Bunny Man Bridge: Research and Legend Analysis
By Robert Greyberg

Part I
The Legend/ Misconception
For at least 30 years, the Bunny Man Legend has gone from camp fire to camp fire, sleep over to sleep over, book to book, blog to blog, and from Clifton/Fairfax Station, VA to the national spotlight as one of America’s most chilling yet fascinating urban legends. Sightings of the story’s infamous character, the Bunny Man, have been knowingly reported throughout the Northern Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. area.

While sightings have quite a large radius, their one main epicenter is the one lane railroad viaduct at the end of Colchester Road in Fairfax Station, VA. Isolated, and somewhat neglected, this structure has been titled the Bunny Man’s main abode, and is known by locals and thrill seekers as Bunny Man Bridge.

As the story goes, this site is supposedly where the Bunny Man committed his various homicides (circa 1904-1970s/1980s), took his own life, and now resides as an axe-wielding apparition. And for thirty years, all of this was believed to be true. The legend had been passed down from one generation to the next. Bits and pieces were added on, different variations of the legend came about, and then finally someone questioned its validity.

A Fairfax County Historian and Archivist, Brian A. Conley, wrote a detailed and fact-ridden research essay in order to de-bunk the legend. Making statements such as “there never has been or/was a mental institute in or in the surrounding areas of Clifton and Fairfax Station, VA” and that “no such murders are on record”.

He also stated that Lorton Prison would never have been a location to ship mental convicts to since (a. it didn’t exist until after 1904, which means the 1904 version of the legend is fake, and b. it only held prisoners, not mental patients). Citing actual records and historical documents, Conley quieted the legend for the most part, except for one part that has kept it ever so alive since the publication of his essay.

Upon his deep research, Conley stumbled upon a Washington Post newspaper article from the early 70s pertaining to the Bunny Man. The article described the two incidents of a man dressed in a white bunny costume, vandalizing property. One incident he threw a hatchet through the passenger window of a parked car with a young couple in it, on Guinea Road in Fairfax, VA. Another incident, the same man in a bunny costume, vandalized property at a construction site, while at the same time threatening a security guard on site and telling him that he was trespassing.

Both incidents happened within a close vicinity of each other, a few days apart, and were believed to be committed by the same person. While the location and action of these events are nothing like the rumored serial killings that supposedly occurred at the railroad overpass in Fairfax Station on Halloween Night, Mr. Conley blames such events as the main source of the legend.

Many have believed his findings, and majority of the paranoia and fear associated with the myth have disappeared from locals minds. But there still remains the question of if. What if Mr. Conley misguided us accidentally in the wrong direction? What if the man dressed in the bunny costume in Fairfax, was just a copycat of the real Bunny Man? What if the two stories, of the man in Fairfax, and the murders in Clifton/Fairfax Station mingled, and became the story we know today? This question of if has kept this legend alive.

And this question of if has inspired me to prove certain facts Mr. Conley did not notice and did not mention. These facts, be them similar to the legend, are hard to not notice. Is Mr. Conley, someone who works for Fairfax County, trying to cover something up? Something, such as the truth? The question remains, and now is the time for answers.

Part II

The Counter Argument

The counter argument to Mr. Conley’s de-bunking the legend case will be split into various sections. Each will start with a statement along the lines of what Mr. Conley said, and others will be common rumor that have been spread to prove certain parts of the legend wrong. While some parts of the legend are by all means fake/ added on gossip, some parts of the story may have some truth/connection behind them. And that is the main focus of this essay; the possibility about truth and connection between the legend and actual events/places.

Mental Institutes in Clifton/Fairfax Station, VA

According to Mr. Conley and other sources, there has never been an organization such as a mental institute in Fairfax County, especially in the Clifton/Fairfax station area. This statement is true in technical terms, for there never actually has been a registered/organized mental institute/hospital in the county.

While such a fact is true, there is a second side to this fact. There have been organizations like mental institutes in the county, two of which were located specifically in Clifton and Fairfax Station, in areas of the region that could have connections to the legend.

The first organization of interest is Ivakota Farm. Ivakota Farm was a organization set up in the early 1900s that served as a home for single mothers (many of which had children), troubled women, and delinquent women who had either gone their by choice, or were sentenced there by court order.

This opens a gateway of possibilities. Rumors of women being abused by workers (most likely men) at the facility (whether true or not) have been heard of. Such rumors, and the fact that troubled/delinquent women resided there opens another possibility. The combination of the two, could mean that there were murders committed by male workers upon the women at the facility, and violence that could have occurred at the farm. Whether such possible events occurred between the workers and the women, or the women amongst themselves, is up for one to decide. But such possible abuse, possible murder, and a crowd of troubled (possibly mentally ill) and delinquents, sounds a lot like the Bunny Man legend (which mentions a mental institute-like organization in Clifton that was either closed down in 1904 or the 1970s).

Another coincidence is the dates just mentioned. 1904 and the 1970s are key in this legend, for these are the years the mental institute was rumored to close, and the murders supposedly occurred. They also are key in the history of Ivakota Farm. Ivakota Farm was opened around 1904, in the early 1900s, and closed down around the 1960s and 1970s. It is strange, the two dates appear both in the history of this mental institute-like organization and the Bunny Man Legend one might think.

