For the 2nd installment of Texas Bridges, I rode out on Sunday (4.15.18) to shoot a 104 year old bridge in Killeen, rumored to be haunted.
The Maxdale Bridge is a steel truss bridge built in 1914, connecting Farm Road 2670 to the Maxdale Cemetery. The bridge took damage from multiple floods in 1957, 1959, 1965 and was eventually closed, barricaded off and abandoned.
Crossing the bridge feels rickety, the wooden surface has either rotted out or washed away in various spots, and patched with plywood.
With so many rumors surrounding this notorious Texas landmark, it’s possible to hear of a different ghost story every time you ask a local.
A girl, who was fishing under the bridge, told me that it was haunted by the lost souls of children who had been driven over the side in a school bus. She said there was even a memorial for them next to the entrance to prove it... it turned out to only be a placard placed by the builders, Hess & Skinner.
The legend has it that a man once hung himself on the bridge, after his girlfriend drowned in the Lampasas River below. They say if you stop on the bridge, turn off your headlights, count to 10, and then turn your headlights back on, you'll see a man hanging from a noose.
With an outlaw spirit, we crossed the barricade and drove across the bridge on our Harleys. However, we rode out at sunset, so I can't confirm or deny the infamous ghost story. If you really want to know the truth behind the haunted Maxdale Bridge, I recommend you go check it out for yourself!
My plan is to continue shooting Texas bridges, and display a gallery during East Austin Studio Tour in November of 2018. If you appreciate this project and would like to see more content like this, please like/share, so that I know I'm doing something right.
If you have a favorite Texas Bridge that you'd like for me to cover, please leave a comment, and I'll go there.
