Aaron Mahnke

This story, and so many others like it throughout the state, form a tapestry of darkness that underscores a central truth about Texas, that the same landscape that nurtured legends of bravery also gave birth to stories of suffering, injustice, and the uncanny.

And by looking at them, we can gain insight into how trauma is remembered, reshaped, and handed down through the generations.

It influences everything from local folklore to Hollywood cinema.

They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes its legends.

It seems there's a rich vein of dark tales in Texas history.

Tales that continue to haunt the Lone Star State's collective consciousness in an equally big way.

I'm Aaron Manke, and this is Lore Legends.

There is a bridge over the Medina River, just outside of San Antonio.

It's secluded, and the dense trees of the forest crowd the river that it crosses.

If you look at a map, you'll see that its name is the Old Apple White Bridge.

Although, if you speak to the locals, they'll give you a different, much stranger nickname.

The Donkey Lady Bridge.

For those who are curious, the donkey lady is said to be a disfigured specter.

Her frame might be human, but her head and hooves resemble those of a donkey.

Where she came from, though, is a matter of fierce debate.

In one version of her tale, she lived with her husband and children on a farm not far from the Old Apple White Bridge.

Her husband was horribly abusive, and in an act reminiscent of the Amityville Horror, he snapped.

One by one, he killed his entire family, leaving his long-suffering wife for last.

When he finally burned the house down, she was still inside.

The fire disfigured her, but somehow she was able to escape.