What also is strange, is that Ivakota Farm is located by the railroad tracks that run through Clifton; another key element in the legend (for, the train tracks, is the spot where the buses transferring the mental patients supposedly crashed and where the murders were supposedly committed), and just like in the story is located near several train bridges (where the murders were supposedly committed), some of them being located over creeks (which one variation of the legend states is where the murders actually occurred; at a bridge over a creek). As far out as these possibilities and theories may seem; they are very hard to miss, especially for a professional researcher like Mr. Conley.
The second organization, that Mr. Conley did not mention, is one that is really hard to miss, due to its supposed old location and its mental institute-like set up. The second organization is that of the poor house (the existed circa late 1800s throughout some of the 1900s; just like the time of the legend), that used to sit right near the site of the well-known Bunny Man Bridge.

Like any poor house, shelters like this tended to take in people of poverty, illness, mental instability, occasionally convicts, and those of great age and weakness. Notice the mentioning of people mental instability and convicts. Now how can you miss that! Two very key elements of this legend; the mentally insane and convicts residing in a public organization that is quite similar to a mental institute, located right next to Bunny Man Bridge. This legend could easily have been morphed into what it is now by situations like that.

In fact to make the convict theory even more plausible, would it help to mention that the Sheriff owned land right next to this poor house? Wouldn’t it seem likely, that he might keep the convicts for a night or two in that building to keep them on close watch? And wouldn’t it seem likely, that if he did do that, that there was a good chance of them escaping?

If, this isn’t obvious, then what is? While it is not a proven fact (the mentally insane/convict part) it sure seems likely, or likely enough that it could be the root of such a legend. Yet Mr. Conley didn’t mention any of it! And yet this institution was located right next to where the Bunny Man Bridge is!

How could he miss that key of a detail? It is not t hat hard to discover. If a regular civilian, like me, can find information on the existence of such an organization, then it should have been a piece of cake for a professional researcher like Mr. Conley (who has easy access to county public records) to stumble upon something this significant.



The Wrong Bridge?

With this topic of the bridge on mind, another factor in the case is brought up. What if the location of the bridge is wrong? Different variations of the legend state that the bridge is located somewhere else, either deep in the woods, over a wide creek, or is simply just another railroad bridge in the area. If this is true, the whole legend and investigation can be altered. If one plays the role of investigator in this case, they must now consider every railroad bridge in Clifton and Fairfax Station as a suspect.

Here is a list of known railroad bridges and their locations in Clifton or Fairfax Station:

Bridge Site One: Outside of Clifton Park in Downtown Clifton, VA. It is significant because of its close location to Ivakota Farm (the mental institute-like organization); thus being a good candidate for possibly being a source of the legend.

Bridge Site Two: Crossing Popes Head Creek, this bridge abutment is significant due to its age and characteristics. Like in certain variations of the legend this bridge dates back to the Civil War and post-Civil war era (early 1900s). Not only that, but is also is over a creek, which is somewhat wide (for the one variation of the legend states that the bridge is over a wide creek), and therefore resembles the bridge described in that variation of the legend.

Located northeast of Clifton, and visible from Chapel Park, this bridge has two sister bridges that are of the same or similar age and characteristics (one of them for sure being over a creek). One of these bridges is located very close to the known Bunny Man Bridge. Funny enough it looks very similar to Bunny Man Bridge, and therefore poses the theory that the known Bunny Man Bridge, is a mistake, due to its similarity to this other bridge, and that this other bridge is in fact the real bridge.

Bridge Site Three: Located within Hemlock Overlook Regional Park/ Bull Run Regional Park this bridge is significant, because it too is around the same age as the legend (circa post-Civil War/ early 1900s). Located somewhat near Ivakota Farm (the mental institute-like organization), this bridge can be associated with the possibility that something violent occurred involving people from Ivakota Farm, and happened at this bridge, thus sparking the roots of the legend.

Other Bridge Sites: There are many other bridges in Clifton and Fairfax Station, that withhold the same or similar age and characteristics of the bridges listed. Due to their hard to reach locations (many times being on private property) or bad conditions (i.e.: falling apart, rotting, or nearly disappeared) such bridges, and their possible ties/connections to the legend cannot be looked into more.










Bunny Man Bridge’s Other History: Another Explanation For Paranormal Activity?

Another problem with Mr. Conley’s research is that he fails to explain Bunny Man Bridge’s other history. Such history that it happens to occur right around when the legend supposedly began (post-Civil War era). In the Civil War, the site of Bunny Man Bridge was the location of a train station, owned by the U.S> Military. This railroad track had been one of the Union’s main supply routes in the region. Confederate attacks on such bridges and stations were common, and in one case a small skirmish with some known casualties occurred at this train station right next to where Bunny Man Bridge was. The station’s name was Sangsters Station.

Easy to look up, yet forgotten in history, this station may be a partial cause in paranormal activity at the bridge (due to the casualties experienced there during the Civil War, in other words Civil War ghost may haunt the bridge). Once again, Mr. Conley failed to mention this about the bridge, along with not mention the old poor house either.

