The first place I ever went to in America was Florida - I loved it - the whole time
I was there though, I had no idea how many creepy stories originate from Florida.
All you Floridians watching this video - youve been hiding these stories and as for the rest
of you, wait till you hear some of these - it might even make you think twice about booking
that trip.
My name is Danny Burke and this is the Top 10 Scary Florida Urban Legends.
Starting off at number 10 we have Bloody Bucket Bridge.[a] This one comes from the town of
Wauchula - theres an old road there built over 100 years ago - to the locals its simply
known as Bloody Bucket Bridge.
Follow that along and youll find Bloody Bucket bridge which crosses a narrow waterway that
locals say sometimes run red with blood.
The story goes that after the Civil War a freed slave and her husband settled in the
town.
She was elderly and took up work as a midwife.
It was tough because every day she was reminded of the children that were stolen away from
her when she was a slave.
Eventually, she began to lose her mind.
She would suffocate and kill babies she delivered as they were being born.
She would then bury them in the river and dump buckets of blood into the water by the
bridge.
Everyone thought the babies were just stillborn.
By the time people became suspicious and stopped using her as a midwife, its thought she killed
about 100 babies.
She was exiled and spent the rest of her days as a mad woman in the florida swamps, screaming
that she was haunted by the ghosts of the babies.
She always kept a bucket next to her that was said to fill up with ghostly blood.
Legend says if you go to that bridge today and wait for the full moon, you can see the
water run red with blood - stay too long and you may even hear screams coming from the
woods …
Moving on to number 9 we have The Skunk Ape.[b] A number of southern states in the US have
the legend of the Skunk Ape, but I think its most prominent in Florida.
Ever since the 1960s and 70s, Floridians have been reporting the sight of a giant ape like
creature stalking the everglades.
More often than not, they don't just see this creature - they smell it.
It gets the skunk part of its name from its unbearable odor said to be like methane or
rotten eggs.
Physical descriptions vary but the Skunk Ape is said to stand seven ft high and weigh up
to 450 pounds.
Locals say it lived in alligator caves along with dead animal carcasses.
While most scientists have discredited the idea of a giant ape running around Florida,
there are many people who swear by it.
These days, theres even an official Skunk Ape Research Headquarters in Ochopee.
Researchers collect samples and investigate reports of swamp ape sightings.
At the time of recording, theyve yet to find conclusive evidence and the search continues
…
At number 8 now we have The Killer Cloud.[c] Out of all the urban legends Ive talked about,
this is perhaps one of the most unique.
In the woods along the Tomoka River, on Daytona beach, a strange pink cloud has been blamed
for the disappearance of dozens of people.
The cloud was first seen in the 50s and 60s and is said to appear during the colder months
of the year.
It is rumored to devour the flesh off human bodies.
Locals have reported finding human bones in the area after the cloud disappeared.
Some say its swamp gas or a local fog that covered only a small area.
Perhaps the creepiest explanation though is that its the angry spirit of Chief Tomokie
who was cursed for drinking from a sacred spring.
Now he devours any who cant outrun the pink cloud …
Next up at number 7 we have The Tallahassee Witch.
In 1889, Elizabeth Budd Graham was buried in the old city cemetery in Tallahassee.
The 23 year old was a wife and mother whos life was not overly remarkable.
Locals have always found it strange then that her tomb is perhaps the grandest in the whole
cemetery.
Local legend says the reason is because Elizabeth was a witch.
As with Christian tradition, the other graves face east - but Elizabeths faces west.
Her gravestone has a poem by Edgar Allan Poe engraved on it which reads -Ah!
Broken is the golden bowl.
The spirit flown forever!
Let the bell toll!
A saintly soul Floats on the Stygian River; Come let the burial rite be read.
The funeral song be sung; An anthem for the queenliest dead that died so young.
A dirge for her the doubly dead In that she died so young.- … some believe this holds
clues to her being a witch.
Broken in a bowl refers to killing a vampire.
Doubly dead refers to witchcraft as a witch must be killed twice to die.
To this day, locals have reported modern day witches visiting her grave to pay their respects
…
Coming in at number 6 now we have the Gator Men[d].
Im sure any of you who are from Florida will know that its famous for Alligators - but
have you heard of the gator men?
Yes, there are allegedly half human half alligator hybrids that live in Floridas everglades.
Going way back to the 1700s you can find reports of these creatures - the top half resembles
a human but by the time you get below the waist, everything changes.
They are said to have webbed feet, scales and tails.
