The Summit Snake

AI Image using ChatGPT

This strange story comes to us courtesy of one of my favorite Fortean Historians, Historian of the Strange. Back in July of 1914, Mr. and Mrs. A.W. Brooks of Summit (Wood County), WV were sitting on their porch. They had settled in to enjoy the evening air, when they heard a rustle in the nearby brush. Suddenly, a yellow hoop came shooting out of the brush and began rolling down the hill. Faster and faster it rolled, until it built up enough speed to straighten itself out and FLY through the air. It flew across the valley and landed in a tree about 400 feet away.

This strange creature was dark yellow. It was five inches across at the head, tapering to 1/2 an inch at the tail. Its length measured 30 inches. Instead of wings, it used its tail as a propeller. When questioned by skeptics, the Brooks swore that what they saw was NOT a bird carrying a snake. Others theorized that the creature may have been a dragon. Some rationalized it as a type of lizard with gliding abilities. The Brooks, however, were adamant that they had seen a flying snake and nothing more. 

Ophidiophobia is the official term for fear of snakes, and it's not an uncommon phobia for many. Luckily, that's not something I personally suffer from, but I will say that I'd absolutely be more than a little unnerved to see a yellow hoop roll down the hill, then spread its serpentine body and fly across the valley. The Brooks seemed rather unfazed by the whole incident, and it doesn't seem like the rest of the town cared much, either. As far as I can tell, this incident didn't make it into the local papers. The clipping below, provided by Historian of the Strange, comes from the Tampa Tribune in Florida! 

I can only imagine why a Florida newspaper would be interested in a weird, but not too weird story from a tiny town in West Virginia. It wouldn't have anything to do with the idea that it wasn't likely to be fact-checked would it?  Stay spooky, ya'll---and keep your eyes to the skies in search of flying snakes!

The Tampa Tribune
12 July 1914
Source: Historian of the Strange FB

The Grafton Monster

From the Grafton Monster Facebook Page

West Virginia is home to a number of strange and unusual incidents, and quite a few popular 'monsters' of pop culture today got their start here in the Mountain State! Joining Mothman, Veggie Man, and the Flatwoods Monster is a weird, white, headless horror from Taylor County known as the Grafton Monster. 

On June 16, 1964, Robert Cockrell was headed home along Riverside Drive in Grafton. For the most part, Riverside Drive is a straight stretch of road with the Tygart River on one side, and much of the other being either steep cliff or heavy underbrush. At around 11 p.m., Robert had just rounded the last curve and had hit the straightaway. Going about 50 mph with no other car in sight, he flipped on his high beams. The bright lights of his vehicle illuminated something that immediately grabbed his attention. Standing to the right of the road, in the narrow strip of land between the road and the riverbank, white a GIANT white mass.

Standing 7 to 9 feet tall and measuring about 4 feet wide at its widest point, this THING lacked a discernable head, but Robert knew immediately it was some type of living creature. It had seal-like skin, or some type of covering with a distinct sheen to it. Understandably, Robert floored it and raced towards his house. But, by the time he got there, he had calmed down and realized that as a reporter for the Grafton Sentinel, he really should go back and investigate.

Robert grabbed two buddies, Jerry Morse and Jim Mouser, and the three men headed back to the spot where the creature had been seen. Fortunately for them, the monster was nowhere to be found, and it didn't leave any tracks that would have aided in its identification or direction it took off in. What they did find, however, was that quite a bit of the vegetation in that area had been mashed down, like you'd expect to see if a giant creature had been stomping through. 

The three men looked for about an hour and never saw any proof of the monster. What is strange, though, is that intermittently, they would hear a strange whistling sound coming from the river that they just couldn't place. Robert made a decision to keep quiet about the whole incident, but it leaked out and by the next night, dozens of teens ascended on Riverside Drive, armed with such things as mallets and crowbars, to do some literal monster hunting. Robert claims that at least 20 people mentioned that they had seen something similar in the area, and it was even claimed that the creature was spotted in Morgantown and made its way south to Grafton implementing the river system. 

Two newspaper articles appeared in the Sentinel in the following days, but as opposed to being a serious account of Robert Cockrell's experience, these articles were more tongue-in-cheek, focusing on the teen monster hunting aspect, and theorizing that the monster was nothing more than either someone pushing boxes on a handcart, or a combination of boredom fueled by ANOTHER monster sighting from Michigan that was making newspaper headlines across the country. Known as the Dewey Lake Monster, there were a few definite similarities, but it doesn't seem plausible that Michigan's creature would come vacation in West Virginia for the season. Other explanations explored included an escaped polar bear or even someone hauling a refrigerator. 

By July, Robert had reached out to West Virginia's own colorful and controversial UFOlogist, Gray Barker. Barker interviewed Robert and even wrote an article chronicling the account. That article doesn't appear to have ever been published, but it, along with some letters back and forth between Barker and Cockrell, including newspaper clippings, are preserved in the Gray Barker archives, housed on the campus of the Harrison County Public Library in Clarksburg. 

Unlike the Mothman sightings that would hit Point Pleasant two years later and last over a year, nothing more was mentioned about the Headless Horror of Grafton, and the monster faded into obscurity for many years. Lucky for us, the tale was rediscovered and shared to the masses through an episode of Mountain Monster and of course, the creature's inclusion in the popular Fallout 76 video game. 

Today, the Grafton Monster has its own pop culture following and has taken up its rightful place in West Virginia folklore. There's even an annual Grafton Monster Festival held in Grafton, featuring speakers, vendors, and so much more. And, if you ever find yourself on Riverside Drive at night, make sure to turn on your high beams and scan the riverbank. You never know what you'll encounter! 

Articles from the Grafton Sentinel
Gray Barker Archives

Theresa's Note: I may transcribe the newspaper articles, the correspondence between Barker and Cockrell, and Barker's unpublished article at a later date. Instead of making a separate post, I'll probably just update this one, so if that's something you're interested in, please check back! You can also find these documents transcribed in Tony Breeden's Gray Barker's Book of Monsters Volume II. 

Breaking News: Mothman Does NOT 'Love Lamp'

Ya'll. We've been lied to. All those cute lil' images of Mothman and his obsession with lamps, found in cartoons, memes, stickers, and even festival cosplay are unfounded. According to a newspaper article appearing in the Charleston Daily Mail on November 17, 1966, just a day after the Scarberry/Mallett sighting----Mothman HATED any sort of lights!  This rather, 'un-mothy' behavior, may not make sense at first, until you realize that witnesses and locals alike did not initially refer to the iconic creature as Mothman. They called it the Bird, or the Big Bird. It wasn't until a few days later that a newspaper reporter dubbed the being 'Mothman.'  Here's a transcript of the article:

NIGHT RIDER IN SKY AFRAID OF LIGHTS

People in Mason County are talking about a flying man who is afraid of lights.