This structure once existing (even after the Civil War) leads to the possibility of another possible murder site, that could have helped sparked the story that developed into the legend. How a man in bunny costume wielding an axe comes into the story, beats me. But, there is always possibility!


The Murders

While there are no recorded murders of such deaths as described in the legend, as stated by Mr. Conley, this does not mean an end to the issue. Who said the murders, or murders that morphed into the legend, were recorded? In the time that legend supposedly takes place, murder cases were not always recorded, authorities weren’t always contacted, and investigations weren’t always solved like they are now. Once again, such circumstances lead to a greater chance of the legend actually being based on some truth.





Ending Statement and Conclusion

While the situations and theories I have presented are based on few facts, and are more so hypothetical and possible situations, it still doesn’t mean their probability of occurrence is extremely low. It is from these facts, locations, and theories listed that most likely is where the roots of the legend began.
Events and locations could have occurred years ago. Something as simple as a town murder could have been blown out of proportion and caused this legend of an axe-wielding maniac in a bunny costume. But it is not the whole idea of the legend, I’m trying to prove is possibly true; it’s the simple events and locations it’s based off of that I’m trying to prove true.

This story has to be based off of something; somebody just didn’t get up out of bed one day and write this legend. And even if they did; they couldn’t have based it that simply on the report of a guy who showed up in a bunny costume in Fairfax. They had to get the mental institute, the bridge, and gruesome murders story from somewhere. Even if the part about the man in the bunny costume is fake, and the part about the mental institute, the train bridge, and the murders is true; then at least there is some truth there.

And that’s what matters; the truth. What is the real truth behind this legend, and why do people like Mr. Conley and Fairfax County Police Officers skim over the certain factors like Ivakota Farm, the old Poor House, Sangster Station, and the other bridges when they talk about the legend? Is comes off as mysterious. It appears there is more to the story. Truth. Yes. Truth. And the situations, facts, and locations stated here, are just a little bite of what could be the actual truth.

This manifesto, ladies and gentlemen, is why marijuana is still considered dangerous and is kept illegal. It just turns some people into deranged, rambling messes.

This legend needs to be looked into more by the residents of Fairfax County. If uncovered and advertised well enough, it can be worth tons of money. Movies, stores, even products with this theme could be sold. Our county's main tourist attraction could become this bridge (which ever is the real bridge). Just something to look into.

Consider it. Investigate it. It truly is interesting.

Excellent work, Robert.

Robert Greyberg Wrote:
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> Our county's main tourist
> attraction could become this bridge (which ever is
> the real bridge).

Let's see....we've got Mount Vernon, home to our nation's first president. We have the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum, home to the Enola Gay, Space Shuttle Enterprise, the Concorde and countless other historical aviation artifacts. We have Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. We have Gunston Hall, home of George Mason, one of the founding fathers of the US, and several other historical and important sites that may have lent a hand in shaping our nation's history. Then we have some bridge where a mythical kook dressed in a bunny suit allegedly killed people. Hmmmm...somehow I doubt it will ever be Fairfax County's "main tourist attraction" as I don't see people from all over the US making the trip here to see a bridge where this myth supposedly occurred.

Robert Greybeard IS EJ

\



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2012 01:32AM by Alias.

Thank you Expensive Jeans! I would like to thank both Exppensive Jeans and KeepOnTruckin, as well as many other FairfaxUnderground members and posters who helped in the process of research. Especially everyone who commenetd on Hemlock Overlook: The Real Bunnyman Bridge Thread.

If there is anymore inofrmation on the subject; it would be helpful and highly apperciated. Thank you Donna for your story about the Mount Vernon Bunny man sighting/incident. That should definently be looked into also.

Alias Wrote:
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> 496, you are a genius.
>
> Hey, everybody, 496 is a genius.


I most certainly am, but you Alias, are a pole smoking faggot.

Would anyone know where I could find records of the old poor house that was once located on Colchseter Road?

Colchester Road might have had the poor house, or it was located a few streets down I'm not sure. But any place I could find records of such stuff would be great!

One thing to keep in mind for those who are investigating this urban legend is to look for unsolved missing person cases within the location where this story been claimed to have originally happened. I'm investigating multiple urban legend stories to find and conclude a speculative theory to those who are curious to hear my opinion. It's possible that there was an organized serial killer a long time ago when the institution was active to incarcerate convicted felons. To hide his identity and appearance of his acutal physical appearance image, he wears a bunny suit. He makes sure that the day is very close to dusk, when barely anyone is around at that time of day alone. The man in the bunny suit would possess an axe as a murder weapon, the victims might have been near or in the bridge tunnel and might have fallen victim to the violent criminal.I have to also admit that I'm very interested in profiling violent criminals, so my theory about the bunny man's identity and characteristics are:

A white male, height between 5'11 and 6'0 tall, is average build. Has a criminal history of violent crime convictions therefore is either an ex-con or an escaped convict.Has anti-social personality disorder, might have traits of psychopathy & a little psychoticism. Is cold-blooded, cold, uncaring, viscious, and is callous.His mind may have distortions of reality,carries a delusional belief. His acts of engaging violent behaviors indicated that he's a deranged person. Is a local, employed with a full-time job at a store, workshop, or pharmacy. Might be likely that his transportation back then was either on foot or by bus.Is a stalker, who follows his chosen target. Then later in the day while near dusk hours; would get in disguise to commit his next murder. After over a dozen kids went missing, he went off to exact his vengeance. Went after his parents who were mean, cruel, malicious, and abusive to him all of those years. All of the murders the man committs are based on getting his revenge among those who were not respectful, polite, and considerate to him. Plus, through most of adulthood, is single, not married or in a close intimate relationship with a woman, is a loner.

