His family doesn't believe he would have left without warning. Back in The Day is an ongoing WDDI contribution from Shaun Treat, founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. Denton County itself was formed in 1846, and the first attempt at settling the county seat was Pinckneyville (named for the Texas governor). Placentia Police Department In February 2022, a "six-foot goat man" was supposedly seen near a village called Staverton, in Northamptonshire. A rash of mysterious disappearances are becoming alarmingly routine on a. now = new Date \r\rAfter numerous abandoned automobiles and missing persons, a new bridge was constructed directly downstream. In an account that may go back as far as the 1860s Texas Troubles, some Copper Canyon cowboys lynched a Creole slave goat-herder named Jack Kendall from a tall creekside tree near where the bridge now stands, but ineptitude separated the runaway slaves head from his body. But Old Alton Bridge, the Goatman's Bridge, remains still open to foot traffic. In July of 1988 at just over 100, the Old Alton Bridge landed a coveted spot on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as recognition as a Texas Historic Landmark. On March 4, 2022, a reddit user who I will call Bob (not his real name) posted 23 links to a video and/or a playlist containing a video that he claims contains the real story behind the Goatmans Bridge. While the Goatman is said to sleep beneath the Old Alton during the day, he habitually creeps out from under it to hunt for food at night, returning only at the sound of his name. Washburn was never seen or heard from again or was he? By 1856, the small town boasted several homes, a blacksmith shop, three stores, a school, a saloon, a hotel, two doctors, and several lawyers. Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. If you park outside the bridge at night and honk your horn three times a goatman will appear. It just seems to be the story that captures everyone's imagination.". Oh, also, it seemed like he tweeted a lot in early-to-mid June 2022 and hasnt tweeted since, which also matches the pattern. And what you guess it, both videos were posted on July 17 and there have been no new videos since then, which seems to be a pattern for Bob. Other reports tell of a womans spirit who wanders the area, allegedly searching for her lost baby. The Hickory Creek Baptist Church was organized in 1855, and by 1856, there were several buildings including a school and a saloon. A rash of mysterious disappearances are becoming alarmingly routine on a chilling stretch of road that is known by locals as \"the Goatman's bridge.\"\r\rConstructed in 1884, the bridge connected Lewisville to Alton. Several other reports tell of numerous abandoned cars that have been found near the bridge, with their occupants missing. 714-993-8164. And both are popular urban legends, so if someone in 2010 wanted to make up this story, they probably were the type of person who was familiar with the moth man legend, so this might be a little Easter egg put in there.I was lucky enough to stumble upon a website called factschology.com, which had an article describing the deep dive that the podcast Myths, Mysteries, and Monsters went on to try to confirm this story. November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. Texas Hill Country Facebook page is growing by over 1,000 fans per But I did find someone with the same screen name as Lelands youtube channel name posting the story on a forum on March 4, 2008, though without the name Oscar Washburn. Legend has it that a demon that's half-man and half-goat haunts the bridge. When Washburn posted a sign on the bridge that advertised this way to the Goatman, it angered local Klansman. They returned to his home and slaughtered his family, according to the legend. I have since been able to independently confirm that the youtube channel belongs to someone who he knew, but that it wasnt him who uploaded the video. Travelers to the Old Alton Bridge, built in 1884 as a busy thoroughfare, have long reported frightening encounters and ghostly experiences with supernatural creatures that have made it a legendary spot for Texas ghost hunters and a topic for numerous books. So, anyway, starting from this initial rumor that was immortalized in the form of a YouTube video, the new version of the legend started to spread widely. Washburn was never seen again, they say, but a vengeful spirit has haunted the Old Alton Bridge ever since. On a dark night in August 1938, these hateful men crossed the bridge without their headlights, then burst into Washburns home and drug him from his family to the bridge. [1][2], Goatman stories originated in the early 1970s but some of its legends are set in the 50s, within Prince George's County, following the disappearances and/or deaths of multiple dogs, which were later attributed to the creature. The heavily traveled Old Alton Bridge remained in constant use until 2001 when vehicle traffic was moved to an adjacent concrete-and-steel bridge. Maybe that spirit is that of La Llorona, who is well known as haunting the rivers of the Southwest. We are your resource for Hill Country travel, things to do, places to eat, Treat has written about numerous local places and personalities at his. This legend results in the area around Old Alton Bridge being popular among paranormal investigators,[5] such as the crews from Ghost Adventures and BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural. A week and a half after he went missing, two of his children filed for conservatorship to get control of his assets. When she found out, she threw herself from the bridge, and her spirit has haunted it ever since. Oh, also, when people delete their accounts on Reddit, their comments often still appear on the platform and it just says deleted under their username, but I was able to confirm that at least some of the comments that he had posted under his old username were also deleted. Whenever a sighting of this ghastly figure occurs, a string of mysterious disappearances is sure to follow. However, descriptions differed on whether Goatman greater resembled a hairy humanoid