They also relive terrifying encounters and reflect on each discovery from a safer environment. The Big Book of Texas Ghost Stories by Alan Brown, published in 2012, doesnt mention the Old Alton Bridge. It is open only to pedestrians today. In 2014, after Harrod's family had him declared legally dead and inherited his home, Heeter was evicted. Dallas Observer's The Morning After Brunch, virtual remembrance and fundraising event. The Sheriffs archives made no mention of the event. There's the bridge, and then there's . However, water shortages forced politicians to move two years later, in 1848. According Driving into the city of Dallas, its stunning skyline immediately catches the eye. Built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the 145-foot long . The Goatman's Bridge. Whenever a sighting of this ghastly figure occurs, a string of mysterious disappearances is sure to follow. He's half-goat half-man. And sure enough, my friend was like, oh yeah, that person was my next-door neighbor when we were growing up, and were friends. Lermont Stowers-Jones' body was found in a Denton County creek in 2018. [1], According to some variations of the legend, Goatman is said to have once been a scientist who worked in the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. However, not everyone was pleased with Oscars newfound success and acceptance within the North Texas community. They have also recorded the sound of horses hooves crossing the bridge, when there were no horses present and one investigator, walking with her German shepherd dog, has seen a horseman, dressed in dark clothing, galloping toward them, then disappearing, without leaving tracks on the path. Goatman's Bridge was built in 1884 to connect the towns of Alton and Denton. Within a few years, Oscar had built a reputation for himself as a reliable and trustworthy businessman and a valuable member of the community. [5][6], The Goatman lore has isn't as well known but there have been some adaptations such as the slimy alien version in the game, Goatman's revenge. Pearson relates that "bored teenagers" keep the Goatman legend alive by repeating the story and suggesting that the creature attacks couples, frequenting the local lover's lane, subsequently stirring interest in sites like Fletchertown Road. You all asked for it so we did it. To this day no one knows exactly how Oscar was able to evade the mobs wrath, but legend holds that the name Goatmans Bridge came about to honor him. theYear=now.getYear() These tales are obviously old, as the bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2001. places to stay, tourism, events, lodging, and we feature Texas Hill Country info There have been four known lynching events of white people in Denton County since its founding, and the reason for white lynchings was typically horse theft. My paranormal experiences became a local sensation in Denton, TX and remained the most viewed videos for awhile , even after others began to upload their own experiences. Alton, now Cooper City, has long been abandoned. More tales of strange noises have also been described, including the sounds of horses hoof beats on the bridge, splashing in the creek below, maniacal laughter, and inhuman like growling coming from the surrounding woods. Harrod was last seen at his residence in the 500 block of Carnation Drive Placentia, California sometime between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on July 27, 2009. . His living was raising and selling goats. The Klansmen, however, did not exactly follow the due process of the law. According to their reports, the Goatman stands eight feet tall, with the chest and arms of a man, the hindquarters and hooved feet of a goat, and a frightening goats head complete with huge curled horns and glowing eyes. To continue reading from the video description: Back to my video This one here is the first of 2 videos that for several years, if you were to search Goatmans Bridge on Youtube , only 3 results appeared -Leland-s, and the 2 you are about to watch in this series. The bridge also became an important junction connecting the Elm Fork hiking trail to the Pilot Knoll hiking and equestrian trails, reverting the bridge back to its original use of transporting horses and their riders. Texas Hill Country Facebook page is growing by over 1,000 fans per And, the Goatman is evidently not alone. There have been reports of abandoned cars with no sign of their occupants, vehicles breaking down or car doors locking and unlocking of their own accord, and some people have heard hoofbeats around the bridge. Nicknamed " Goatman's Bridge " by Denton natives, legend says the Ku Klux Klan lynched a successful Black goat farmer there in the 1930s. Washburn was never seen again, they say, but a vengeful spirit has haunted the Old Alton Bridge ever since. The slavers then watched in horror as the headless body raised itself from the creekbed mud, animated by voodoo, and ripped off the head of a nearby goat to replace his own, still dangling in the noose! But like I said, theres more than one version that attempts an explanation for a century of recurring frights and sights