MAYES COUNTY

CRYBABY BRIDGE

THE STORY: One day long ago a baby had drowned while parents were picnicking. It is said that if you drive over Crybaby Bridge in Pryor, Oklahoma at night you can hear a baby crying. The bridge has since been torn down, but some residents claim that a faint noise of a baby crying can be heard either coming from the woods near the site of the former bridge or below where the bridge once stood. There are a number of other quaint old bridges in the area. The 9th Street Bridge in Pryor is also rumored to be haunted by a ghost that will let few unsuspecting people see it. EVIDENCE: Anecdotal. There are multiple instances of the urban legend of the Crybaby Bridge across the United States. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crybaby_Bridge

SIDE POCKETS POOLHALL

THE STORY: Located in Pryor, Oklahoma, where more that 50 people were killed during the tornado that struck on April 27, 1942. The tornado ranks as the fifth deadliest in Oklahoma history. Originally named "Coo-Y-Yah", Cherokee for "huckleberry", the city was later renamed Pryor Creek, then shortened by the US Postal Service to "Pryor". Local folklore holds that pool balls flying off tables, balls and tables found rearranged in the morning. One resident reports that the paranormal activity occurs at the location of the original pool hall, now a diner, and not at the current location of Side Pockets Poolhall. EVIDENCE: Photographic evidence.

THUNDERBIRD YOUTH ACADEMY

THE STORY: According to locals, many years before it was a military school it was a orphanage. A tornado hit the orphanage on April 27, 1942 and killed many of the children who lived there. The Thunderbird Youth Academy in Pryor, Oklahoma was launched in September of 1993 under the National Guard Bureau, as a three-year federally funded pilot program. Permanent funding was obtained in September 1996 when the state of Oklahoma allocated funds to support the program. The cuirriculum draws upon a "quasi-military" approach. Two quiet friendly spirits are said to have been observed wandering the campus. The third platoon building is reported to be haunted by a child named Hector. Other residents have reported paranormal activity in a storage room near the nurses station. Other TYA residents have reported lights going on an off, a ball rolling across the floor, shadowy figures moving across hallways, etc. According to one witness if you are awake at night you can here the talking and laughing of children. The witness reported being awakened at night to see a small girl standing next to his bunk. There are different legends about Hector told by residents, including that he was killed by the cook at the orphage and fed to the other children, and that he was hung by the custodian. In all accounts Hector was reported to have been a "difficult" child. EVIDENCE: Numerous first hand eye witness accounts reported by former TYA residents.