That's it for the profile of the bunny man. I also want to announce in this message that one and only possible explanation to other urban legends which are: The balck Volga, killer in the backseat, human hunting, the licked hand, shoe tossing, snuff film, steam tunnel incident, babysitter and the man upstairs, the hook, the scratching, the message, the helpful stranger, lost kidney, and best house on the block all could have some connection. That if they are unknowignly based on true events tied to unsolved crimes or missing person cases, there maybe a work of a serial killer intimidating his crimes off of told local urban legends. The killer would have to possess above average intelligence, and thoroughly planned his crimes. Would be considered an organized killer in other words.The unknown offender would obviously be considered a psychopath.Is likely that the motive for this unidentified serial murderer is for both personal gain for attention and being infamous for his actions, and also for having power and control over other people whom he preyed on. What if the offender had copied off the bunny man legend story of how the crimes were done if the story is really true? I wouldn't wonder quite yet if there is a possible cover up, the explanation could simply be for any case that remains unsolved and today is still a mystery could be that law enforcement have reached dead ends more than once, and there's no other strong leads or evidence to keep it an ongiong investigation.Which means just by that, the cases had simply gone cold.

I say those who had that conclusion to the bunny man legend, should reinvestigate it. As well as other urban legends too. Keep in mind that not only you might have the chance to reach a dead end, you might have missed something that would put the pieces together. Sometimes I don't feel satisfied with my results of the investigation and research, so I would try again after retracing all the leads and facts that I jot down on my first attempt. And, remember that if anyone follows the theory I had about the possibility that a serial killer is responsible, keep in mind like most other serial murder cases not all of the victims will be found. And if the killer is captured, and faces justice...he may not have kept track thoroughly and memorized how many lives he had taken. But, I'd just keep an open mind while investigating. Anything is possible, no matter how unlikely it may seem or sound.

The bunnyman legend (and it is aptly named), has been embellished with inaccuracies for decades; mostly by folks who either did not live here at the time or were not even born. As much as Mr.Conley and others would like to uncover a mystery of madmen and murder, this matter is much less exciting when it is viewed as the events actually occurred.
A little background: I lived in Springfield from 1955 until 2000. In the early days there were two types of residents in Fairfax County, the newcomers like us, living in the newly built developments; and the original residents, living "out in the country" in places like Wards Corner, Lorton, and Burke.
The country residents, a lot of whom were poor, deeply resented the intrusion of these new "rich" folks coming in and ruining their way of life. By about 1960 it had become obvious that the development was headed westward from Springfield (Crestwood area), and soon there would be nothing left. The rural people, already quite clannish and unfriendly to outsiders, began to display an air of hostility. I remember as a kid, there was always an ongoing battle between us and the "hicks" as they were commonly referred; often resulting in violence.
It was in this setting that the original bunnyman event happened. I distinctly remember the time this occurred, and have checked with many lontime residents whose memory agree; the year was 1963.
It was simple and quite unremarkable. Someone had, in the middle of the night, dressed in a bunny suit, according to one witness, and using an axe, had entered a small housing development being constructed in one of the outer regions of Fairfax County, and had taken his wrath out on some of the houses by attempting to chop them down. I remember them saying that this person had left a sign implying his hatred for the intrusion into "their" land.
That was it. At the time, there was not much in the way of excitement such as this, and people got very carried away by it. The local paper wrote with much speculation on the identity of the axeman(or bunnyman as he was now called), and us kids spent a great deal of time trying to figure out the perpetrator, each with our own idea, and of course, never knowing who it was.
I recall there was another round of this not long afterward, but slightly different, and it was believed to that of a copycat.
By 1964 when I entered high school, this bunnyman thing was long forgotten about,perhaps to be referenced in an occasional joke.
More later on other events contributing to the bunnyman "legend".

I wish there were a modern day Bunnyman running around. This place would be so much more interesting.

