A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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Sylvia Browne and the Pomeroy-Mason BridgeDid she predict the destruction of a bridge over the Ohio River? 
Construction on the new Pomeroy-Mason bridge. BackgroundThree times since this site went up I have been asked if I was aware of a false prediction made by Sylvia Browne regarding the destruction of a bridge which spans the Ohio river, connecting Pomeroy, Ohio with Mason, West Virginia. This article details my research into the topic. The EmailHere is an email I received on the topic:
Offhand, it didn't sound like a Sylvia Browne prediction to me. For one thing, it was way too specific. Browne's predictions of disasters are far more vague than this. A prediction like "Northern California has a small quake in February, near Livermore or Modesto" (an actual prediction from her annual predictions for 1996) is more her style. The more specific a prediction is, the easier it is to check out and see if it was correct or not. Vague predictions, such as those Browne generally makes, can be made to fit a larger number of circumstances. For instance, in the example above, any small or medium-sized quake anywhere near Livermore or Modesto can be claimed as a "hit." Of course, since there are many such earthquakes in that area every single year, it is similar to predicting that there will be snow in Alaska in a given year. But naming a specific bridge? And a fairly specific time frame? It did not sound like Browne to me. I decided to look into it to make certain one way or the other. Web SearchSearching the web for references to "Sylvia Browne" and "Pomeroy Bridge", I found two threads about the prediction on two separate message boards. Post #1 - About.com, "2004 Predictions"First I found the following post, entered into the About.com site's TalkShows/Montel forum:
Post #2 - Hardy Detective Agency, "Flooding and Psychic's predictions?"Then I found the following post on the "General Announcements" section of the Hardy Detective Agency message boards:
Both of these posts mention Browne and Montel, but neither person writing the posts actually saw the show where the prediction was supposedly made. Had the author of the above email seen the show? I wrote and asked. In the reply, the email author said that he/she had not seen the show, but had read about it in the local newspaper, The Daily Sentinel. Contacting PomeroyI visited the web site of Pomeroy's Daily Sentinel, and searched its on-line archives for the article, but found no references to Sylvia Browne. I phoned the paper and spoke with Brian Reed, a reporter for the Sentinel. Mr. Reed remembered the article, but said that the reporter who wrote it was no longer with the paper. He also informed me that the on-line archive only went back as far as 2005, and that a story that old would have to be found by looking through microfilm copies of the paper at the Meigs County Public Library. I got the name and phone number of a contact at the library, and ended up speaking with Elita Heighton, an assistant director there. Ms. Heighton remembered the article as well, and told me that she would personally look through the microfilm copies of the paper for both December of 2003 and January f 2004, assuring me that the paper was not very large, and she would get back to me in a day or two. More than a week later, I received the following email from her (emphasis mine):
Searching Lexis-NexisSo, was the library staff correct? Did Browne make some more general prediction on the show, and locals decided to attribute the general prediction about "a bridge on the Ohio River" to THEIR bridge? I asked one of the people who helps with research for this site to check through Lexis-Nexis for this. Lexis-Nexis contains transcripts of many television shows, including the Montel Williams Show. The researcher could find no reference to the Pomeroy Bridge in any of the shows where Sylvia Browne appeared. Nor could he/she find any reference to the Ohio River in those shows. Several other searches were attempted, but no prediction could be found which even remotely resembled the rumored prediction. Contacting Sylvia Browne Corp.A few days into the investigation, I decided to ask the people at Sylvia Browne Corp about this. Email to Sylvia Browne Corp.I emailed both Linda Rossi (the Operations Manager for SBC) and Michael McClellan (one of only three high-level Prelates in the church).
Response From Sylvia Browne Corp.The next day I received the following reply from Linda Rossi.
Analysis
Poster for he film "The Mothman Prophecies". At this point, given that I can find no evidence that such a prediction was ever made by Browne, it would appear that the whole thing is indeed an "urban legend" of sorts, specific to the Meigs County area. But how or why would such a legend start? One possible clue came from Ms. Heighton (of the Meigs County Public Library). She mentioned in our phone conversation that perhaps it was related to the tragic 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge, connecting nearby Gallipoli, Ohio with Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The collapse of the Silver Bridge had been a key plot element in the film The Mothman Prophecies. The film and its subsequent DVD had been released in 2002. Had the film, with its topic of the collapse of a neighboring bridge, along with the ongoing construction of a replacement for the Pomeroy Bridge, planted the idea? We will probably never know, but it seems like a good possibility. ConclusionAs I said in correspondence to the author of the email which started me investigating this topic: There are plenty of examples of reasons to doubt Browne's claim of being psychic, but apparently, this is not one of them. My thanks to all who helped in my research: Brian Reed, Olita Heighton, EMM (for digging through Lexis-Nexis), and to all those who brought the topic to my attention. Related LinksClicking on any of these links will load a separate browser window for viewing the linked page. StopSylviaBrowne.com is not responsible for the content of any of these linked pages.
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