I've always been fascinated by ghostly sightings or urban legends that culminate over the years by either eye witness accounts or actual experiences. Whether some are true or just made up, they still make for some very interesting conversations. Here's four urban legends that took place not far from here.

If you travel a lot through the piney woods of East Texas, chances are you've heard this ghostly tale. The Bragg Lights can usually be seen traveling down a on dirt logging road near Saratoga, Texas. Named after a town that used to be in the area, this story was mostly heard in the the 1940s, 50s, and 60s during the oil boom. The urban legend is similar to the Gurdon Light in Arkansas, about a railroad worker who was decapitated while working on the rails. The ghost people see is supposedly the railroad worker looking for his severed head and the light people see is the lantern he is carrying. However the light vanishes as quickly as people claim to see it. Scientists claim that the light is caused by natural gases in the area and is merely a reflection. There are many interpretations of this story so this is one that goes down as an urban legend.

Early autumn morning in the forest
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Deep in the woods in Arlington, Texas there's an urban legend of River Legacy Park known as Hell's Gate. The story goes at the end of this trail in this park visitors will come upon a huge dirt mound in the exact spot where supposedly Union Army soldiers long ago were executed  If you look hard you can still see where the posts used to be that formed a gate that led to a hanging tree. Because of all the tormented souls that are trapped there it was deemed Hell's gate. They say you can still hear screams, cries and prayers of the prisoners' last few steps before their fate.

This has been a Mexican urban legend for generations about a blood sucking beast that is reportedly around four foot tall, has been known to stand upright on all fours and has sharp claws for its feet, hands and has spikes on its head and back. This story eventually spilled into Texas when livestock and other animals were found slain and drained of blood. This creature has also been called a vampire by some people.

Also located in the River Legacy Park in Arlington, the Screaming Bridge became an urban legend because of its tragic story. One night a carload of teenagers were out having some fun and were driving too fast as they approached the bridge hitting an oncoming car. The teenagers plunged into the river as both cars caught fire and all of the passengers died. The road and bridge is now closed but the only way you can get to it is by a walking trail in the park. They say if you go there at night you can see strange lights, a misty fog, an eerie glow in the river and you get strange feelings.

Do you know of any urban legends around here?

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