Hidden in the countryside near Millstadt, Illinois, Hernando’s Bridge has become part of local paranormal folklore and one of the more chilling haunted places in Southern Illinois. Today, the bridge is best known for an eerie urban legend about the infamous Saxtown Witch.

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According to the legend, a local farmer became involved with the Saxtown Witch, who eventually demanded that he abandon his wife and children. When he refused, the witch supposedly placed a terrible curse upon him. The story takes a horrifying turn when the farmer is said to have hanged his own family from the covered bridge that once crossed the creek.

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Local folklore claims that on a full moon, visitors may see the dark shadows of the family's dead bodies reflected in the water below. For generations, stories like this have helped give Hernando’s Bridge in Millstadt its reputation as a haunted bridge in Illinois.