12:00 and i was gettting a strange vibe like that was not the bridge making them sounds.the sounds were like a faint baby crying.we were all quite and the sounds were getting closer more louder every 3 to 4 secs it was getting louder,and by this time i could feel something was not right and i could not sit there beacuse it was getting so close and i told my friend to drive up the road and come back to see if it would happen again!!well we drove up mason road a little peice and came back by this time it was 12:05 a.m.!and we sat for about 20 sec and we started to hear the noise of a little baby crying!like before it came from a distance and slowly got closer and closer!but this time it came behind the car WAA is what it was scary and i have eletric locks on my doors and i could hear them click real gently not as much as if i were locking my doors!i could tell that it was getting mad at us for coming back and makeing it mad and i knew it!!!!well it was stll playing with my locks on all of my doors(electric locks)real gently,and me and my friend looked in front of the car and could see a glance of a shadow move from left to right real fast,it happened more then once two.well the WAA started happening again and it was real close!!!!!!!!it was so close that you could hear it like it was in your ear!!!!i was scared out of my mind beacause ive been there twice before nothing happened and this time it was!!!!!it was still playing with my locks!!!the WAA getting mad and it hit the side of my car in the back and it got up too the drivers side door bam!i told my friend were gone i was to scared and we left!!!
well,that is it it was about the most active place i have been around were i live!the crybaby tale is true!you can be skeptic but when you get time to come to mason road in flintville,tn at 12:00 a.m around halloween or whenever and sit youll believe after you do!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for letting me post my experience and have a spooky halloween!!!!
sydney says: |
November 1, 2006, 8:29 pm |
hi I am from south carolina and i have heard of cry baby brige. the one i heared of is in greenwood
Curt says: |
November 11, 2006, 11:18 pm |
How many crybaby bridges are there? I live in Ohio and the next town over (Kirtland) there is a crybaby bridge, the myth is the same as every other myth, A women threw her baby off the bridge..I went there last night with a few friends and did not hear anything, I went back later on that night around midnight because we had one more person that wanted to go, and did not hear a baby crying, but heard a loud yelling like someone was being tourtured in the hills, keep in mind this is melonhead country. Go to Ohio and Kirtland to hear more about the melonhead myth…its messed up.
Taylor says: |
November 13, 2006, 6:53 pm |
you pll r cazy cry baby bridge is so fake it just seems scary to scare people i gess it worked u big babys go there u little chickens!! i’ve been there its not really that scary because its fake
yo says: |
November 14, 2006, 6:31 pm |
melanie go scrue yorself
carly says: |
November 14, 2006, 6:43 pm |
ya u go hannah i love what you wrote to melanie i would like to talk to u just wright back to me with the name carly melanie stop cussing maybe other people dont enjoy hering u do it so freaken stop it
crybaby bridge says: |
November 17, 2006, 8:08 am |
crybaby bridge is located on old stage road right past horns creek church
crybaby bridge says: |
November 17, 2006, 8:12 am |
Edgefield,SC crybaby bridge is on old stage road near horns creek baptist church.
hello all says: |
November 18, 2006, 5:42 pm |
well does anybody know if there is a crybaby bridge in kellyville, oklahoma because this sounds really awesome yall
tina says: |
November 22, 2006, 2:48 pm |
cry baby bridge is very real most people that live in south alabama have heard the story at least once…and its said that a woman did throw her baby off the bridge and it of course drowned and its said that if you drive past it or sit at the edge of it you will hear a baby crying none of that baby powder junk is true if its a baby it cant walk honestly
Brittney & Amber says: |
November 24, 2006, 6:19 pm |
DiiRECTiiONS 2 CRY BABY BRiiDGE-EDGEFiiELD,SOUTH CAROLiiNA…HYW.25 TO SWEETWATER RD.BOUT 15 MiiLES THEN RiiGHT ONTO MAYS WAY…THEN LEFT ONTO OLD STAGE RD.FOLLOW DOWN UNTiiL U COME 2 CRY BABY BRiiDGE && THEN THE CHURCH ON RiiGHT!! BEWARE!
« · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · [6] · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · … 16 · Next » ·
Show All Comments


Neal Fabian says:
October 25, 2006, 1:57 am
I went there once and screamed BABYS MOTHER and this old lady came out and I asked her to hold my camera and take a few photos of me as I posed (I’m a personal trainer) when I got the photos devolped there was a baby with six feet dancing in a pile of what appears to be the baby powder you all poured out in the background. Needless to say I’m not going there anymore.