He is a 6-foot creature with a wingspan of 10 feet and can scoot along at 100 miles per hour. 

Wednesday about midnight the gray and white replacement to mundane flying saucers startled two young couples driving north of Point. Pleasant on W.Va. 62, they said. 

Once they spotted it, they headed for town at 100 miles an hour and along came their weird airborne friend, breezing about 50 feet above them with the greatest of ease, they told police.

But once they neared the lighted confines of the town, the high horsepowered night rider in the sky veered around and took off toward the dark and less populous countryside---the two couples told police. 

Charleston Daily Mail
17 November 1966

Marsh Fork Monster: Big Cat or Hoax?

Beckley Post-Herald 
20 October 1968

Earlier this week, there was an inquiry made in The Wild and Weird West Virginia Facebook group concerning a potential 'monster' from Naoma, WV, which terrorized a man named Wiley in the 1960's. According to the poster, it was later revealed that the whole thing was a hoax, but not before a newspaper article was published on the phenomenon. I've transcribed the article I found on the incident below, and will follow with some of my own thoughts. Enjoy!  

From the Beckley Post-Herald (20 October 1968): 

A mysterious wild animal that rips dogs to nearly unrecognizable shreds, climbs trees to devour roosting chickens, and emits blood-curdling screams, is terrorizing residents of Marsh Fork District in Raleigh County.

Believed to be a large member of the cat family, the animal has left traces of its wide swath of destruction in the Naoma, Dry Creek, and Horse Creek areas. Meanwhile, clusters of citizens who congregate at local post offices and general stores repeat rumors that the 'varmint' has made its presence known as far north as Whitesville in Boone County.

"It sounds to me like a big elephant, the way it hollers," said Cuba Wiley of Naoma, who has lost 12 chickens to the beast since September 1. According to Wiley, the cat or whatever, comes down a mountain near his home on the average of three to four nights a week. As it lumbers down, Wiley says that he can hear limbs breaking under its feet. Only when it reaches the bottom, in Wiley's driveway, does the cat give its vicious yell. "Then it sounds like it goes up a tree like a gray squirrel," notes Wiley.

Although Wiley has never caught a glimpse of the cat in the darkness, he believes it is accompanied by two young cubs. He has found both large and small footprints, the largest he estimates at four inches long and four inches wide, leading to the belief that the animal weighs between three hundred and four hundred pounds.

Wiley's home is one of several where members of the communities stand vigil with high-powered rifles in hopes of destroying the animal. So far, one bullet has grazed one of the small cubs, knocking out tufts of red hair, tipped in gray. 

According to Horse Creek residents, where the cat has attacked several dogs including eight pups, the Department of Natural Resources has identified a track made there as that of a jaguar, an animal of brownish-yellow color with black spots. But most of the townspeople are skeptical of that identification. Some have termed it a "monster," refusing to believe that even an animal could put up such a mournful wail. 

Said Wiley, "People think I've been telling it to keep squirrel hunters away, but this thing is a smart one and is going to be hard to catch. A lot of people are afraid---we won't tangle with him."

Theresa's Thoughts:  It's interesting that the DNR identified the tracks as being from a jaguar. Jaguars aren't native to West Virginia and have never had a population here. Given the time period, it is possible that a jaguar could have escaped from a zoo or traveling circus...or even have been someone's personal pet that got loose. But, the idea that there was a very large creature accompanied by at least two cubs suggests a breeding pair at the least, making the escapee theory just a LITTLE less likely.

The next closest candidate may be a mountain lion, or cougar. According to different sources, the last mountain lion in WV was killed in 1887, but continued sightings in various locations lasted many years after that. However, by the 1950's, the mountain lion was declared legally extinct here in the Mountain State. That hasn't stopped citizens throughout West Virginia from reporting mountain lion sightings up to this day. Pretty much every person I know living in even a remotely rural area has seen or heard evidence of mountain lions. So was it a mountain lion that was stealing Wiley's chickens and killing dogs?

It's possible, but that doesn't explain Wiley's estimation of the massive weight of the creature, nor the color of the tuft of fur found. A female mountain lion (presumably it was a female since it had cubs) rarely gets heavier than 120lbs, and males only go up to about 200lbs. Some mountain lions living in warm, humid climates may be more of a reddish color, but they generally tend to be a tawny brown. 

So, was this whole thing one big misidentification? A hoax? Or, is there a small possibility that the area around Naoma, WV was being stalked by a mysterious creature from the depths of cryptozoology? 

Are There Mountain Lions in West Virginia? by Amanda Barber (29 June 2022)

Mountain Lions in West Virginia- AZ Animals
 

Dr. Humphreys and the Civil War Ape

1920 was an interesting year for those living in Pocahontas, Greenbrier, and Monroe Counties. From October through December, multiple newspapers reported multiple eye-witness accounts of what was originally called an 'ape, baboon, gorilla, wild man, or terror' by the Shepherdstown Register. What was believed to be an escaped gorilla with a broken chain around its neck was chiefly seen around Black Mountain, and also around Flat Mountain. Witnesses, including a woman who claimed the beast tried to get inside her house, were pretty sure it was a half-tame gorilla, around 6 feet tall, 350lbs, with reddish-blackish fur. So, nothing paranormal to see here, right?

Right, but the widespread interest in these events sparked a rather interesting story to come to light. On December 31, 1920, the Greenbrier Independent published a very strange tale from the revered Dr. Milton Humphreys. After a lengthy biography of Humphreys, the newspaper reprinted the story as told to the Monroe Watchman. It comes from when Humphreys served the Confederacy with Bryan's Battery and was encamped near Princeton, WV, although the sightings themselves seem to come from an area of nearby Virginia known as the Narrows of the New River. I'm not sure what the heck these witnesses saw, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't an escaped gorilla...

Here's that portion of the article in his own words:

"In the fall of 1863 the 36th and 60th Va. Regiments and Bryan's Battery were encamped at Princeton. Sergeant A.A. McAllister and Corporal James F. Clark, both of whom were from Covington, obtained furloughs. McAllister took his horse with him and they rode time about. When they returned to camp they told me that they had seen a panther. Questioning them as to the details I saw that it could not have been a panther. They stated that they had never seen a panther before and merely inferred that this was one because they had never seen an animal like it. Their description of it will be given presently.

