In Brazoria, TX two slaves were unjustly hung by the neck from the limb of an old sturdy tree until they died. The ghosts of the slaves have haunted that area ever since.

In the past, drivers of horse pulled wagons they said that their horses would just stop below the tree. A man who didn’t believe the tales coaxed his horse under the tree and the animal stopped in its tracks. He had to force his horse to leave the spot.

Now they say that a car driven under the branches of that old tree will stall every time.

There is a church not to far from the tree and one night a woman was walking home from the church when she heard a noise. She turned and saw a small black boy a few yards behind her. She asked him if he needed help, but he didn’t reply so she turned and started walking again.

When she looked back moments later, she saw the figure had grown to a boy of about 12 and was following her soundlessly.

She began to walk faster and when she looked again the boy was a teenager. She began running from him and when she panicked and looked back again a grown man was close behind her. She ran to a nearby home and crashed through their front door while they were cheerfully eating dinner. The man had disappeared.

Stand under that tree at night and the boy will appear to you too.

Garrett Padron from Port Lavaca, TX

Another Version

Although Columbus is a town many like to visit because of its historical value, it also holds an unjust story deep within its soul. In October of 1935, a woman by the name of Geraldine Kollmann was found in Cummins Creek face down with her pants half removed. Shortly after the investigation began,, two black teen males were questioned and within a day, arrested for the murder of Geraldine Kollmann.  After long hours of questioning, the two boys confessed to the murder and signed false statements. Because the two were under eighteen, the law would prohibit the death penalty. They were taken to Houston for their safety and returned about a month later with a court hearing set for November 13, 1935.  The two were snuck back to Columbus the  night before the trial. The two officers transferring the teens were stopped by an armed mob of white men forced to surrender Mitchell and Collins. The teens were driven away and the officers were left behind. The boys were taken to the area where Kollmann’s body was found and were hung from the tree shown below.

Since then, this tree stands strong and bold in the town, taking us from a time when racism ruled our country to a time where Whites and Blacks can co-exist in a same time and space.

Reference: http://www.accd.edu/pac/faculty/rhines/StudentProjects/2006/Columbus/buggirl.html

Hanging Tree Controversey: http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/houston/stories/khou061018_cd_hangingtree.5071fe9c.html

Posted via email from Urban Legends Online

The administration transferred the patients and in 1904 the process was completed. During the transfer, some of the patients escaped and hid in the surrounding woods and forest. These individuals were lost, delusional and dangerous. Most of them were found except Marcus Lawster and Douglas Griffen. The local authorities found a trail they believed belonged to them, littered with half eaten mutilated bunnies.

The trail led deep into the woods to a tunnel bridge crossing a wide creek. There they found Marcus hanging from the tunnel entrance. There was a note attached to his foot that said, “You’ll never find me no matter how hard you try! Signed, The Bunny Man.” That tunnel has been called Bunny Man Bridge ever since.

The legend says that if you walk all the way down the tunnel at around midnight the Bunny Man will grab you and hang you from the entrance of the bridge.

Strange deaths and phenomena has been connected with the Bunny Man Bridge. There was a young man from Clifton, Virginia who came upon the Bridge while traveling. Later, he killed his parents and dragged their bodies into the woods to hang them from the bridge and then killed himself. In 1943, three teenagers, two men and a young woman, were at the bunny man bridge for Halloween night. The three youths were found dead, hung from the bridge with their bodies slashed open. All with notes attached to their feet saying the same thing,” You’ll never catch the Bunny Man!”

In 2001, after hearing the tale, six local students and a guide searched the area. They found mutilated bunny parts during their search and left the forest after they heard noises and saw figures moving around in the woods.

Variations:

Variations of this legend can be found at the following links:

Bunny Man Bridge story variation
Bunny Man Bridge story variation 2

Phillip Greco from Columbus, OH and Ace from Irving, TX