My Adventure on the Troll Bridge
Between the towns of Bremen and Plymouth, in German Township, Marshall County, Indiana
November 6, 2004
Little Egypt
Once upon a midnight dreary, I was pondering, weak and weary, on the seedy underbelly of the Internet about some haunted places in Indiana. I came across some entries regarding nearby German Township of Marshall County, between the towns of Bremen and the quaint and charming town of Plymouth (and southeast of the wonderful Lake of the Woods):
"Little Egypt - Many claims have been made of apparitions appearing at night at the cemetery. There have also been claims of driving around the cemetery and hand prints appearing on your windshield. One story is if you throw a nickel on a baby's tombstone, that you will hear it cry. If you go there you will get chased down by a phantom farmer that died in one of the fields around the graveyard. Down the street there is a woods. On certain nights you can hear what sounds like a girl screaming in the woods. Rumored Story: 'Four years ago a 17 year old girls body was found there. She had been raped and killed.' Little Egypt is located on 5A Road and Hawthorn in Marshall County. 5A road goes around the cemetery in a square style."
— (http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/haunted/hauntedplacesofindiana.htm) (See entry under "Bremen")
I rode my 2001 Honda Shadow 600 motorcycle to the graveyard on Saturday, November 6, 2004. It was unseasonably warm for that time of year for northwestern Indiana. I got there right before sunset. The place is desolate, and on, not a gravel road, but a mud road.
Location: 41°24.364' N, 86°12.154' W
I'm facing East here, standing near the intersection of 5A road (the mud road) and Hawthorn Road. You can see the reddish rays of the setting sun here, and my motorcycle on the right. I have no idea why this graveyard is called "Little Egypt"... on topographical maps it is referred to as "Ewald Cemetery".
Nearby, listed on the same website, is a mention of...
Troll Bridge
"Troll Bridge - This bridge is right down the road from Little Egypt. If you go and park your car or just park a little off the bridge and you get out there is a tall dark thing about 7-8 ft tall. It will either try to throw things at you or chase after you. WARNING: Do NOT go out here, stay off this bridge, this thing is not good and you will be terrified. I strongly suggest the un-stable [sic] mind stay out of here too, unless you are up for psychological damage."
— Ibid.
The bridge is about a mile east of the Little Egypt graveyard, and I arrived there right at sunset. It did seem spooky. Strange graffiti on the guardrails of the bridge. Certainly not English. It may be Orcish, or, far, far worse, the script of the abominable, horrific and terrifying Rakshasas (shape-shifting maneaters).
Location: 41°24.352' N, 86°10.879' W
This is looking west, toward the graveyard. The bridge is over the serene Yellow River, which joins with the Kankakee River at English Lake, northwest of North Judson. You can see North Grape Road joining 5A up the road, to the right.
I parked my motorcycle on the side of the road, with the engine running, in case I needed to make a hasty exit.
I'm minding my own business, taking pictures. All of a sudden, I pan my camera to the right and take the following photograph:
>
Location: 41°24.352' N, 86°10.879' W
This is the photograph, facing south-southwest, of the Yellow River, flowing underneath the bridge. If you look carefully, you may notice what seems to be an entity at the bottom right of the photo. Lens flare? I doubt it. The sun had already gone down. Dirt on my lens? Maybe*. It is a mystery.
Suddenly feeling misgivings and trepidation, I left that desolate wasteland as fast as I could.
Topographical map image source: USGS (United States Geographical Survey)
Aerial photograph image source: Google Earth
Jim Schwartz
Postscript
*Believe it or not, I have received many emails asking me whether or not that the last image is real. Yes, the photograph is real, although I do admit to taking the liberty to Photoshopping a cave troll from the Lord of the Rings movie into it as poetic license, in an attempt to visually describe my intense apprehension. I thought everyone would recognize this literary invention, but, apparently, not... at least one person emailed me, asking me if this photo was real (is this a testament to my digital artistry skills?). But everything else about the story is true.