A year and several months afterwards, in the mid-winter of 1864-5 the 13th Battallion Va. Artillery, consisting of Bryan's, Chapmans, and Lowry's Batteries, was in winter quarters just above the Narrows of New River on the Left Bank. There were two men in Bryan's Battery named Weaver----Aylette and John C. One of these, I'm not sure which (not that I have forgotten the men, but only which was John and which was Aylette) was telling ghost stories one night as actual facts. I ridiculed him for even believing in ghosts, and he challenged me to go with him only two or three miles before day and promised to show me a ghost or supernatural being between early dawn and sunrise. I promptly accepted the challenge, but Weaver changed his mind and said he would not go unless there were several men in the party and some arms. There were several men in the cabin and Weaver proceeded to narrate what we would witness if we would go with him. (Just here I should say that he had previously served in the cavalry and had only recently been transferred to the artillery.) Without pretending to reproduce his actual words, I shall give their substance using the first personal pronoun to denote him. 

'You know,' he said, 'down just below the Narrows there begins a stretch of level land about a mile long and maybe a quarter of a mile wide at the middle tapering off to a point at the lower end where the road starts up the mountain. It is bounded on the right by the river and on the left by a mountain or bluff. About two years ago, the cavalry command to which I belonged was stationed here to guard the Narrows and a picket of several men was kept at the lower end of this strip of level land to watch the road where it comes down the mountain. I was several times on this duty and witnessed what I am going to tell. Regularly between early dawn and broad day, and between sunset and dark one or the other of two things happened. One of them was as follows: We would hear a great rumbling up in the mountain and presently a man on a horse would come down through the woods and descend the bluff almost vertically, across the road, pass along by a big log making the earth tremble all the while, until they reached a bunch of alders beside the log and there they suddenly vanished just as a light goes out. The other thing that happened sometimes was this: We would hear the same awful rumbling, and instead of a man and a horse, a beast would appear and pursue the same course till he reached the road, and then he would sit down as a dog sits, in a certain fence corner, always the same one, for fifteen or twenty minutes, then he would go to the log and walk on it till he reached the bunch of alders, when he would suddenly vanish. He was the most terrible thing I ever saw---rough, bony, knotty, of a tawny color, and his head and face just enough like a man's to make him perfectly horrible. Once a large number of men waited for him with loaded carbines; but when he came making the earth tremble at every step, no man dared to fire on him.'

Such was Weaver's story. McAllister was in camp and I am fairly sure Clark was also. I went at once and brought them (certainly McAllister) and questioned them without their knowing anything about Weaver's story, and brought out the fact that the animal they saw was sitting in a fence corner looking across the road and was exactly as Weaver had described him, and that the place was the same. I asked what time of day it was when they passed the animal, and brought out the fact that the sun had just set and they were hastening to reach the ford a mile away before darkness set in. 

A great storm came that night and next day when we were trying our one small arm, an Enfield rifle, it burst in the hands of young John E. Lewis hurting him severely. Before we could procure other arms the drivers (including Weaver) were sent home with their horses. Before they returned, Richmond fell, and the Battalion marched to Dublin. Our guns had been left in Lynchburg. 

I have no theory as to what the animal was that McAllister and Clark saw, nor how the remarkable agreement between the facts and part of Weaver's story is to be explained; only I am sure that there was no collusion among the men concerned.

Milton W. Humphreys

Monroe Watchman"

Greenbrier Independent
31 December 1920

Mothman in Charleston: Richard West Encounter

1588 Lee St. Charleston, WV

During the height of the 1966-67 Mothman flap in Point Pleasant, West Virginia's favorite winged humanoid really got around! While seemingly based in Mason County, reports came in from around West Virginia and Ohio, mainly concentrated in towns along or close to the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. The capital city of Charleston, WV was no exception.  While on a recent trip to the Gray Barker UFO Files in Clarksburg, I found an article dated 29 November 1966. Unfortunately, it was just a clipping with the name of the newspaper omitted. I'll add a photo of the clipping, but below is a transcription, followed by some further commentary from yours truly!

MOTHMAN (BATMAN?) MAKES VISIT TO THE CITY

Batman, or Mothman, it depends on who is seeing him, made his first appearance in the city of Charleston Monday. 

Richard West of 1588 Lee St. called the Charleston Police Department at 10:15 p.m. to complain about the creature staring into his apartment window.

West talked to Patrolman D.L. Tucker, who said the conversation went something like this:

West---"You're going to think this is silly but I've seen Batman."

Tucker--"Really? Where?"

West--"He's on the roof next door. Just sitting there looking at me."

Tucker--"Describe him for me."

West-- :Well, aren't you going to get excited. I see Batman! I see Batman!"

Tucker--"I have to get this information, that's why I'm so calm."

West--" It looks just like a man. It's about six feet tall and has a wingspread of six or eight feet. It has great big red eyes."

Tucker--"Did it fly?"

West--"Straight up, just like a helicopter."

Tucker--"Can you see him now? Is he still there."

West--"No, I pulled the drapes."

There have been many sightings of a creature such as the one described by West. They originated in Mason County near Point Pleasant and the creature has been commonly referred to as Mothman or the Mason County Monster. 

29 November 1966

It's interesting that West never refers to the creature as Mothman...only as Batman. It's possible that West wasn't familiar with what was going on in Point Pleasant at the time, or didn't make the connection that the 'big bird' (as many articles were referring to it) that was being seen over an hour away could have anything to do with the winged MAN he was seeing on his neighbor's roof. However, it's important to note that in September of that year, paperboys in Charleston were being harassed in the early morning hours by some weirdo reported as being dressed up like Batman. West was probably a little more familiar with this story, as it was something of a local sensation of the time. (See my article, Batman in Charleston)

I also find it hilarious that he simply pulled the drapes after observing this creature fly straight up and presumably away. It's like he said to himself, "Not today, Batman!" I do wish I had a little more information about what neighbor was lucky enough to have the monster perch upon their roof. As you can see from the picture above, today, there is only the brick house, but there is an empty lot on the other side, which may not have been empty at the time. The apartment at 1588 itself has been renovated over the years, so it's not a great representation of what the area looked like in 1966. As a side note: I didn't realize it at the time, but this address is literally less than two blocks away from my apartment! So, it's possible that many decades ago, Mothman flapped his way across the moonlight directly over where I live today. That's kind of fun to think about! What's not so fun was trying to get a photo of the address where this went down. I swear, every time I went by to take a photo, there was someone sitting on the front porch or out on the sidewalk in front of the apartment. I finally found a stealthy moment to snap a quick picture out my car window, with hopes that no one thought I was some weirdo, or worse, become part of a new legend myself....

