If a student attends UNA long enough, they will eventually have a run-in with the Jackson Ford Bridge, a one-lane structure that cars would use to cross Cypress Creek. The bridge, popularly referred to as “Ghost Bridge,” closed in 1996 and has now fallen into a state of disrepair.

Because of frequent visits from students, locals and others, the Lauderdale County Commission intends to demolish the bridge to avoid being liable for an accident (there’s a huge hole in the middle of it, and the bridge is 101 years old).

Discussion of these plans was tabled for 30 days in December 2012 when a local group of residents expressed interest in trying to preserve or rebuild the bridge. As of Jan. 14, however, the commission decided to demolish the bridge.

Because Ghost Bridge is a local source of college memories for many UNA students, some students have shared their thoughts on the bridge and its destruction. Shane Parker, a sophomore at UNA, said he felt that the bridge was too valuable to locals for it to be demolished.

“I haven’t lived in Florence all that long, but I think that all parts of a town’s history are important, even if it’s a creepy old bridge out in the middle of the woods,” he said.

Parker said that since moving to Florence, he has heard a variety of stories about what makes the Ghost Bridge haunted. Tyler Layne, a senior at UNA, said he believed the bridge was eerie regardless of the stories.

“I heard they used to hang slaves there and you could still hear the ropes swinging back and forth, twisting and creaking,” Layne said.

Many students have recounted tales that involve but are not limited to car accidents, boating accidents, fishing accidents, biking accidents, dating accidents, the Civil War, antebellum slave violence, murder, child abuse, teenage pranks gone horribly wrong and alien abductions. The list goes on from there.

“I think it has a lot of value for history and for great stories,” said Mack Cornwell, a junior. “There’s something refreshing about a place like that that is pure old-time. It’s also a great make-out spot.”

Other than romance, many other occurrences have reportedly happened near the bridge to provide its ominous vibe. Zach Searcy, a junior, provided the most common spooky story.

“Probably the craziest rumor that I have heard about Ghost Bridge is about some people going in and seeing a smaller car parked on their way in,” Searcy said. “After getting creeped out on the bridge, they left and on their way out, the same car was still there but had been flipped over, apparently.”

Searcy said he sees the bridge as an iconic part of the Florence experience, one that many students at UNA have been able to share.

“The idea that the city sees it fit to get rid of things like this is pretty disappointing,” Searcy said. “I’m not particularly attached to the bridge, but I am disappointed to see it go.”