However, when they looked over to make sure he was dead, they could see only the rope. Visitors sometimes tell of seeing mysterious lights in the area, car doors locking and unlocking of their own accord, and numerous vehicle breakdowns while near the old viaduct. Authorities don't believe Harrod was harmed by a stranger. From tragic and riveting tales of murder to the somewhat vague stories of a ghostly goatherder, its sure to give you the chills if you ever visit heading out there after dark probably isnt advisable, in any case! November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. We are born and bred in The Another variation of the legend holds that Goatman himself was an old hermit who lived in the woods and often could be seen walking alone at night along Fletchertown Road. Back in The Day is an ongoing WDDI contribution from Shaun Treat, founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. Ghost Adventures fans are in for a spooky treat Thursday night. The church is located at 5724 Teasley Lane ( F.M. havent been able to find mentions of Oscar Washburn prior to 2008. Goatman's Bridge: A Suicide Hotspot - with Author Becky Vickers | Clips Embed 2 *Taken from episode 20. We discuss the high amount of suicides that have happened at the bridge and more! Our A rash of mysterious disappearances are becoming alarmingly routine on a chilling stretch of road that is known by locals as the Goatmans bridge., https://web.archive.org/web/20100617152737/http://www.goatmansbridge.com/, Weirdly, November 15th 1967 is exactly 1 month before the Silver Bridge collapsed in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. From 2008 to mid 2011, when you searched for Goatmans Bridge on here, only 1 result popped up and it was a video by-edit: leland- posted in 2008. this was in 2011 and although Old Alton Bridge has had a reputation for decades locally as an old bridge near some scenic hiking trails that some locals claim to have heard a noise once in the 80s or 90s or saw a weird light in the woods once while fishing, it was just that a place on Old Alton Rd thousands drive by daily that you once actually could drive over. The bridge and surrounding woods is said to be haunted by a demonic creature with the head of a goat and the body of a man as well as other reported . Supposedly this was near the location of the bridge. In a panic, the mob fled from the bridge. [3] The belief is based on the legend of a black goat farmer named Oscar Washburn, who was said to have moved his family to a residence just north of the bridge. It is under surveillance by the Paranormal Investigators of North Texas and the Denton County Paranormal Investigators.\r\rOscar Washburn was never seen again and has been presumed dead since his attempted murder.\r\rhttp://www.asup-inc.org/oldaltonbridgecase.htm 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. However, given the condition of remains, the deaths may more likely have been the result of passing trains. Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room will take viewers out of the actual haunted location and into a casual conversation with the Ghost Adventures crew. Built in 1884 by the King Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company, it originally carried horses and later automobiles over Hickory Creek at a location that once was a popular ford for crossing cattle. The legend goes that they then fitted a noose over his head and threw him over the side of the bridge but when they looked to see whether he was dead, his body had disappeared. 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. Legend further holds that the Goatmans Bridge provides a gateway into Hell. If you think youre brave enough to cross the haunted Goatmans Bridge, read on. Others were totally unrelated, and just seemed to have a keyword that made it come up in a search. In Denton County, Texas near the ghost town that once was Alton a bridge was constructed at the Hickory Creek in 1884. With cars and all their noise safely out of the way, the Old Alton Bridge was free for hikers and nature lovers to pass safely. They wanted to put up a reward for his safe return, maintain his home and pay his bills. According to the most circulated version, an African-American entrepreneur named Oscar Washburn and his family tended a farmstead goat herd near the bridge that was renowned for quality meat, milk, cheeses and hides. Today, it is a popular location for nature enthusiasts and photographers. 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. But the success of a black man was still unwelcome, and Klansmen in the local government turned to violence after he displayed a sign on Alton Bridge: \"this way to the Goatman's\"\r\rOne night in August 1938, with their headlights off, Klansmen crossed the bridge, dragged the Goatman from his family, and lynched him over the side. 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 location has already been featured on Ghost Adventures: Extra Pulses. Same types of people, same cliche expectations and same reactions tonothing really. 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. His living was raising and selling goats. Both the dog and I heard and saw him, but he disappeared as he made a turn under some bushes and didnt emerge on the other side. On the other hand, the book Haunted Plano, Texas by Mary Jacobs, which was published in 2018, has a whole section about the Old Alton Bridge, even though it isnt in Plano. The men dragged him to the bridge where they had prepared a noose. 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. Although he lived modestly and drove an older model car, Harrod was worth approximately $5 million. Their chance finally came that summer. Some say the two ghosts are connected, and that years ago, the Goatman stole the young womans baby. In April 2019, two persons of interests were arrested in connection to Robert Harrod's disappearance. DISCLAIMER: Im providing this version of the script for accessibility purposes. The church is located at 5724 Teasley Lane ( F.M. The tiktok account just has the two videos, and it has like five followers so you are missing anything there. November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. An African American, Washburn was said to be the target of Texas' Ku Klux Klan in the 1930s, according to Discover Denton. Goatman's Bridge is an old wood and steel structure spanning a small waterway between Denton, Texas, and neighboring town, Copper Canyon. Graffiti reading, "Goatman was here," was not uncommon,[3] and law enforcement would habitually receive calls of reported sightings, albeit with a number being pranks. Please treat the episode audio as the final product. His case remains unsolved and is classified as a possible homicide. 