Anyway, this wasn't the only time Mothman was sighted in Charleston. A week before the article above was released, another article from an unnamed paper (found also in the Gray Barker archives) dated November 21, 1966 mentioned that Charleston city patrolman, Carl L. Bender received a report from a couple driving a truck near Ferry Branch who spotted a "huge bird with a wingspread wider than the truck" which swooped at them, then landed briefly in a tree before flying off up Ferry Branch Hollow.

This occurred on the Sunday before the article was published, which would have been on November 20th. That same day, a large bird was also seen in Nicholas County. 

UPDATE: I've found a third sighting of the mysterious Mothman in the Charleston area! On November 19, 1966, Lyle Atkins reported seeing a 'monkey-faced' bird with wingspan of 6-7 feet on Homewood Drive! This is a day before the Ferry Branch encounter, happened within just a few miles of it, and is eerily similar in description---well, much more similar than Batman flying straight up off a neighbor's roof! You can read about the Monkey-Faced Mothman in my newest blog: Mothman in Charleston Part 2! 

The Charleston Daily Mail
21 November 1966

The Pope Lick Monster

 WARNING! IT IS BOTH ILLEGAL AND VERY DANGEROUS TO TRESPASS ONTO RAILROAD TRACKS. THE POPE LICK TRESTLE IS PRIVATE PROPERTY. IT IS AN ACTIVE RAILROAD BRIDGE. THERE ARE NO PLATFORMS, WALKWAYS, OR EVEN A SECOND RAIL LINE. YOU CANNOT OUTRUN A TRAIN.

Pope Lick Trestle August 2024
Photo by Theresa

On a recent trip to Louisville to investigate Waverly Hills Sanatorium, I took a short side quest on the way home to visit another iconic area legend: The Pope Lick Monster. An unholy mix of human, goat, and perhaps even sheep, the Pope Lick Monster (also known as the Kentucky Goat Man) has been terrorizing local citizens since at least the 1950's. And although many are quick to point out that very few (if any) people actually SEE the Goat Man, the Pope Lick Trestle has a staggering death toll. 

The Pope Lick trestle was completed in 1888 (although I did find an article stating that the current trestle, replacing the older incarnation, was built in 1929) and today is still an active and busy line, owned by Norfolk Southern. From its completion up through the first half of the 20th century, the history of the trestle was largely unremarkable. In 1909, however, there was a minor derailment on the trestle, which luckily resulted in no deaths or major injuries, but did destroy a boxcar's worth of Christmas toys, valued at thousands of dollars. 

Nevertheless, somewhere along the line, a legend emerged. One story I heard was that the first sighting of the Goat Man was by a young man in the 1950's named Robert Hill. Hill and a friend were crossing the trestle when they saw what they initially thought was a man coming toward them. That 'man' would soon come close enough for Hill to see that he had the lower body of a goat, covered in dark hair. His upper half was that of a man, but the skin was scaly, like a reptile. Two large horns sat atop his head. Needless to say, they got the heck out of there in a hurry, and didn't share the tale for many years. But, by the 1960's, most of the local kids had heard of some version of a Goat Man legend that haunted the train trestle. 

Pope Lick Trestle
August 2024

In some versions of the story, the Goat Man was a deformed circus performer who had escaped confinement when the circus train carrying him crashed near or on the Pope Lick trestle. In another version, the Goat Man is a local farmer who made a deal with the Devil, and who was known to sacrifice goats in honor of his Dark Lord. In both versions, Goat Man is vengeful and bloodthirsty. 

According to legends, he has been known to jump down from the trestle onto or in front of cars, wielding a bloody axe. In more popular versions of the tale, Goat Man uses the train trestle itself to take the lives of his victims. He will use his powers of hypnotism and/or his ability to mimic the voices of a victim's friends, or even a baby/animal in distress, to lure victims onto the tracks. Once on the tracks, he can again use his hypnotism to cause the person to want to jump to their death below, or even just show himself, scaring the person into a similar fate. In reality, what has happened time and time again, is that the person finds himself on the narrow trestle as a train approaches. With nowhere to go, and no way to outrun the train, the person's only hope is to hang below the trestle until the train passes. Unfortunately, only a few people have survived that scenario. Many others have been hit by a train or fallen up to 90 feet trying to avoid getting hit. 

Some believe that successfully crossing the railroad trestle is the only way to summon the Pope Lick Monster, which is why few have actually seen the creature. Interestingly, this act of 'bravery' dates back before the legends of Goat Man. According to one elderly citizen in the area, as far back as the 1930's, it was seen as a rite of passage (especially with young men) to cross the long, narrow, towering train bridge. Those brave enough to face this daunting task, even without the added risk/reward of the Goat Man, were given much-craved respect from their peers, and in their minds, ascended into adulthood. 

In an ironic twist, however, it is believed that the legend of the Goat Man sprang up as a way to put a stop to this dangerous practice. Parents would warn their children to stay away from the Pope Lick Trestle or the Goat Man would get them. As an added layer to the legend, there is reason to believe that the Goat Man mythos does stem from an actual 'goat man.' Between the decades of the 1930's through the 1980's, a traveling preacher by the name of Charles 'Chez' McCartney traveled throughout the continental United States spreading his message. He was pulled in a cart by a team of goats, and often wore goatskin clothing. Further, he was known as the 'Goat Man.'

Charles McCartney

McCartney would camp in open fields and on farm land, and it is believed that during a stop near Louisville, he stayed in the area of the Pope Lick trestle. The smell was...not great...and it is reported that wherever McCartney wandered, he was met with an odd combination of fear and interest from local citizens. Of further interest to the Goat Man legend is the fact that McCartney did have a badly mangled arm from an industrial accident. As a young man, he did marry a Spanish knife-thrower and became a living target in her act, traveling with her in her performance group. He also tried his hand at farming. So, its a stretch, but not a big one, that McCartney became a scapegoat (see what I did there?) and basis for the Pope Lick Monster. He was something like a circus performer, a farmer, and had a thing for goats. He was met with suspicion and caution wherever he roamed, and I'm sure plenty of mamas in the area told their curious kiddos to stay away from where he was camping. 

Interest in the Goat Man legend, while always present among the area youth, was significantly revived in 1988 when a short film by Ron Schildknecht called The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster premiered in December. Shot largely on-site, production on the 16 minute film would take two years. During that span, the Pope Lick Trestle would gain two additional victims. The railroad was not happy with the release of the film and made a statement encouraging people to stay off the bridge, which was not only private property, but extremely dangerous. However, it is safe to say that film or no film, the lure of the Pope Lick Monster legend would have prevailed. 