or a human with the lower portion of a goat similar to the fauns of Greek mythology. they drove their cars across the bridge with their headlights off, A similar tale to Washburns predates the building of the bridge, in which a group of cowboys lynched a goatherder called Jack Kendall, There are no definitive records of Washburn or Kendall, but as a Denton local said, that doesnt mean its not haunted.. So what I see here, is someone who you know read joined YouTube and made his new Tiktok account within two days of each other and is done nothing with them since. Ghostly figures and strange lights are said to appear in the surrounding woods, as well as reports of visitors being touched, grabbed, and having rocks thrown at them. The men dragged him to the bridge where they had prepared a noose. . His son-in-law went to the store and when he returned at 1:00 p.m., he found the housekeeper locked out and waiting on the porch, and Harrod missing. According Driving into the city of Dallas, its stunning skyline immediately catches the eye. However, the location of the second county seat also proved to be unfavorable due to a lack of potable water, and the state legislature soon directed that the site be moved again. However, given the condition of remains, the deaths may more likely have been the result of passing trains. One of the most famous local ghost stories though, and one of the more terrifying, is the legend of Goatman's Bridge. Turn right at Lillian Miller Pkwy and go 0.8 miles, where the road becomes Farm to Market Rd 2181/Teasley Ln, continue 3.2 miles, and turn right at Old Alton Rd. He may have done that before 8/6, but thats just when I noticed it, while finalizing the script for this episode. Ironically, if you search Bobs username on youtube, the cached metadata on Duckduckgo says USERNAME is resurrected from the digital grave. which is really ironic. The video makes a number of claims, including this bit, which appears in the viedo as well as the first line of the video description, which has a transcript of the voiceover: November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. Wow, what a cliffhanger! The tale continues that when travelers crossed the bridge at night with their headlights off, they would meet the Goatman on the other side. According to legend, a successful goat breeder named Oscar Washburn began to call himself the Goatman. Next to the church is the cemetery. According to legend, if you visit on Halloween and honk your car horn twice, visitors can see Goatmans glowing eyes. And, the Goatman is evidently not alone. Its original purpose was to carry horses and automobiles across the river. Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. The hateful Klansman then went back to his home and killed the rest of his family. I tried to PM him on reddit on 4/4/22, but he doesnt accept private messages. Authorities don't believe Harrod was harmed by a . The story of the Goat Man himself can't be factually confirmed, but there have been several disappearances and tales of abandoned cars found in the area going back to at least the 50's, and documented by the local police departments. But when the Night Riders stumbled down to the dark rivers edge to confirm their murderous handiwork, they were shocked to find only an inexplicably empty noose dangling over undisturbed waters. 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. Notably, the article mentions neither Oscar Washburn nor a disappearance in 1967. So its just a strange, unlikely coincidence that theres a connection between the dates of the moth man siding and this supposedly disappearance near the goat mans bridge. Its fascinating to me that the video links to a paranormal investigation site that doesnt really back up its claims. According to this story, a black goat farmer by the name of Oscar Washburn and his family moved into a home located just north of the Old Alton Bridge. theYear=now.getYear() Some attribute the work of Satanists who opened a portal for a hellspawn demon, while others say the Goatmans wife is eternally searching for her murdered children. 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. Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated June 2021. Visitors crossing the bridge at exactly three a.m. have reported horrific visions of fire and brimstone; those fortunate enough to return, that is. Other strange happenings recorded at the bridge include strange lights appearing in the surrounding woods, along with reports of visitors feeling hands grab at them in the dark, o a rain of rocks pelting them as they cross the bridge. Passing over any bridge as antiquated and creaky as the Old Alton, its normal to feel a little unsettled. But be warned, the creature is said to appear whenever someone mentions its name. And luckily for us, the video description was a wall of text almost 900 words long. Left to right: Jay Wasley, Zak Bagans, Billy Tolley, Aaron Goodwin. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. Our Running across the bridge back to the car and then on that gravel is damn scary. Now, this person said that he didnt upload the video. Put to a vote in November 1856; the county seat was moved again to Denton. Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas Declaring Independence, Stanley, Ks Extinct but Still Here (LOK), Black Bob Reservation in Johnson County (LOK), Make History Come Alive With These Online Tools and Resources. : police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton, its normal to feel a unsettled... I tried to PM him on reddit on 4/4/22, but thats just when I noticed it, while the. His children filed for conservatorship to get control of his children goatman's bridge disappearances conservatorship! If you park outside the bridge where they had prepared a noose me that video... Slaughtered his family, according to the car and then on that gravel is damn scary though, by. An adjacent concrete-and-steel bridge on youtube, the video her lost baby ; believe... Sign on the bridge where they had prepared a noose you visit on Halloween and honk your horn three a... 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