*sigh*

Most of you reading this only know Fairfax County as it is today and cannot envision how different it was in the 60's and 70's. From Springfield to the Occoquan there was nothing except the sticks served by little 1 1/2 lane roads.
There was not much to do back then save for the bowling alley and Hot Shoppes, so as teenagers we eagerly pursued our three new found pastimes: driving, drinking, and sex. Ok, so we only talked about having sex, but we made up for it drinking and driving. And the area of choice was over these back roads.
We hung out at places like big rock and little rock for partying and skinny-dipping. The place to go to get high was the trees at the sanctuary on Kinchloe; to get lucky, we went to the daisy field on Guinea Rd.,and to get creeped out there was the graveyard on Lee Chapel and the bridge on Colchester. Two of these places played a prominent part in the creation of the bunnyman legend.
Enter chapter two of the legend. Around the early 70's the was a string of brutal rape-murders in the area that continued for some time. One of the first ones I remember was a young couple parked along the Potomac in Mt. Vernon. As I recall, they were assaulted by two men using an axe as a weapon. THe woman was raped and at least one of them died. I really didn't follow the story until I met up with a guy who was the last victim. He told me what happened and showed me the remains of the vehicle. This, by the way was the Guinea Rd. incident that has been referred to in the "bunnyman" story. Because they escaped, they were instrumental in apprehending the two involved.
There was never any connection between the original bunnyman vandalism incident and the attacks in the 70's. I cannot tell you how, but I can guess that someone reporting the later events did not know about the earlier bunnyman and mislabeled the new ones as such. Later, over time this mistake caused the two stories to become one and with a little help, became as we believe it today.
The Colchester bridge is interesting in that although it was a scary place to go, it had nothing to do with the bunnyman or anything of the kind. There was a road that continued on past the bridge for a short piece, and up there lived some very mean people. Chuck Norris would have had second thoughts about going up there, especially at night.Their favorite sport was kicking ass and they hated hippies. The rumor was that some kids got killed there but there was no evidence to support it. But the story had a life of it's own. I was there when my friends told of the bunnyman sightings but that was old by then. Maybe it happened, maybe not. Considering the source and the nature of the area then, I attributed it to good weed and beer and to make a good story sound better.

I got to admit that the bunnyman is baffling to me, the course of the story varies like some people replied at the time when I researched about it even further. After sending the message last night Iwoke up today and this got me thinking that my theory behind the bunnyman story would be quite out there. That indeed my idea of possible explanation and theory on the subject might be just nothing but..spooky. I don't know what to make of it. But I have a feeling that something in the legend is based on an actual event perhaps. Somehow like the story of failing to identify and apprehend Jack the Ripper. That the case will always be reckoned being past from generation to generation but still would be unsolved.

Ironically, law enforcement agencies is always busy in many respects. I mean I according to the FBI each year, there's a total estimate between 25 to 30 serial killers operating within the United States alone. Some are unnoticed for any strong connection to other unsolved dissapearances and homicides. Used to be this way, until VICAP was developed and used to track down these elusive violent criminals to avoid another Ted Bundy or Gary Ridgway be running around free in society getting away with murder. I figured that the theory which just popped out of the top of my mind is crazy. Only question I have left. Is there any unsolved murder case copied or intimidated off of another crime urban legend tale besides the bunnyman? Since there had been in the past, copycat criminals covering their M.O. or motive based on fictitious events?

Like a lot of people have been saying on this, Fairfax County was very different and very rural back in the 60s and 70s. Supposedly, a lot of missing people and unrecorded murders happened out in the Clifton and Fairfax Station area.

I don't know how but it would be helpful to look into some of the missing people cases of the time. Like people on here have said, there was a lot of violence that supposedly occurred between newer residents and older residents in the county.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2010 08:44AM by RobertGreyberg.

totoun,

people still party at big rock; if it makes you feel nostalgic.

redskins84 Wrote:
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> totoun,
>
> people still party at big rock; if it makes you
> feel nostalgic.


haha...nah..just old.

What are you off of criminal minds?

stop blowin' up my spot, man

To answer the question posted of by Fan, honestly no I'm not but in sarcasm I suppose so. Since I have a strong interest into the subject on studying violent criminals. Due to my curiousity, I have to ask about the message claimed by totuan, do you know where you found information about a string of murders that occurred back in the early 1970's? That got me thinking of another suggestion on what I must look for.

New update. I had looked into the Doe Network site first for any missing persons and unidentified deceased john and jane does in the state of Virginia. No luck there, but definitely if you look into both the national missing and exploited children center and the Virginia State Police cold cases you might be in luck to find at least several or more connected cases of victims having to met foul play or had been a victim of a non-family related abduction either in Chilton or within Fairfax County area. Can't say concrete info patterns will be in each case that had been left unsolved that would support the theory of a possible serial killer being responsible, but have to clarify that indeed back then bizarre events happened of course in the past with no answer whom is responsible and why. Best of luck to those who are still researching about the bunnyman myth...sigh.

Zach Luschen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To answer the question posted of by Fan, honestly
> no I'm not but in sarcasm I suppose so. Since I
> have a strong interest into the subject on
> studying violent criminals. Due to my curiousity,
> I have to ask about the message claimed by totuan,
> do you know where you found information about a
> string of murders that occurred back in the early
> 1970's? That got me thinking of another suggestion
> on what I must look for.


I just did this from memory..also checked with others who remember the same. I am not bad with research but the post archives sucks big time so if you care to research this...lotsa luck.
Since I met the couple who were the last intended victims, I should be able to figure out exactly when that was. Might take a while tho.