As of this writing, the latest victim of the Pope Lick Trestle was a 15 year old girl in 2019. But, many would come before her, including an incident in 2016 where a young woman was killed when specifically seeking out the Goat Man. Over the years, a battle would ensue with Norfolk Southern, who despite the fences, plenty of warning signs, and even prosecutions, continually comes under pressure for not doing enough to keep curiosity seekers safe. Many believe it was a bad idea to remove the former platform and walkways that once were a part of the trestle, as they would offer protection to anyone caught on the tracks. However, the counter-argument is that such a feature would make trespassing on the tracks, dangerous in any situation, seem more attractive to those wanting to experience the legend. 

If you choose to pay a visit to the Pope Lick Trestle in search of the Goat Man, please stay off the tracks. Luckily, there is a wonderful little park nearby, with a biking/walking path that leads directly under the trestle with some nice photo spots. There is also a road that runs beside the path, so you can drive your car under and see if the legends of the monster jumping down in front of you with an axe are true. It's a beautiful area and one that should be seen...just safely, from below. Experience the legend, but don't become a part of it. 

*This is most likely not a complete list of deaths/injuries/accidents associated with Pope Lick Trestle, but here are a few of the victims associated with this legend. If visiting the area, please remain respectful, and keep these people in mind.*

Savannah Bright: 15 year old Savannah Bright was killed on May 26, 2019 when she and a friend were on the trestle and were hit by a train. The friend, later identified as Kaylee Keeling (16), survived. Today, a memorial for Savannah exists on the walking trail below the trestle. 

Roquel Bain: Roquel Bain (26) was visiting Louisville with her boyfriend, David Knee (41) from Dayton, OH. The two had tickets for a tour of Waverly Hills on April  23, 2016. To pass some time before the tour, they visited the Pope Lick Train Trestle in search of the Pope Lick Monster. As a train approached, David was able to drop down and hang underneath. Roquel was hit and fell 80 feet to the ground, dying instantly. David was later charged with trespassing. 

Nicholas Jewell: Jewell, a 19 year old University of Louisville student, died on November 6, 2000 after falling off the train trestle around 12:30 am. When the train approached, he had tried to support himself by hanging from the supports underneath, but the vibrations caused him to lose his grip. He was with four friends, all of who were uninjured.

October 22, 1994: Fourteen year old Michael Wells miraculously survived, along with his cousin Nathan Wells, also 14, when they were caught by an approaching train. The two were walking home with Michael's 22 year old brother in law, Stephen Britton. The younger boys begged Britton to take them to the trestle, which he reluctantly agreed to. They were both out on the trestle when the train approached. Nathan was able to run to safety, but Michael tripped. Luckily, he was able to drop down and hang below, and the train was able to stop, but not before several cars had already passed over him. All three were arrested for trespassing.

James Ratterman: Ratterman (34) was riding his ATV across the trestle around 11pm on April 18, 1994, when it overturned, trapping him. He was struck and killed by a train about 30 feet out onto the bridge.

December 1993: David Paul Smith (21), Christina Butts (19), Robert Travis Grey (20), and an unnamed juvenile were caught on the tracks when a train approached. All of them miraculously survived by hanging below the tracks. They were rescued by the local firefighters, whose ladder almost wasn't long enough to safely reach them. The train conductor, Kevin Hines, later sued the group for mental distress caused by the incident. 

Kevin Grady: Grady was a 19 year old Miami University student from Oxford, OH. On October 29, 1992 he fell 100 feet off the train trestle at Pope Lick, but miraculously survived with only relatively minor injuries. The accident happened around 1:45am, when a train caught Grady on the tracks. He initially managed to hang on the supports underneath, but lost his grip. 

Charles Jack Bahm II: The 17 year old student was killed on February 18, 1988 when he and two friends, Kevin Schnickel and Christopher Keisker, got bored while driving around and decided to attempt the train trestle. Keisker was unhurt, and Schnickel received a laceration to the chin when he fell, but Bahm unfortunately passed away after being struck by a train. 

David Wayne Bryant: Bryant was walking on the Pope Lick trestle on April 25, 1986 when an on-coming train forced him to jump from the bridge. He fell 110 feet, initially surviving his fall. Unfortunately, he would pass away from his injuries on May 15, 1986. His mother would file a lawsuit against the railroad. 

John Kenneth List: List was killed on June 1, 1985. He and a friend, Randall Graves, were on the trestle shooting crows. Graves was able to hang below the tracks, but List was hit by the train less than 30 feet from the end of the trestle. 

Samuel Fleischman: Fleischman was walking home from a Redbirds game with four other friends, including Scott Cole, on the night of May 13, 1984. 20 year old Fleischman was home from college for the summer, when the group got bored and decided to cross the old trestle. Fleischman fell 70 feet, but luckily, he survived his injuries. 

 

Beans Mill Monster and UFO Sighting (1976)

Eyewitness Sketch
Source: West Virginia UFO's by Bob Teets

In July of 1994, Willis 'Willie' Spence contacted West Virginia UFO researcher/author Bob Teets about an encounter he had back in 1976 while working as a night security guard. Spence worked the 6pm to 6am shift at Crown Creek Coal Company's Beans Mill mine in Upshur County. One evening, a group of local boys approached his guard shack with quite the story. They said they had just heard that a woman living nearby had called the police department because there was a gray, hairy monster on her porch!

Despite the outrageous claim, apparently the authorities did do a check. It is said that they also saw SOMETHING, which they shot and wounded as they chased it back into the woods. Two days later, Spence would have his own sighting. As he was leaving work and returning home one morning, he caught a brief glimpse of some type of creature hiding behind a tree. He didn't get a great look at it, but noticed that it had a humped back, similar to how the woman had described the creature on her property.

Things seemed pretty quiet for awhile, but two weeks later, Spence would have an experience he'd never forget. He was chilling out in his guard shack, listening to the radio and sipping on a cup of coffee. He was interrupted by what sounded like two pieces of metal slapping together. He looked out and saw what he assumed at first was a helicopter. A bright light came over the trees, and into view popped what appeared to be a spinning top-shaped craft, 40 to 50 feet in diameter and flying at a 60 degree angle. The main body of the craft was gray, but it was covered with rectangular windows in shades of red, green, orange and purple. The lighted rectangular windows would dim and brighten back up, each time making a 'va-room, va-room' sound. It was surrounded by a grated deck with a five foot high railing. A light came down, and a section of it turned orange as it stopped spinning.

