Ghost Bride of Bellamy Bridge - Marianna, Florida

This story takes us to Jackson County Florida, May 1837.  A young couple was married that day.  Samuel Bellamy a prominent farmer and Doctor married his long time sweetheart Elizabeth, with whom he grew up with in North Carolina.  Their wedding was held at a new plantation Samuel had built where they would spend their days as a married couple.  However, those happy days would never happen.

The haunted Bellamy Bridge near Marianna, Florida said to be haunted by the ghost of a bride

On their wedding night at the celebration held afterward, it is said that Elizabeth was dancing around and around in her happiness.  She was so caught up with emotion that she got too close to a candles that were in place to light the ceremony.  Her elegant dress went up in flames.  Elizabeth ran from the house screaming as the flames engulfed her.  Those around her ran to her aid, but they were too late.  Hours later she died in Samuel's arms.  Samuel would go on to be successful, but would never remarry and never really recovered from the loss of his bride.  He suffered from depression and in 1853, took his own life.

A phantom bride is said to haunt the swamps along the Chipola River in Florida and cross the Bellamy Bridge near Marianna, Florida

Some say that to this day Elizabeth haunts the area and in particular, a bridge over the Chipola River located nearby where she was buried.  There are many different reports of the form that the ghost of Elizabeth Bellamy takes.  Early on after she died, many claimed to see a full bodied apparition dressed in a white gown rising from her grave and wandering about the misty wooded areas along the river.  Other's claim to see the form of a woman in flames running through the groves of trees and along the Chipola River. There are those witnesses who say they have seen a strange misty form moving along the woods near the river and actually crossing what was once known as the Chipola River Bridge where Elizabeth had crossed during her final days.

Black Phantom of Anna Maria Island - Bradenton Beach, FL

On the shores of Anna Maria Island along Bradenton Beach, Florida one can find the spectacular views relaxing as many other beach goers have.  However, there is also something else that roams the beaches of Anna Maria.

Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island is host to more than just beach goers

In 1923, Henry Curry, resident of nearby Bradenton, built a house along the shore of Bradenton Beach.  It is said that over the years, the house became inhabited by various spirits  who were most likely former residents or had ties to the home in some way.  One of them was a woman who was reported to have drown out at sea when the ship she was sailing on wrecked and sank.  A young boy and his ghostly dog that appears to be a dalmatian have also been spotted in the Curry house. Another ghost said to haunt the beach side home was what appeared to be a captain or a sailor who smoked a pipe and wore clothing that of a seaman.  Another spooky trait of the home was that it always smelled of orange blossom perfume, even from the outside.

The southern tip of haunted Anna Maria Island, Florida

Bradenton Beach, Florida on Anna Maria Island

Eventually, the house was torn down because no one wanted to purchase it.  Condominiums have since taken it's place.  However, the phantoms of the Curry house may still linger in the area.  Shadow people have been seen walking the sandy shores of Brandenton Beach.  There is one spirit in particular that appears in the form of a black shadow with some sort of hat.  This Black Phantom who may be the ghost of the seaman from the Curry house, has been seen by many at various times of the day including broad daylight, moving through the trees and walking across the beach to the waters edge where it just seems to disappear into the sea.

Bradenton Beach, Florida just may be the place to go relax, enjoy the beach, and take in a ghost or two!

So take a stroll on the shores of Bradenton Beach and see if you encounter any spirits from the past!  

Bradenton Beach on Dwellable

Captain Tony’s Saloon - Key West, Florida

The island of Key West was discovered in the early 1500's by Ponce de Leon.  Originally they named the island "Cayo Hueso" which means "Isle of Bones".  They named it such because the island was totally covered in bones.  The island was the site of a previous massacre or it was some sort of Indian burial ground.  It is unknown for certain where these bones came from.

Key West, Florida

As water trade increased so did the population and eventually Key West was settled.  The site of Key West's first bar was established on top of part of these burial grounds. And to top that off, before the building became the first bar, it was the first morgue on Key West. The mortician dearly attached to his daughter, made her burial place inside the building.  As the trade increased, so did the pirating.  The hanging tree where pirates where hanged was located just outside of the morgue. 

Captain Tony's Saloon

Eventually the building was expanded and the establishment today is known today as Captain Tony's Saloon.   Some of you may already know of this bar.  It was immortalized in Jimmy Buffett's song "Last Mango in Paris".  

Many skeletons where found while digging for the building's addition and all were left undisturbed.  The structure was actually built around the hanging tree which still exists in the middle of the saloon as well as the mortician's daughter's tombstone which is now the billiard room.  It is said to be one of the most haunted places on Key West being subject of many strange paranormal occurrences and sightings.  One tale of a particular haunt is a woman who killed her husband was hanged from the tree that stands inside Captain Tony's.  Her apparition has been seen wandering around the premises believed to be looking for a new husband!  She can be seen wearing the same gray nightgown that she was hanged in.  Sometimes she is referred to as "The Lady in Gray".

The tombstone located in the billiard room at Captain Tony's

There are also tales of one of the bathrooms being haunted, particularly the women's room.  People have found that doors become locked for no apparent reason.  Reports of strange and eerie sensations that overcome you when entering the bathroom have deterred many from using it!  Could this be related to the ghost of the "widow" looking for a husband?

The hanging tree growing in the middle of Captain Tony's

 Key West on Dwellable