By Trista Herring Baughman
On the banks of the Tombigbee River on the Eastern border of Mississippi lies the historical “Friendly City” of Columbus.
In 1540 the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto described its location while on his quest to find the lost city of gold, El Dorado. Later the area was a trading-post settlement called “Possum Town” by the Choctaw and Chickasaw.
Columbus’s “Decoration Day,” held in remembrance of fallen Civil War soldiers, led to the United States’ National Memorial Day holiday.
Today the city attracts many tourists for its historical significance, blues and jazz roots, preserved Antebellum architecture, Southern cuisine, riverboat lore, and much more.
Aside from these attractions and excellent hunting and fishing opportunities, you mght find something a bit more sinistser along a particular stretch of country road here. The road’s official name is Nash Road, but locals call it “Three-Legged Lady Road.”
There are several variations of the legend of Three-Legged Lady Road; I’ll share a few with you now.
One version of the story tells of a young girl, possibly named Rose. Her murderer(s) dismembered her body and scattered the pieces into the nearby woods. A distraught mother roamed the woods searching for the bits, only to find a single leg. In some versions of the story, the mother sewed the leg to her body as a way to keep the remnants of her daughter with her; in others she carries the leg with her as she continues to search along the wooded roadside.
Another story is of a poor farmer and his wife who lived on the road. The wife had an affair with a Civil War veteran. When her husband found out, he killed his wife’s lover, drug his body down the road and over the bridge. The veteran’s leg was torn off and left on the bridge.
The wife found her lover’s leg and stitched it onto her own body, then in a fit of rage, killed her husband and commited suicide.
Some say she walks the road at night and haunts the cememtery of the now non-existant church where her lover’s funeral took place.
Another version tells of a devoted wife and her cheating husband who lived on the road. When she discovered his infidelity, she chopped him into pieces. She stitched one of his legs onto her hip–claiming a part of him for eternity. She buried the rest of his remains in the cemetery down the road.
Church members suspected foul play and threatened to turn her in, so she locked everyone inside and set the church on fire during one Sunday meeting. She was never seen again.
There are still other stories, but one common thread runs through them all; They say if you stop along the road, turn off your headlights, and honk three times, you’ll summon her. She’ll beat the sides of your car, and you may see her in the dim glow of your tail lights, chasing you as you flee into the night. Some have reported handprints and dents on their cars after an encounter.
I’ve heard the legend has caused many a car wreck; turning your headlights off on a dark country road usually isn’t a good idea. I’ve never driven down Three-Legged Lady Road, and I’m not sure I want to. But if you have or you have heard stories, I’d love to hear about it.
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Resources:
Mississippi Folklore 