Eyewitness Sketch of the
bottom of the craft
Source: WV UFOs by Bob Teets

Spence watched this craft for about three minutes, noting how beautiful it was, and how it evoked a happy feeling for him. Eventually, the craft went up and over a nearby mountain, out of sight. After this encounter, there were no additional sightings of that particular craft, nor the gray, hairy beast.  As seen in various other UFO cases (notably the Flatwoods Monster case of 1952), this case begs the question as to whether there was some sort of connection between the creature and the UFO. Was the creature an inhabitant of the UFO, either out exploring the West Virginia country-side (or perhaps even ESCAPING)? Did the occupants of the UFO send this creature down as a recon to see how it would react to our atmosphere? Or, were the UFO occupants sent to study this strange beast that happened to just be here naturally?

There could be no correlation at all between the sightings of the UFO and the sightings of the monster. It could all be a coincidence. But, after years of studying this phenomenon, I tend to believe that there is some over-arching force that links all this high strangeness together. Even today, many Bigfoot reports are accompanied by mysterious light anomalies and nearby UFO reports. I'll let you decide what to believe. Keep your eyes to the skies! 

**The information for this blog post comes entirely from Bob Teets' 1995 book, West Virginia UFOs: Close Encounters in the Mountain State.  There was a brief mention of this case in the West Virginia UFO Newsletter Volume 2, Number 11 (1996), but no additional information was given and unfortunately, I haven't found anymore substantial info on this case anywhere else. 

Pterodactyl: A Friday Funny

Source

A recent live-streaming of Wild and Weird Radio made me remember a rather strange incident that happened back in 2007. When you think about the gravity of the situation (how this young man could have really hurt himself or someone else and the idea that there may be some underlying mental health issues involved) it isn't really THAT funny, but the whole incident is absurd enough to classify it as a Friday Funny. Plus, I'll admit that when I did first hear this story, I may have laughed just a little too hard. 

Anyway...

The date was Thursday, December 27th, 2007. A 29 year old man from Wenatchee, Washington was driving northbound on Wenatchee Avenue around 11:30pm. According to witnesses, the man drifted into the southbound lane, drove for a little less than a block while on-coming traffic pulled over to accommodate him... and then crashed into a street lamp. 

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries in this single-vehicle crash, and after being treated at Central Washington Hospital, the man was released into police custody, where he was charged with negligent driving. When police asked what caused the man to drift into the wrong lane and ultimately crash, he would only respond with a one-word answer: pterodactyl. 

Obviously, the man was given a breath-alcohol test on the scene, but according to Sgt. Cherie Smith, there was only a minimal amount of alcohol in the man's system. I've never seen a follow-up as to whether a full toxicology screen showed anything else in his system, and the press seemed to have dropped the matter after the initial story. 

So what happened? Did this guy really see a pterodactyl, or was this just a spur-of-the-moment excuse for the accident? There were witnesses to the incident and no one else reported a long-extinct flying reptile, or any similar creature, either on the scene or in the general area that night. However...

Washington State does apparently have quite a few sightings of pterodactyls/pterosaurs, reported before AND after this event, especially in the vicinity of Olympic National Park, according to crypto-researcher Loren Coleman.  That's interesting, but I'm not sure it's enough to prove that this guy really did see a pterodactyl anywhere outside of his own mind. Happily, no one was hurt and this story became just one in a long list of head-scratching, chuckle inducing WTF moments. 

*As far as I can tell, this story first appeared 28 December 2007 in the  Everett Herald in an article written by Rachel Schleif...which is where the info came from. Stay spooky ya'll...and keep your eyes on the skies, EXCEPT while trying to drive! 

Bluefield Wild Man

 

Happy Wild Men Wednesday! I thought today I'd bring you the article that actually inspired this series of post about wild men running amok in West Virginia. Back at the beginning of the year, the West Virginia High Strangeness Collective posted that they had been chosen as Bigfoot Research Group of the Year by The Bigfoot Forums. That awesome accolade led me over to the forums myself to poke around. 

There was an entire section, much to my delight, called Tirademan's Historical Newspaper Archives. According to the description on the site, this is a historical archive of newspaper clippings compiled by member, Tirademan---or Scott McClean. Unfortunately, Scott passed away, but before he did, he donated this collection of old newspaper clippings to the website. 

Broken down by state, West Virginia had two entries. One article was about the Braxton County Monster sighting of 1961, involving a Bigfoot-type creature (not to be confused with the 1952 Flatwoods Monster incident), which I've already blogged about pretty extensively. You can find out more about that from my post, The Braxton County Monster Wrap-Up. However, the other entry was one with which I wasn't familiar and was about a wild man spotted by hunters in Bluefield, back in 1895. This particular article came from the Newark Daily Advocate, an Ohio newspaper, and is dated November 9th, 1895. 

If you're interested in the Bigfoot phenomena, definitely go check out the Bigfoot Forums, linked above. There's a ton of great information, and a ton of knowledgeable individuals on there sharing their research. And, of course, there's a great collection of historic newspaper articles! 

New Jersey's Official State Demon

The Jersey Devil
NJ's 'Official' State Demon...or Not?

Here in West Virginia we have a lot of official state 'stuff.' Our state bird is the majestic cardinal. In 2021, pepperoni rolls finally became our state food. And, of course among several others, our state song is the world-wide favorite, Country Roads. What we don't have, however, is an official state DEMON. As far as I can tell, that honor has only been bestowed upon the state of New Jersey.  Or has it...

There's a 'fun fact' floating around the paranormal world that in 1939, the Leeds Devil, more popularly known as the Jersey Devil, became the official state demon of New Jersey. Unfortunately, when you look at the actual state laws (yeah, this official state stuff is actually presented as a bill, voted on and passed by state government) there is no mention of the Jersey Devil being the state's officially recognized demonic being. So where did this information come from?

The New Jersey State Library puts out a wonderfully informative newsletter for its employees, and in issue No. 33, covers the origin story fantastically. 

Back on October 31, 1979 The Washington Post published an article stating that the Jersey Devil/Leeds Demon had been New Jersey's official state demon since 1939. This assertion was supported by a 1970's documentary on the Jersey Devil produced by the NJ Public Broadcasting Authority, stating the same thing.  But, it all really does date back to 1939. 

That year, a book called New Jersey: A Guide to Its Present and Past was published. The book contained a chapter entitled Folklore and Folkways, which opened with: By default, the title of official State demon has rested for nearly a century with the Leeds Devil, a friendly native of Atlantic County who has traveled extensively throughout southern New Jersey.

This tongue-in-cheek commentary was accompanied by the assertion that the Jersey Devil was also at the time studying for his doctorate degree at the University of Hell, and enjoyed discussing Republican politics over breakfast. I guess just flapping around the Pine Barrens is a little too low-brow for everyone's favorite winged, horse-faced monstrosity!

