State

The Ghosts of Fryar’s Bridge . . . Iin'nls liked to stay where there was plenty of Spanish moss, and hover over the cypress knees. . . . Ki / CLAUDE II. MOORE (Professor of History, Mount Olive College) mington and as a consultant for an Ohio engineering firm and a coastal engineering research company in New York, said that many property owners do attempt to fight erosion, but often go about it the wrong way. "Before they build bulkheads or any¬ thing at all. they should consult an en¬ gineer and have the job done cor¬ rectly," he said. In the Durants Neck area of Per¬ quimans County. Davenport said a series of bulkheads built less than a decade ago arc now rotted and useless. He told of a man living near Wil¬ mington "who spent S20.(M)(> for a structure to prevent erosion. It was lost in six months.” Л major problem is economics. "Land can be protected." he said “but there seems to be no justification in spending several thousand dollars to do it in what is virtually an isolated area." In areas where there are many homes, economics is still a problem be¬ cause. as Davenport puts it "you don't want to spend SI. 000 for a lot and $3,000 to protect it." Many attempts at erosion preven¬ tion by private property owners or de¬ velopers get no results because the work is either done incorrectly or. once finished, the bulkheads are not prop¬ erly maintained. Slate Has No Program Davenport, now with a coastal en¬ gineering firm in Greenville, said that "a lack of understanding about coastal forces is the reason for improper pro¬ tection. . . and even if a man does a good job of protecting the area around his property, if his neighbors do noth¬ ing. his efforts are in danger. "The proper way to fight erosion." he said "is by a joint effort of property owners." He especially recommends the help of an engineer "because proper designs are necessary and. what's good in one situation may not fit another." Davenport feels that the best way to protect the state’s inland beaches would be with state help. "Maryland has a department devoted to this, but North Carolina has no program, nothing," he said. Davenport described beach erosion along inland waters as serious, and just as serious he Said, is the fact that few people seem to care. 12 Fryar's Bridge is the crossing over Six Runs, about six miles east of Clin¬ ton. on the old Warsaw-Clinton Road, which is the oldest road in the county. It was at one time called the New Bern Road and ran from Cross Creek to New Bern by the way of White Hall (Seven Springs). For over a hundred years the stage coaches followed this road carrying passengers and the mail. The swamp is wide at Fryar’s Bridge, and in olden days the giant cypress trees formed a canopy over the road. They were covered in Spanish moss. Many old time tales have been told about the ghosts of Fryar's Bridge. The Ghostly Bride In the early days there was no rail¬ ing on the bridges crossing the main creek and the sloughs. On one occasion a young couple who had just married were travelling in the stagecoach with three other passengers. It was on a dark and cold winter night and the water was high. Just before the stage approached the bridge, the driver, as well as the horses saw what was believed to be an ap¬ parition of women dancing on the bridge but making no sound. The horses were frightened and as they lunged forward, the coach turned over into the water which was rushing un¬ der the bridge. The young bride was drowned and her body was found the next day some distance down stream. Her body was carried to Fayetteville for burial. The young heartbroken husband joined the English Navy and was later lost at sea. Some years later, a couple of young people from the Turkey community were coming from a dance in Clinton, anti as they approached Fryar's Bridge, they saw a woman dressed in a wedding gown standing on the bridge. As they came nearer, the horse became frightened and would not budge. The young man got out and put the lap robe over the horse's head and at¬ tempted to lead him. Instead of going forward, the horse backed up and turned around. The couple were so scared that they went back to Clinton and spent the night with friends. In fact, the next day they returned home by the way of Kirby's Bridge because they had heard that ghosts had been seen at Fryar's Bridge in the day time. Skeptic Convinced There was a neighborhood skeptic who heard the story and dismissed it as a figment of the imagination. Some months later, this same skeptic was travelling alone at night on his way to Clinton with horse and buggy. As he was crossing Fryar's Bridge he felt someone breathing on his neck. For a moment, he was nearly petrified, and after he slightly revived from the shock, he turned around and saw a woman dressed in white standing on the back of the buggy. With a tap of the line, the horse began to run and did not stop until he reached the old Lemul Chcsnutt place. He jumped out of the buggy, hollering as he ran to the front door. Mr. Chcsnutt opened the door and he told him of the experience. Mrs. Chcsnutt knew of this particular ghost. He spent the night at the Chcsnutt home, and the next day. Mr. Chcs¬ nutt, on horseback, accompanied him across Fryar's Bridge. Thomas I. Faison lived at the Sum- THE STATE. March 197*»