Just thought I give another tip for those looking into idea of another explanation; how the rumor came about that the bunnyman killed the victims at a bridge. Its supported to a real acutal multiple homicide case that unfolded on an indian reservation area in South Carolina during the late 1960's. Case was known as "The Gaffney Strangler." Several deceased young women were found disposed off of a bridge which today paranormal investigators who went there named it Leroy's Bridge. The bridge was nicknamed after convicted serial killer Leroy Martin who was responsible for the Gaffney slayings. I believe that since the bunnyman legend tale emerged during the 1960's, this would explain the myth being told that a man in a bunny suit was murdering kids at the bridge. But I have no clue what true event there was in the past which led to theory idea of adding an escaped convict by the name of Douglas J. Grifon to the bunnyman urban legend.

I didn't get my facts straight. The real facts are that The Gaffney Strangler case didn't happen on an Indian Reservation area in the state of South Carolina, it happened in Gaffney located within Cherokee County. Only one of the victims was found in a shallow creek under the bridge identified as a teenage girl who was abducted by serial murderer Leroy Martin. The Gaffney strangler was active in the years of 1967 and 1968 before he was apprehended by local authorities. The bridge that was claimed to be haunted by some people there, is given nickname as Leroy's Bridge. Bascially as memory of what locals had went through over 40 years ago from the present. I apologize for that inconvenience on that.

Robert Greyberg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Colchester Road might have had the poor house, or
> it was located a few streets down I'm not sure.
> But any place I could find records of such stuff
> would be great!


There is a book entitled something like "Fairfax County Remembers" that describes the poor house. It was located a few hundred feet from the "Bunnyman Bridge" on Colchester RD. It operated until 1911 and it did house some folks that were "mentally imbalanced". I hope this helps.

Tutuan,
Did you or any of friends ever go to the Pohick Crypts (Remey Mausoleum) back in the 60s before it was destroyed? I know it was a popular place to visit on weekend nights in the late 70s. Since you haven't posted to the Remey thread I guess the answer is no, but I thought I'd asked anyway.

Old School!!!!! You just made a huge break through for this! Huge! It is no mere coincidence that Bunny Man Bridge was located next to a poor house, that was said to house mentally unstable people. That is probably without a doubt, one of the key roots of the legend.

Whether any murders occurred, that were related to that poor house; now thats a different story. But the whole Bunny Man Bridge, poor house, discovery is big in terms of the roots of the legend. I, and I think many others, have waited a long time to hear and discover something like this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2010 09:21AM by RobertGreyberg.

Hip Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Tutuan,
> Did you or any of friends ever go to the Pohick
> Crypts (Remey Mausoleum) back in the 60s before it
> was destroyed? I know it was a popular place to
> visit on weekend nights in the late 70s. Since you
> haven't posted to the Remey thread I guess the
> answer is no, but I thought I'd asked anyway.

Everyone I knew went there at some time or another, starting back in the mid 60's.
Strangely enough tho, I never got down there. I dunno.

RobertGreyberg Wrote:
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> Old School!!!!! You just made a huge break through
> for this! Huge! It is no mere coincidence that
> Bunny Man Bridge was located next to a poor house,
> that was said to house mentally unstable people.
> That is probably without a doubt, one of the key
> roots of the legend.


I will just add that the foundation of the Poor House still exist, SE of the RR bridge.

Thank you Old School! Do you know if the foundations of the old poor house are on private property or not?

To everyone:

I want to see if there are any recorded instances of any mentally ill people who stayed at the poor house, being involved in any crimes, escapes/wandering off incidences, etc, especially if they took place near Clifton or Fairfax Station.

Secondly, the Bunny Man Legend (almost every written version of it) has the story take place either in the late 1800s or early 1900s (when the poor house existed) up until the 70s and 80s. Considering that there is a very high probability that the poor house is one of the roots to this legend, it would seem plausible that the dates associated with its existence (late 1800s to early 1900s) and any associated criminal events that occurred around that time, would explain the reason for why such dates are mentioned in the legend.

AWWWWWWWWWWWW silly.
HURTING STORY.

TL;DR, rickie!! Borgata. 1067 THE FAN.

The bunny man is one horny mofo
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If there had been any violent crimes besides murder or attempted murder within or near Clifton; I'd see if there were reports in articles about vandalism, assaults, trespassing, burglary, and animal cruelty. Good chances are there on this if there had been any escaped convicts or mental patients during the 1800's-1900's. I'm not sure where to look online sites to find out, alhtough sources in a library for those who live in Clifton should be in luck. Just a short reminder that some violent criminals had committed acts of animal cruelty. So, even if there's no evident clues that the bunnyman in the past had committed a string of murders...can still be a starting point to find further leads on the mystery.

I found an article on a site labeled www.fairfaxcounty.gov a page that I found named The Bunny Man unmasked confirms the truth behind this urban legend tale. The investigation that I had been conducting into the bunnyman case lead to a dead end, which the real facts are there are two records of escaped persons which happened back in 1918. One was named William Wooster who was at age 16, had been arrested for assaulting a girl. He had been at recent time released from an insane asylum. Second person is a man named Ben Ruben, who was an escaped inmate from Lorton Prison. Ruben was serving a 3-year sentence for breaking and entering a residence, who later on September 19th been apprehended by the D.C. police for assaulting a little girl. While on the way to the police station Ben Ruben confessed willingly to a murder of a 14-year old girl named Eva Roy. Later on, he admitted that the confession had been feigned. To this day, Eva's murder had remained unsolved. In Ben Ruben's past he had escaped jail three times when serving time for single and/or multiple crime convictions.