So unfortunately, the Jersey Devil isn't really recognized officially as New Jersey's Official State Demon...but he's certainly their unofficial state demon! We can only hope that one day, what started as a joke in 1939 may very well be voted on for real one day. At the very least, it's given me something fun and silly to share on today's Friday Funnies blog post! I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, stay spooky! 

September 2022 Paranormal Discussion Group with Joe Perdue

If you caught my blog post yesterday, you'll know that I'm desperately trying to get caught up with some 2022 events that I never got around to blogging about, particularly some of the guest speakers of the monthly St. Albans Paranormal Discussion Group! 

September was a REALLY hard month. With my mom's health quickly going down hill, she was admitted to the hospital, and it was soon apparent that she wasn't coming home. She passed away on September 24th, and a few days later, as a much needed distraction, I forced myself to pull it together and attend that month's presentation by Joe Perdue on everything Bigfoot in West Virginia and surrounding areas. 

Joe has been researching and investigating Bigfoot for quite awhile now, and is one of the premier experts on the subject in our area. He's been on several television shows and documentaries, and is one of the main guys behind Wild and Weird West Virginia and the West Virginia High Strangeness Collective (which actually just one the 2022 Best Bigfoot Researcher/Research Team from www.bigfootforums.com!). 

He brought with him a collection of casts, some tools of the trade, and plenty of stories from his own field research. It's always a pleasure to hear Joe speak, as he's not only super knowledgeable about his topic of interest, but obviously passionate about it as well. His larger than life personality and hilarious story-telling style kept the group's attention throughout the entire presentation, and well after as well. Joe even had a few giveaways to share, and made one kid's day for sure. 

Bigfoot and cryptozoology in general is one of those topics that I enjoy, but since I've always concentrated my own research on ghosts and hauntings, I'm really enjoying learning about now, and Joe is an absolute awesome resource. I've listened to the Wild and Weird WV podcast since pretty much the beginning, and try to follow the team's work as much as possible. And, any time I can get the chance to see Joe speak in person, I like to be there. It was nice to get the opportunity so close to home...and it worked. For a few hours, the pain of losing my mom and the stress of preparing for a funeral melted away and I was able to spend an evening doing what I love best---learning about the paranormal field with those who share those interests. 

The McMellin Monster of Monongalia County

I've got another crazy vintage newspaper article for ya'll. This is from the May 7th, 1902 edition of The New Dominion, a newspaper out of Morgantown, West Virginia. In this article, a haunted ravine between McMellin (spelled incorrectly in the article) and Sand Springs (now home to a camp ground) in Monongalia County is found to be home to a horrible beast with six inch teeth and claws like an eagle! Interestingly, there's a blurb directly below this story about a large bear being seen in the same vicinity...but there's no way that this beast could be a simple misidentification, right?? You can check it out for yourself over at the Chronicling America website.

MODERN ST. GEORGE

Finds His Dragon But Fails To Kill It

Horrible Beast With Teeth Six Inches Long and Claws Like an Eagle Discovered Near Sand Spring--Brave Lumberman Fires at it and Vanquishes it--Others news from Morris Cross Roads

Special to the New Dominion

MORRIS CROSS ROADS, MAY 6--A deep ravine between McMellon and Sand Springs has for some time been considered as being haunted. The people in the vicinity have reported several brands of ghost stories but none had ever seen anything extraordinary. Although several solemnly declared that they had heard "strange things" and had fled without making an investigation. 

It remained for Jack Harris a lumberman, to solve the mystery. He was returning to the camp near midnight when he was suddenly confronted by the most terrible looking beast that mortal man ever saw. The animal was about the size of a hippopotamus and resembled a dog somewhat. Harris fired at the monster with his revolver and the thing never budged but let out a roar that made the trees tremble. He then fired 5 more shots at it when it turned its tail and absquatulated. 

According to the man's description the great animal had teeth 6 inches long and and its claws were something like an eagle's. It's hair was white with large black spots on it.  When still it assumed a crouching position as if to spring upon its prey and in disappearing it made leaps fully 10 feet long so Harris declares.

Theresa's Note: After taking a good, hard look at the details of this story, I'm now convinced that this is a fairly early example of a West Virginia cryptid known as The White Thing or White Thang. The White Thing is actually a pretty broad term, and covers a wide array of white-colored monsters all the way from Sheepsquatch to things that just sort of defy classification---including a large number of sightings of extremely large canine-type monsters roaming around the area of Monongalia County! One of the absolute best resources for information on these monsters is the book, White Things: West Virginia's Weird White Monsters by Kurt McCoy, but this article on Mysterious Universe by Brent Swancer is also a good place to start if you're looking to delve into this strange topic a lil' further! 

  

Mothman in St. Albans

When two young couples witnessed a terrifying, red-eyed, winged humanoid just outside of Pt. Pleasant, WV one November evening in 1966, that sleepy little West Virginia town along the Ohio River became forever entwined with the Mothman story. For 13 long months, the citizens of Pt. Pleasant were plagued by sightings of the creature, along with reports of UFOs, Men in Black, other strange cryptids, ghosts, and even psychic visions. 

Even to this day, Pt. Pleasant is home to the annual Mothman Festival, the world's only Mothman Museum, and of course, the beloved Mothman statue. People come from all over the country, and even all over the world to learn more about this mysterious monster, tour the places where it was seen, and take home plenty of Mothman-themed souvenirs from some of the many local shops! But...Mothman wasn't confined to JUST Pt. Pleasant. It seems as if our winged friend was quite the traveler, even during the initial 1966-1967 flap. One of the many places he was spotted (twice!) was St. Albans, West Virginia!

St. Albans is a town located in Kanawha County, not far from Charleston. As the crow flies, it's about 40 miles south of Pt. Pleasant, straight down on the Kanawha River. Less than two weeks after the initial Mothman sightings, West Virginia's favorite cryptid showed up on two consecutive evenings in or near town. 

On Saturday, November 26, 1966, Ruth Foster, a housewife, got a really good look at a strange bird-like creature standing in her front yard, by her porch. She said it had a "funny little face" with no beak, but "big red poppy eyes" that popped out of it's face. She said the creature stood around the same height as her husband, who was 6'1''. Understandably, Ruth let out a scream at seeing such a strange creature, and ran inside the house. Her brother in law immediately ran back out to see it for himself, but by that time it had disappeared. Neither apparently saw the creature actually leave. 

The next day, Mothman was a busy lil' beast. Around 10:30am, he was seen by 18 year old Connie Jo Carpenter near New Haven in Mason County, not far from Pt. Pleasant. Connie was driving home from church services when she noticed what looked like a large man in gray standing near the Mason County Golf Course. Suddenly, ten-foot wings unfolded and this...THING...took off straight up and then straight towards her car. She said the thing stared at her with it's huge red eyes through the windshield, then veered off and flew away. The whole incident affected her greatly, as she rushed home in hysterics. She was unable to go to school for the next few days, and had to seek medical treatment for klieg conjunctivitis---eye burn---that lasted two weeks. Like Ruth, she also got a good look at the thing's face, but she was so shook up by the experience that she couldn't really describe it beyond saying how awful it was.

