The Legend of the Dover Demon

Bill Bartlett’s original sketch of the Dover Demon

BACKGROUND:

Some call it a cryptozoological creature. Others call it a humanoid. Either way, the Dover Demon is a mystery.

Dover, Massachusetts.

It was April 21, 1977. William Bartlett, 17, was driving at night and saw a strange, alien-like creature in his headlights. He described it as having “tendril-like fingers” and glowing eyes. It was walking on all fours.

John Baxter, 15, reported a similar-looking creature later that same night. Only he saw it walking upright like a person.

On April 22, 1977, Abby Brabham, 15, saw the same unusual creature. It was walking on all fours across the road. It almost looked like a monkey, she thought. It was hairless and beige in color, and it didn’t seem to have a nose, ears, or a tail.

All three teenagers drew similar sketches. From what we can tell, the unknown entity wasn’t wearing clothes, was hairless and gangly, and was almost faceless except for the glowing eyes. .

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THEORIES:

It was either an owl carrying prey, a horse foal, or a moose calf.

It was a hoax from bored teenagers during school vacation.

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INTERESTING FACTS:

• The sightings were investigated by the Mutual UFO Network.
• The three witnesses were not close friends, so the theory of the hoax doesn’t make sense.
• There were no animal tracks found at any of the locations.

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TODAY:

The Dover Demon was featured on an episode of Lost Tapes in 2009.

The creature was also featured in a few comic books – Proof, The Perhapanauts, The Pound: Ghouls Night Out, and Gunnerkrigg Court.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES:

It’s actually difficult to find many details on the Dover Demon. Most reports have the same information about those first three sightings and nothing else. I’m not even able to find much on theories.

I do think it’s interesting that the sightings happened over those two nights and nothing else has been reported since.

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SOURCES:

• Wikipedia
• WBSM

The Legend of the Montauk Monster

Picture from Wikipedia

Background:

July 2008. Montauk, New York. A strange animal carcass washes upon the shore of a beach near the business district. The creature was described as being dog-like but with a beak, and it had strange bindings around its legs.

The first media articles name the creature “Hound of Bonacville” before it receives its official name of the “Montauk Monster.” Pictures circulate across the internet and the speculation grows deeper.

Soon after those first reports come in, the carcass disappears. One witness claims someone took it “into the woods into his backyard.” But the truth has never been known.

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What’s in a Name?

Loren Coleman, Director of International Cryptozoology Museum helped create the name we call the creature today, the Montauk Monster.

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Latest News:

July 2020. Another sighting has been reported. The creature is described as a “hideous, bloated, dead creature.” This same witness has seen other carcasses, like seagulls and fish, but this was a new experience for him.

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Interesting Facts:

Once the news spread, the three girls that were the original reporters, vanished from the public eye.

Loren was assigned to investigate the creature, and when trying to speak to the townspeople, they refused to speak to him.

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Theories:

The unidentifiable carcass was believed to be a “water-degraded raccoon.” This was based off a Palaeozoologist reports after studying the pictures.

Some believed the creature was an experiment from a nearby animal disease center.

A local reporter, Nick Leighton, visited the disease facility to investigate the above theory. He was required to get government approval and wasn’t allowed to take anything from the facility when he left. While there, he heard rumors about a Viking funeral for a creature. The Viking funeral would have involved the creature being burned and put out to sea. It’s possible this explains the unrecognizable carcass.

Perhaps the creature was actually an alien that succumbed to Earth’s atmosphere.

One last theory comes from my husband. He’s heard of similar cases that end up being hoaxes. The example he shared with me was from the Oklahoma/Arkansas area. A mysterious creature pops up in a not-so-popular town, only to disappear as soon as the fame hits. It’s an excellent way to garner interest from tourists.

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My Thoughts:

I personally want to believe this story is real. It goes back to comments I’ve previously made. There’s a lot out there that we simply don’t know about. There are species we haven’t encountered. And not to mention crazy lab experiments that people are hush-hush about.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Have you heard of the Montauk Monster? Perhaps your town had a similar case? Share in the comments!

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Media Features:

Fox News
The Huffington Post
Ancient Aliens, TV Show

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Sources:

Wikipedia
All Things Interesting
The East Hampton Star

Goatman

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com

Background:

An urban legend involving a creature that resembles a goat-human hybrid

Prince George’s County, Maryland

It was the early 1970s when the stories began. Family dogs would disappear or be slaughtered. Vehicles would be attacked in unidentifiable ways. With so many unknowns, the locals ran with the idea of this mysterious Goatman. Law enforcement even began receiving calls about sightings, many of which were deemed as pranks.