Clues given up of info placed in various theoretical version stories of the Bunnyman are: kids assaulted by a male gendered person; a male gendered assailant who has either a criminal or psychiatric history record in their name;seperate horrific murders that took place were cold-blooded and gruesome; and yet, the crimes that happened occured out in a rural desrerted area. So, as disappointing as it sounds...the bunnyman bridge is actually made up with some pieces of info off of historical events to make the bunnyman tale story versions sound really believable, true, and indeed scary. My investigation to this is closed. Couple of times due to which websites they are with the info about the bunnyman story, led me to a dead end. I don't remember who the author is on the article who wrote The Bunnyman Unmasked that is posted on the .gov site, but once I read through it on his findings it was quite interesting where some of the versions off of this legend came from.

496 Wrote:
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> The bunny man is one horny mofo


Weren't you the faggot responsible for all the Bunnyman porn?

If there's no response to your question by 496...that could be denial stating yes in a non-verbal way. That person may find it humorous, could just be for getting people's attention for self-entertainment.

Great post Robert!

I didn't realize people considered other bridges to legitimately be THE bunny man bridge. I had always felt the true bridge was the Colchester Road cement tunnel - with all the "all be back graffiti" and weird satanic cults hanging out there with dead dear. I had some nuts times visiting that place in high school, it was always good to freak out someone who had never been before.

BTW, there is a decent wiki page on it now too http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_Man

Thanks! Yeah, as Zach stated there's a lot of different things this legend could be based off of. Overtime things get less and less clear, and more and more mixed up. There are plenty of secluded bridges in the area with questionable histories.

The bridge off of Colchester Road was recently built, only in the 1950s. The other bridges date back as far as the Civil War, or at least parts of the remaining bridges.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2010 10:31PM by RobertGreyberg.

who spray-painted the Bunnyman logo under the RR bridge near Clifton? must be somebody here!

The bridge off of Colchester road was built much earlier than the 1950's. I believe it was constructed in 1906.

I think the legend says it was built around that era, but through most of what I have read/heard it was built during the 50s. Although, back in the Civil War era there was a train station/possible bridge site there called Sangsters Station. An actual civil war skirmish occurred there also.

During the Civil War, Clifton, Fairfax Station, and Centreville were filled with railroad bridges crossing creeks and streams, etc. and were constantly being fought over/ even blown up due to the vital railroad supply lines.

Okay, I don't get this. I lived on Colchester Road all my life as a child and never heard this story -- ever. The railroad bridge -- nothing about it every scared me and I went thru it numerous times a day from birth to 30 years old when I sold my parents home on colchester Road. I remember that my school bus driver would make all the kids on the bus put their feet up in the air when we went under the bridge as a train was crossing to bring us good luck.

I was actually going to write a book on this. I'm glad I read this before I did or otherwise I wouldn't have my facts straight. I won't mess with it more than what reporters and police already did, I'll write the truth! :D

so does anyone know any haunted places around here? theres nothing around fairfax its so boring...

People that are bored are boring to be around. Maybe it is you?

michele mejia Wrote:
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> Okay, I don't get this. I lived on Colchester
> Road all my life as a child and never heard this
> story -- ever. The railroad bridge -- nothing
> about it every scared me and I went thru it
> numerous times a day from birth to 30 years old
> when I sold my parents home on colchester Road. I
> remember that my school bus driver would make all
> the kids on the bus put their feet up in the air
> when we went under the bridge as a train was
> crossing to bring us good luck.


How in the would could you not know? Being from the immediate area, I too have driven past that bridge countless times. I even went to a couple of house parties beyond the bridge as a teenager. The one guy who used to own the "Snow Job" truck, he threw 4th of July keggers every year for a LOOONG time, he still may. Regardless, What I am getting at is the plethora of bunny themed graffiti that has graced the walls of the bridge for decades. Bunny eyes, ears, silhouettes, "Fear the Bunny" "Remember the Bunnyman" None of that ever made you question what it was all about? How about the almost nightly police presence at the bridge for the last decade?

You must have rode the short bus because I dont even know if a full-size SB could make it thry the bridge, no less turn around in one of the driveways of the 12 houses that are beyond the bridge.

nah pretty sure its the area....

I live a couple hundered feet from bunny man bridge (colchester rd). Odly enough my father in law drives the bus for one of the local schools. He can't fit his bus through the bridge so the kids have to get their parents to drive them to the corner of fairfax station and colchester. Obviously buses are bigger now than they used to be.

Always liked the bunny man tale. We had a hollween party at the house one year and took a walk down there. The best part was that the cops closed down the roadway so there wouldn't be a big traffic jamb down at the bridge. We gave the cop a guestlist of people to let in so it was like having our own police security detail for the party. I'll be sure to look for the poor house foundation next time I'm down there. Sounds interesting.