encountered at the bridge. Folks online have said that the video just added some additional background details to the existing legend. However, given the condition of remains, the deaths may more likely have been the result of passing trains. The name sounded familiar to me, so I texted one of two people who I went to high school with who Im still in touch with. A week and a half after he went missing, two of his children filed for conservatorship to get control of his assets. Last time, I talked about the possibly apocryphal story of the murder of Oscar Washburn, a Black man who was supposedly lynched by the Klan in the 1930s. Some folks believe that Satanists have performed dark rituals on the bridge and opened a portal to another dimension. The newly improved bridge solved this problem as well as straightened out a sharp curve on both sides of the creek. Passing over any bridge as antiquated and creaky as the Old Alton, its normal to feel a little unsettled. An attempt to trace the current tales of the Goatmans Bridge to their source: a 2008 YouTube video that contained seemingly new information about the urban legend, including some information that linked the story to the Mothman legends. Some people have seen a half-man, half-goat figure, similar to a satyr; this odd account of after-death transformation (if this is indeed the Goatman) bears some semblance to the tale of the Donkey Lady Bridge or La Llorona. In February 2022, a "six-foot goat man" was supposedly seen near a village called Staverton, in Northamptonshire. (Goatmans Bridge Series), I Seen the Devil (Goatmans Bridge Series), Satanic Rituals at the Bridge (Goatmans Bridge Series). Denton County itself was formed in 1846, and the first attempt at settling the county seat was Pinckneyville (named for the Texas governor). Often the growl will be accompanied by the words, "Get off my bridge!" There are even claims of satanic devil worship being performed on the site, raising the specter of the devil himself on the bridge. His hobbies include fishing and playing slot machines, and he left behind three daughters, a grandson and three great-grandchildren. Locals warn that if you cross the bridge at night without headlights (as the Klansmen are said to have done), you will be met on the other side by the Goatman. Treat has written about numerous local places and personalities at his. The Denton County location is notoriously haunted by the spirit of Oscar Washburn, or "Goatman," who was believed to be a former . About 3.5 miles from the present-day town of Corinth, in Denton County, Texas, once stood the small village of Alton, which, for a decade, served as the Denton County seat. https://web.archive.org/web/20100920155235/http://www.asup-inc.org/oldaltonbridgecase.htm. [1] Despite evidence to the contrary, stories of Goatman's existence continued to circulate, especially among local students. This location did grow, and before long, it boasted a hotel and two stores. They would pull into the parking lot, get out, turn on all the flashlights and slowly walk towards this bridge to see what this was all about. It might have just been a racoon or somethingbut it was moving in our direction, and we all bolted out of there! In a panic, the mob fled from the bridge. The Ghost Adventures crew is in Denton, Texas, investigating Goatman's Bridge. According to legend, a successful goat breeder named Oscar Washburn began to call himself the Goatman. Along with hikers, bikers, and horseback riders, the Old Alton Bridge and surrounding wooded areas have become a popular destination for bird watchers and nature photographers. Aside from demonic satyrs, a second version of the story seeks to explain the origins of Goatmans Bridge. Before the new bridge, drivers had to signal with their horns before crossing the single-lane bridge, as there was room for only one vehicle to pass at a time. They wanted to put up a reward for his safe return, maintain his home and pay his bills. Dobie describes Sam Bass as a sort of Texan Robin Hood, an outlaw who was apparently well liked and spent some time in Denton County. I would spend countless hours there and watched all this happen every night from the bridge. November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. The main highway bypasses it now, but the 135-year-old structure is still visible from the main road. The first tragic legend claims that a successful African American goat farmer named Oscar Washburn was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan on the bridge in the 1930s. Over the years it gained more notoriety as I began to uncover and post more of the mystery, opening thousands of peoples minds in person who came to visit and happened to stop to have a chat with that ghost hunting guy and his beagle always at the bridge. Washburn was gone and was never seen again. I chatted him instead. Ive been told that if I were in a horror movie, A look at a place full of cemeteries, ruins, and ghosts of, http://www.randomconnections.com/paranormal-activity/, https://web.archive.org/web/20100920155235/, http://www.asup-inc.org/oldaltonbridgecase.htm, https://web.archive.org/web/20100617152737/, The Trickster and the Goatman (Goatmans Bridge Series), I went to Goatmans Bridge (Goatmans Bridge Series), This Way to the Goatman (Goatmans Bridge Series), Death at the Goatmans Bridge (Goatmans Bridge Series), Who is the Goatman? Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. Due to the great number of unexplained happenings at the Old Alton, the bridge has been the subject of a number of investigative paranormal shows. havent been able to find mentions of Oscar Washburn prior to 2008. Heeter was packing up her belongings at her home in Missouri in order to move in with Harrod in California, and he was preparing for her arrival and looking forward to it. Left to right: Jay Wasley, Zak Bagans, Billy Tolley, Aaron Goodwin. Goatman Bridge is a nickname for Old Alton Bridge in Argyle, Texas. Well, thats it. In this version, an experiment on goats backfires and the scientist mutates into a half man, half goat creature who begins aggressively attacking cars in the vicinity of Beltsville, Maryland. The Goatman isnt just a haunting campfire tale, its also a reminder that an ignorance of our history is no protection from its everlasting consequences. day! He never answered. Some say the two ghosts are connected, and that years ago, the Goatman stole the young womans baby. However, based on a reply that someone posted the next day, the video was deleted within 24 hours. In August 1938, masked Klansmen abducted Washburn and hung him from the bridge. [4], According to University of Maryland folklorist Barry Pearson, the Goatman legend began "long, long, long" ago and were further popularized in 1971 when the death of a dog was blamed on Goatman by local residents. And its not lost on me that theres a connection between the two legends: both involve a animal man hybrid as well as a bridge. The bridge first served as a route for riders on horseback. If history is the self-congratulatory narrative of a community written by its victorious elite, then our ghosts will often problematize and haunt such tidy romanticisms of back in the day. . The site also tells this story about a possible historical Goat Man: In some research we found that in the late 1800s there was a man that reportedly lived out near the bridge, who owned several goats. 714-993-8164. Ghost Adventures anchors Travel Channels Ghostober event with all-new frightening specials. Earning his living raising goats, he was soon called the Goatman by the locals. The episode claimed Satanic rituals had been performed under the notoriously-haunted bridge. Harrod was last seen at his residence in the 500 block of Carnation Drive Placentia, California sometime between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on July 27, 2009. Whenever a sighting of this ghastly figure occurs, a string of mysterious disappearances is sure to follow. Highlights include: Thoughts about how the internet transforms and changes urban legends A little digital gumshoeing Some Mothman easter eggs. Becky Vickers is the author of the book The Secrets of Goatman's Bridge. Throughout the years multiple origins for the Goatman have spread but the one that remains consistent is the feeling that the demon is watching.<br /><br />Listen to all the origins and find . STOP..GOINGTHERE..PEOPLE! But heres what I can tell you: I just searched for him again and I have discovered that he made a Tiktok back in July and hes posted two videos, both of which show a shirtless man wearing a cow mask and hanging out in the woods. Join the Observer community and help support Shortly afterwards, so the stories go, a family was passing over the bridge at night and encountered the old man, or at least his apparition, standing in front of them, a goats head tucked under each arm. The new bridge straightened out a sharp curve on both sides of the creek and provided additional travel lanes. Stranger stories even include people having seen a creature that resembles a half-goat, half-man. Their chance finally came that summer. In Denton County, Texas near the ghost town that once was Alton a bridge was constructed at the Hickory Creek in 1884. Peering over into the water, his murderers saw a rope, but not his body. So this is a person who perhaps at one point in his life felt very inspired by Godsmack, see you can just use that to paint a mental picture in your mind palace of what this person might be like. Travelers say that if you cross the bridge without your headlights, the Goatman will meet you on the other side. According to legend, if you visit on Halloween and honk your car horn twice, visitors can see Goatmans glowing eyes. So who knows maybe this series will appear on his channel, Ill try to keep an eye on it and I will update you if there is any movement there. There is little remaining of the old townsite today, except for the Hickory Creek Baptist Church and the old Alton Cemetery, which contains graves that date back to 1852. But just in case you arent up to date with the moth man lore, basically from November 15, 1966 to December 15, 1967, there were a series of incidents that were said to involve the moth man.
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