One of North Carolina’s most famous ghosts is known as Lydia. The lovely young phantom has captivated the minds of locals in the Jamestown area since around 1923 when the story first seems to have emerged. Since then the spooky story of Lydia has been told by people from across the entire state of North Carolina and beyond.
The local legend begins in the early part of the century. In 1923 there was a young and beautiful girl named Lydia. On the way home from the school dance, she was involved in a horrible automobile crash and lost her life.
Along a certain stretch of road many years later, a young man was driving home when he spotted a young woman wearing a long white dress, who seemed to be stranded and in need of a ride. Times were different then. Things were more simple and not as dangerous as they are in our modern day era. No self respecting southern gentleman could possibly drive past a woman who may need help. He kindly pulled over to offer the young girl a ride. She entered the car and began directing him to her home, down a few lonely and dark roads.
On the way, she told him that her name was Lydia. Other than a few mumbled words about the dance and how she was late getting home, she said nothing else. She looked pale and spent most of the ride home staring out of the passenger side window. The young man was worried that his lovely passenger could be ill and he felt like he should get her home as quickly as possible.
When the two finally arrive at her home, he hopped out of the car and walked around to open her door, like any southern gentleman would. Before he even opened the door, he realized that something was very wrong. The girl had vanished. Only the fog of her breath remained on the window. The young man was puzzled and wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going crazy, so he walked to the front of the house and knocked on the door.
When the door opened he was standing in front of an old woman, who did not look surprised at all to see him. He asked if Lydia had made it inside and explained to the woman that he had picked her up and given her a ride home. The woman’s eyes began to fill with tears as she reached for a picture that was behind her on a table. She held up the picture and asked if the girl he had picked up looked anything like the one in the photograph. The young man verified that it was definitely the same girl, but she wasn’t in his car when he tried to open her door.
The old woman graciously took his hand and told him that he wasn’t the first young man to give her daughter a ride home. There had been many a young man before him that took the same drive. Only, her daughter had died in 1923 on the way home from the school dance.
The young man felt chills run down his spine as he turned and
Although overgrown and off the main road, Lydia's Bridge remains even today.
walked back through the dark night to his car and began his lonely drive back down the same eerie roads home.
There are many variations of this story. Some say that Lydia was in High School and that the dance was the prom. Others say that Lydia was a student at High Point University. Either way, the story of Lydia’s Ghost is a spooky one that has been passed down over the years.
Lydia’s Bridge is also a popular attraction where locals and tourists alike hope to catch a glimpse of the infamous Lydia. The bridge is rumored to be the spot of the accident that snatched Lydia’s life. Many people have reported seeing a woman in white standing by the bridge. Screams have also been heard from beneath the old and now overgrown bridge. The bridge is now nearly 50 ft from the new overpass that leads into Jamestown, which makes Lydia’s efforts to get home even more difficult. But Lydia remains. At least that what many locals will tell you. Some say Lydia is still trying to get home from the dance. They believe that one day she may find her way home. Until then, try not to pick up any hitchhikers on the way in to Jamestown, NC.