Not everything is an even split along the body though - witnesses have reported that
their teeth are not human like - they say theyre jagged and resembles alligator teeth
more closely.
Theyre said to be highly intelligent, aggressive and cunning creatures that travel in groups
and even have their own language.
Without any recorded sightings though, the Gator Men remain swamped in urban legend …
Moving on to number 5 now we have The Devils Chair.
[e]Legend says that in a graveyard in Cassadaga florida is a chair that belongs to the devil
himself.
Its a wide brick bench that was supposedly built by the devil.
Every night at midnight, the devil returns to sit in his chair.
Its meant only for him and if you sit in it - he will have his revenge.
Locals say that he whispers evil ideas in your ear while youre in the chair - ideas
that will haunt you forever and send you down a spiral of evil doings that will result in
you going to hell where you can join him forever.
Another strange addition to the legend is that if you leave a full, unopened can of
beer on the chair and return the next morning, the can will be empty - but still unopened.
Thats all I know, youll have to visit and try for yourself if you want to know more
…
Coming in at number 4 now we have The Riddle House.[f] This Edwardian house was built in
Palm Beach in 1905.
From the outside it looks like nothing out of the ordinary but its history has attracted
paranormal hunters from all over the world.
Its original purpose was as a funeral home, housing bodies overnight before their burial.
In the 1920s it was bought by Karl Riddle who turned it into a home for his family.
They were terrorized by spirits of the dead from years gone by - eventually one of Riddles
employees hung himself in the attic room of the Riddle House because he saw no way out
of the hard times he had fallen upon.
Karl wrote in his diary that after that, the energy in the house changed.
Employees heard voices when no one was there.
Karl removed the beam from which the man hung himself but the hauntings continued.
The family were forced to leave.
Years later, the house was taken apart and moved to the South Florida Fairgrounds and
amazingly, people claim those ghost went with it.
They say some evil spirit still lives in the attack, attacking anyone who dares climb the
ladder ...
Moving on to number 3 we have The Ghosts of the St Augustine Lighthouse.
Built in 1874, this lighthouse started out normal, being passed from owner to onwer - that
was until it came to Peter Rasmussen.
His spirit is said to have imbued itself with the lighthouse itself.
All these years on, staff report smelling the smell of cigars years after Peter died.
Another legend involves a pair of girls, Eliza and Mary Pity.
They were playing in the nearby waters in the late 1800s while their mother worked on
the lighthouse.
In a tragic accident, the girls drowned.
Staff say their laughter can still be heard from the top of the lighthouse every night.
Next up at number 2 we have Spook Hill.
In the town of Lake Wales you can find Spook Hill.
Locals tell you that its a must see for anyone interested in the paranormal - although, you
may have already thought that based on the name.
Legends says that if you stop your car in the right spot on Spook hill and put it in
neutral - you can experience your car rolling up hill.
Most people are happy to just experience it, be a bit scared and then move on - but for
those of you who are attracted to the creepy side of things, youll be pleased to know what
there is story said to explain this.
A nearby sign reads -Many years ago an Indian village on Lake Wales was plagues by raids
of a huge gator.
The Chief, a great warrior, killed the gator in a battle that created a small lake.
The chief was buried on the north side.
Pioneer mail riders first discovered their horses laboring down hill, thus naming it
Spook Hill.
When the road was paved, cars coasted uphill.
Is this the gator seeking revenge, or the chief still trying to protect his land?-
And finally at number 1 we have Robert The Doll.[g] Ive talked about this doll a lot
and it never gets any less creepy.
In 1906, Robert Eugene Tott was given a doll as a boy in Florida.
It was a gift from his nanny who also dabbled in voodoo.
The 40 inch tall doll was made of wood, stuffed with wool and wore a sailor outfit.
This is where it gets confusing - Robert gave his name to the doll - he just gave it up
and started calling himself Gene.
Gene spoke to Robert the doll all the time and swore it was real.
Eventually, even neighbors began to think they heard the doll whisper, change its expression
or even move by itself.
Some children once claimed they saw the doll looking out of the top window of the familys
home.
The family began to think think their sons doll might be possessed.
No matter how much they wanted to get rid of the doll though, Gene wouldnt let it go.
He kept the creepy doll for the rest of his life.
These days he sits in a class box at the For East Martello museum … despite the glass
and the years that have passed, even the sight of him creeps people out …
Thank you Florida for just being you - I loved those stories - if you did too, youll be pleased
to know theres enough for a part 2 or let me know where we should go next.
Thanks for watching as always guys, my name is Danny Burke and Ill see you all in the
next video!