The new Bunny Man is Tom Gavin...
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I found this rare video showing the bunny man in action

you know what this reminds me of, victor crowley lol.

tHE BUNNY MAN WAS AS REAL AS THE NOSE ON YOUR FACE.

Me and my girlfriend and a now semi famious musician used to get stoned in the woods and listen to my giant "Sanyo eight tract player"

Clifton was where all the rich hippy kids on the govt mom and dads do nothing and make a fourtion working for uncle sam circuit.

I was selling newspaper subscriptions for army times, they had a newspaper called the "Fairfax journal" I remember clear as a childs gaze the journel reporting about a woman trying to leave her property and and the bunny man came up and put a axe throught her windshild screaming "your tresspassing get off this land".

After that storie appeared everyone was asking me about it when i called to sell the paper.

It was no secret who this happen to, the woman left town from all the galwkers coming by, then this jack ass in the bunney suit shows up again, and screams the same crap at some
govt cubbical mushroom while hes in his yard.

Mean while there was a narc named "Officer Crowmarty" he had a little pompadore and fashioned himself a preety boy, I asked him about this, he said "I can't tell you anything about this, but at this point we are trying to get him before someone shoots him"

you folks need to stop letting your ties choke back reality, that whole area is swarming with pissed off civil war dead, "sick" hangs in the air in all those places.

Want some fun, go to hunters woods in reston, and just sit, relax, till you know feel something is all wrong in the air there.

The movie polterguist was based on areas just like reston, christ you see some of those road name around lawyers road, go look at those names.

just the kind of place those sick freaks johnny depp and tim burton would love.

I remember a time of great peace in some places around fairfax, inbetween america beating the hell out of its kids on the streets

OCTOBERMAN are you smoking drugs?

Awesome! Was looking for this!

.

The Southern railroad was a party line to party spots along the road in the late 60's early 70's party spots incleded, The "Pagens House" across the street on a former farm site from where the "Bunnyman" threw his hatchet thur the Air Force cadets window.

The Pagens House was in a sense "Grand Central Station" to the party spots, slow moving trains could be hopped and rode in either direction, toward Springfield or Clifton. Party spots along the way included, Lake Accotink and the infamous trestle, Bells Pond in Burke by the crossing, The Pagens House and field, and Clifton by Colchester Road and other places.

Youths rode the rails to the party places and drank and smoked the weed material known today perhaps as "Reefer".

The "real Bunnyman " appeared in his bunny suit and hatchet in the late 1970's in places near Little Run School and along Olley and Guinea roads. he was a long haired youth who enjoyed the life of party in Burke/Clifton which was nothing like today. There was no insane place or what not thats all BS.

After several appearances for laughs he dropped his "bunny gig" But the word was out and he scared parents with his antics.

He was smoked up and was killed in a accident in the Clifton area long ago 35 + years back. I suspect his friends started the story about the bridge .."Bunnyman Brige" in his honor years later...

Anybody else remember the party days in Clifton by the railroad? You would have to be 55 + today..

I remember going to several parties at the bottom of the hill on Chapel Road just before the curve that goes into Clifton proper. It's been closed off for years now.

...
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G Wrote:
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> who spray-painted the Bunnyman logo under the RR
> bridge near Clifton? must be somebody here!
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Donnie Darko Wrote:
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> ...

Donnie Darko and its sequel have nothing to do with the Bunnyman legend. Story isn't even close to being the same.

Did the Bunny Man kill Jackie L. Blankenbaker?

I remember hearing at least four different stories about the Bunnyman and hung out at the bridge at night as a teen. When I was in my late teens I heard about the guy axing the house and scaring the people in the parked car. I do remember watching that show Americas Scariest Places back in the day and they had the Bunnyman Bridge on an episode and told the story as a mixture of the stories I heard. I seem remember them showing an old photograph of people hung from a train bridge that looked like the colchester bridge. It may not have been it but looked very similar. I haven't been able to locate the episode on youtube to find out for sure.

I cannot speak to the Bunnyman legend as it pertains to the Clifton area. I can tell you I was a Fairfax County cop in the late seventies working out of the West Springfield Sub-Station. My training officer told me he responded to the report of a subject dressed as a rabbit in the area of Guinea rd and Braddock rd in the early seventies. That subject was reportedly weilding a hatchet and was verified by at least 2 witnesses in the area at the time. Related to Clifton? probably not, but it did occur and was common knowledge among the cops at W. Springfield during that era.

yjbtd,

Since you were a cop in the 1970s in Fairfax County, would you say Fairfax is safer today than it was in the 1970s? According to the crime statistics, it is safer today. But I want to know your opinion; Obviously things have changed a lot since then.

No way is Fairfax safer today than the early seventies, but I would say the same of many suburban areas today. One major difference is how crime stats are kept and reported today as opposed to the early seventies. You can make the numbers show anything you want. FCPD is good at that.

Don't get me wrong, I have raised my family here and have no regrets, but in the early seventies, we had a few murders a year and FCPD had a homicide squad consisting of 3 o r4 detectives. Today, we have several detectives dedicated to gang crime alone. Give me the seventies....

waste of time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWbN_3NWxsI