Goatman is described as being seven feet tall, with the face of a man and the body of a goat. The more violent tales speak of teens being chased, houses being broken into, and young couples being killed.

The story of this cryptid has kept fear alive in the community.

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Theories:

One version of the creature is that he was actually a scientist before he became Goatman. He was conducting an experiement on goats in the agricultural research center, only it backfired. The scientist mutated into a human-goat creature and continues to roam the town to this day.

A second theory states that Goatman is an old hermit that lives deep in the woods. He only comes out when necessary, like for food.

Some say its a relative to the Grunch Road Monster of New Orleans, which resembles a reptilian chupacabra.

No one has yet to uncover the truth of this mysterious creature.

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Author’s Opinion:

I do enjoy a good cryptid story, and this one is no different. There are so many stories and lore of unknown creatures. Many are just spooky tales to put fear in children so they’ll behave. But honestly, in our world, there’s so much that hasn’t been explored. Both on land and in water. I have no doubt there’s some unexplainable things out there. Besides, what’s the harm in believing a little unknown?

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Sources:

wikipedia.org
cryptidz.fandom.com

The Legend of the Mothman

Background:

Definition – a humanoid creature

Location – West Virginia, area of Point Pleasant

First Report – Two couples-Roger & Linda Scarberry and Steve & Mary Mallette-saw a large flying creature when they were driving just outside their town. The creature was described as gray with glowing red eyes and ten-foot wings. The following day, November 16, 1966, the Point Pleasant Register published an article titled “Couples See Man-Sized Bird…Creature…Something.” So there the story begins.

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Origin of the Name:

The name actually came from one of the press companies that first ran stories on the creature.

The first sightings occurred at the same time a popular Batman show was on. In the comic book version, there was a villain called the Killer Moth. It’s believed this is where the name derived.

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Sightings:

Since that first sighting in 1966, many people have surfaced admitting that they, too, have seen the creature.

On November 12 of that same year, and only a few days before the reported sighting, a group of gravediggers saw something large moving from tree to tree in a quick pace.

The Gettysburg Times reported eight sightings within a few days of those first reports. This included two volunteer firemen that described it has a large bird with red eyes.

Newell Partridge saw a creature with eyes that glowed “like bicycle reflectors.” In addition, his television set started acting up at this same time, and his German Shepherd vanished.

Sightings declined over the years. The latest stats come from Chicago in 2017, where there were 55 reported sightings.

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Theories:

The County Sheriff dismissed the claims, stating the creature was only a large heron.

Wildlife Biologist Robert Smith told reporters he thought it was a sandhill crane that had veered off its migration route.

The collapse of the Silver Bridge in December 1967, was thought to be caused by the Mothman. They blamed the creature for the 46 lives that were lost that day.

Some scientists believe Mothman could be an alien or unknown animal species.

There’s an area just outside of Point Pleasant that the townsfolk call the TNT area. It’s called this because of bunkers lining the area, leftover from the second World War. It’s believed that toxins leaked, affecting the wildlife and this could be what created the mystery creature.

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Interesting Facts:

Some people claim the Mothman is only seen during times of turmoil, like the Silver Bridge collapse.

In 2002, the town of Point Pleasant held its first annual festival, celebrating the Mothman legend. More than 10 thousand people attend the event each year. For those interested, the event takes place the third weekend of September. You can see cosplayers, live bands, and guest speakers.

The year following when the festival started, a 12′ metallic statue of the Mothman was unveiled. It was created by sculptor Bob Roach.

Another two years pass and the Mothman Museum and Research Center was opened.

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Author’s Opinion:

I’m a fan of legends surrounding unknown creatures and cryptids. I definitely think there are some unknowns out there. I’ve seen stuff with my own eyes. Of course, I also feel like people’s imaginations get the better of them.

As for the case of the Mothman, I like to think it’s true. There are a lot of firsthand stories that corroborate the tale. And I think it did a lot of good for the town of Point Pleasant. It helped them put a mark on the map and the town has grown over the years. Maybe one day, I’ll get to attend the festival.

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Sources:

wikipedia.org
allthatsinteresting.com
mothmanfestival.com