The Sidaway Bridge in Cleveland may be a ruin today, but it’s also one of the creepiest places in the city. Between serial killings and race riots, this bridge has seen a lot of turmoil.

Here’s some of the ghastly and ghostly history behind one of Cleveland’s most troubled spots. 

The Sidaway Bridge in Cleveland has a grim past that may chill you in more ways than one.

Google/George Jolly Completed in 1929 as a replacement for a previous bridge in the same location, Sidaway Bridge provided pedestrian access across the Kingsbury Run.

However, just a few years after opening, the bridge became notorious as the dumping ground of a local serial killer.

Google/Annaka Jane The Cleveland Torso Murders were a series of 12 murders committed between 1935 and 1938. Four mutilated corpses were left near the Sidaway Bridge during that period, and other body was dumped there in 1942.

It’s no surprise that locals have claimed to hear and see strange things near the bridge at night.

Google/Brad Black Disembodied screaming and ghostly apparitions have been reported over the years.

Sadly, the Torso Murders aren’t the only tragic element to the Sidaway Bridge’s story.

Google/Ryan Murray Between the 1940s and 1970s, the bridge became a focal point for racial tensions in Cleveland.

The Sidaway connected the predominantly white Jackowo neighborhood and school district with the Kinsman Road neighborhood, which had a large number of black families.

Google/Brad Black Children from Kinsman Road would often use the bridge to walk to school in the Jackowo neighborhood, which angered some in the white community.

In 1966, the bridge was partially destroyed and set aflame during the Hough Riots, removing the link between the two communities.

Google/Brad Black The city chose not to repair the bridge.

Today, the Sidaway Bridge ruins stand as a haunting (and perhaps haunted) reminder of some of the darkest moments of Cleveland’s past.

Google/Brad Black

The Sidaway Bridge is not open for pedestrian traffic and is unsafe to explore. If you decide to view the bridge, please do so from a safe distance.

Google/George Jolly

Completed in 1929 as a replacement for a previous bridge in the same location, Sidaway Bridge provided pedestrian access across the Kingsbury Run.

Google/Annaka Jane

The Cleveland Torso Murders were a series of 12 murders committed between 1935 and 1938. Four mutilated corpses were left near the Sidaway Bridge during that period, and other body was dumped there in 1942.

Google/Brad Black

Disembodied screaming and ghostly apparitions have been reported over the years.

Google/Ryan Murray

Between the 1940s and 1970s, the bridge became a focal point for racial tensions in Cleveland.

Children from Kinsman Road would often use the bridge to walk to school in the Jackowo neighborhood, which angered some in the white community.

The city chose not to repair the bridge.

Do you have any haunted tales from Cleveland? Care to share your ghostly encounters? Drop us a line in the comments below!

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Address: Sidaway Bridge, Cleveland, OH 44104, USA