After physically and mentally damaging that poor young girl, later that evening Mothman would return  to St. Albans, where he would again scare the crud out of two young girls. Thirteen year old Sheila Cain and her younger sister were walking home from a store on Route 60, just outside of St. Albans when they saw a large "something" next to a local junkyard. The girls described the creature as being gray and white, standing about 7 feet tall (bigger than a grown man), and having large, red eyes. It flew straight up in the air, and as the girls started running towards home, it flew over them, chasing them part of the way. Allegedly, a neighbor also witnessed the creature. 

As far as I have found, those were the only two times Mothman was reportedly seen in St. Albans, but it was one heck of a weekend! Fortunately for the citizens of this little city at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers, Mothman had many more places to be and people to scare, always returning to his home base in Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia. 

Sources: 

Keel, John. Strange Creatures From Time and Space. New Saucerian Books, 2014. 

Keel, John. The Mothman Prophecies. Tor Publishing, 2002.

Sergent, Donnie and Jeff Wamsley. Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend. Mothman Lives Publishing, 2002. 

Wayne County's Mystery Animal

Wayne County News
2 January 1936
Source: Wayne County News Archives FB

MYSTERY ANIMAL KILLED AFTER ALL-DAY CHASE

Wayne County's mystery animal is dead!

The animal which has harassed residents of Grant district for more than six years was killed December 24 after an all-day chase by Will Spry of Milum Creek. Mr. Spry shot the animal in the shoulder after it had fallen into the creek when the ice broke in crossing.

More than a dozen men and several dogs chased the animal. It was discovered by Milton Nelson, who chased it with his dog all day. Other men and dogs joined in the chase but the dogs would quit when they got near the animal, except Rouster, Mr. Nelson's dog, which stayed in the chase the entire day.

Early in the chase the animal ran the ridges but in the evening, when the animal became tired, it dropped down to the creek level. 

Other men in the chase where Sammie Nelson, Norman and Boyd Finley, Fletcher Spry, Keither Caldwell, Charley Maynard, Ballard Finley, Max Lester, Noah Nelson, Carlos Nelson and Lindsey H. Perry, Jr.

It was not learned what kind of animal it is, but it was described by those in the chase as being about five feet in length, with the height of a sheep and feet and legs larger than those of a fox hound. Its weight was estimated at 75 pounds. It has a nose sharp and and long like a fox and its tusks are 1 1-2 inch in length. The animal is heavily furred, and tinted brown and gray. 

The animal was fond of pigs and sheep and several farmers have reported loss of their domestic animals during the past year or more. 

Several people saw the animal during recent years and it became almost a legend in that section of the county.

The animal, it was reported, is being mounted and will be on display in Wayne in the near future. 

Theresa's Note: I found this story in the January 2, 1936 edition of the Wayne County News, which was posted to the awesome Facebook page, Wayne County News Archives at the Wayne Public Library. The headline caught my attention immediately, because ya'll know I love me a good mysterious animal story! 

I was further intrigued when I tried to find out some additional information on the story and found the legend of the Booger Cat, posted to Wayne County History Portal website. The article states that during the early 1930's, the residents of southern Wayne County, especially around the area where Cabwaylingo State Park was currently being built, were being harassed by some weird animal that was eating up their livestock. A group of about 20 men finally hunted the creature down and shot it, but still could not figure out exactly what it was---it was black, had a bushy tail, and sported a snout like a dog's, only shorter. They sent the creature off to Charleston to be identified, where experts came to the conclusion that it was a...grey wolf.  The only problem was that grey wolves were allegedly extinct in that area. Could a small population still have been living deep in the dense forests of Wayne County for over a hundred years, mostly undetected? It is said that even after this creature was shot, other sightings of a similar animal continued. Perhaps the Mystery Animal shot on Christmas Eve was one of the last remaining relatives in a small family of wolves living in the area. 

Book Review: Appalachian Bigfoot

Title: The Appalachian Bigfoot

Author: Dr. Russell Jones

Published: December 9, 2021 by Beyond the Fray Publishing

Amazon Purchase Information

The Appalachian Bigfoot is actually the second book by West Virginia author and researcher, Dr. Russell Jones. Following on the heels of Tracking the Stone Man: West Virginia's Bigfoot (published 2016), The Appalachian Bigfoot is another excellent contribution to the field of cryptozoology.

As I said in my review of his previous book, Bigfoot is a subject that I'm interested in, as I believe all the strange and unusual aspects of the paranormal field are related, but its not a subject that I feel super well-versed in. Therefore, I'm always looking for extremely informative resources written in a way that I can easily digest the information without getting bored. And, The Appalachian Bigfoot was a good fit!

While Dr. Jones' first book focused on the Bigfoot population of West Virginia, this newest book expands to study Bigfoot throughout the Appalachia region of the United States. Up until recently, much of the Bigfoot research that was published really tended to focus on the Bigfoot population of the Pacific Northwest...and believe it or not, there are some differences between the seemingly same species from across the country. 

The Appalachian Bigfoot is a treasure trove of information on this mysterious beast. Topics range from physical descriptions of these creatures, the best times and locations to witness them, theories about why we don't yet have proof of their existence, evidence collection, habituation, and much more. Included are case studies featuring the most compelling eyewitnesses reports from around the Appalachian region.

So, I'm not gonna lie---while I enjoyed this book immensely, there were times when it seemed a little...disjointed and repetitive...like it was written in chunks, then kind of hastily put together. However, the information in this book far outweighs that minor problem, if it even IS a problem. While it may seem disjointed to sit and read cover to cover, if you're looking for a specific topic, or just want to read a little bit at a time, then you'll never even notice. 

I'm pretty sure that everyone, from the complete novice to the experienced Squatcher, can find value in this book, and its a must-have reference for any cryptozoology library. And, you don't even really need to live within Appalachia to love this book. The case studies are interesting, no matter where you're from, and there are enough similarities between these various populations of Bigfoot-type creatures  that the information can be applied outside the region. I was lucky enough to pick up MY personal copy at a local thrift store, but it's available on Amazon and through most major book stores. 

If you've read The Appalachian Bigfoot by Dr. Russell Jones, please let me know what YOU thought, down in the comments below! And, if you're interested in additional book reviews from Theresa's Haunted History, see my link below!

*Book Reviews*