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. 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. There are also some things that may differ between the final episode and this draft script. 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. North Texans endearingly began to call him the Goatman. The hateful Klansman then went back to his home and killed the rest of his family. Halloween is upon We also run the premiere real-estate site in the hill country at HillCountryRealestate.com. (Goatmans Bridge Series), I Seen the Devil (Goatmans Bridge Series), Satanic Rituals at the Bridge (Goatmans Bridge Series). Later it accommodated automobiles as well. The episode claimed Satanic rituals had been performed under the notoriously-haunted bridge. \r\rSince the disappearance of the Goatman there have been many strange sightings on and near Old Alton Bridge. Occasionally, it was rumored that Goatman would venture out to kill a dog or rush up abruptly beating cars with an ax. 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. Related: Goatmans Bridge is a reminder of the cowardly Klansmens dastardly deed. The bridge is located about seven miles south of Denton. His family doesn't believe he would have left without warning. 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! 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. However, the goatmans bridge is haunted. This change was enacted to correct a glaring problem that had arisen when the bridge transitioned from carrying horses to carrying cars. But, Pinckneyville would hold the title only two years and never develop into a town. He had lent this woman $86,000 over about nine months. While some bridges are inhabited by pesky creatures such trolls, the Old Alton Bridge harbors a monster of a much darker nature. Goatman Bridge is a nickname for Old Alton Bridge in Argyle, Texas. A week and a half after he went missing, two of his children filed for conservatorship to get control of his assets. Although as far back as the 1930s, the bridge has taken on a second, much more sinister nickname: Goatmans Bridge. Old Alton Bridge, also known as Goatman's Bridge, is a historic iron truss bridge connecting the Texas cities of Denton and Copper Canyon. Then he talks about his videos that he posted in 2009: I take issue with his claim that no legend at all existed, but I have been able to confirm that it seemed to be a much lesser known urban legend (for example, I lived there for years and had never heard of it), and the stories of hauntings seemed more scattershot. To me, one of the funniest parts of this story is that the witness went on Mumsnet to share her story. Old Alton Bridge, AKA Goatman's Bridge, in the daylight. 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. With vehicle traffic removed, the bridge became an important link connecting the Elm Fork and Pilot Knoll Hiking and Equestrian Trails. The first few years I spent out there it was mostly barren at night, void of all life or cars driving by or people coming to visit. 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. Next to the church is the cemetery. Visit the series page for additional sources. Copyright 2008 - The ground was damp and hoof prints should have been obvious, but I couldnt find any!. They were later released pending . 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. Join the Observer community and help support It might have just been a racoon or somethingbut it was moving in our direction, and we all bolted out of there! Gradually, these carriages were replaced by automobiles, which were supported equally as well by the bridges sturdy truss structure. And luckily for us, the video description was a wall of text almost 900 words long. (, from his website: November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. 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. There's the bridge, and then there's . I went there back in highschool with a group of people. Dallas' independent source of If his name is uttered during the day, he is awakened and is often even more vicious due to the disruption of his sleep cycle, or so the story goes. The Old Alton Bridge's nickname, Goatman's Bridge, originated from at least two eerie local legends. 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. If I can just summarize the research I did, which I talked about in ep 1 of this series: the Old Alton Bridge and the Goatman werent mentioned in the older books that I have access to about the paranormal or urban legends in Texas: I have two books by folklorist J. Frank Dobie, Legends of Texas Volume II: Pirates Gold and Other Tales, and Tales of Old-Time Texas, and the only stories they have about the area are about Sam Bass. Years later, in 1884, long after Alton had died, an iron through-truss bridge was built over Hickory Creek on Copper Canyon Road, south of the old townsite. Despite the warmth the community displays toward the bridge, another feeling altogether permeates the hot summer air when wandering down the Old Goatmans Bridge at dusk; a feeling of deep, almost primordial terror of what lurks beneath. However, water shortages forced politicians to move two years later, in 1848. Called the Old Alton Bridge, sometimes the Argyle bridge, and is better known amongst the locals as Goatmans Bridge, it was first built to carry horses but would later carry vehicles across the creek. Left to right: Jay Wasley, Zak Bagans, Billy Tolley, Aaron Goodwin. The Old Alton derives its name from the now-abandoned town of Alton, which from 1850 to 1856 served as the seat of Denton County. Oh also, when I originally wrote a lot of this, Bob had deleted his YouTube channel, but as of today, August 6, 2022, he seems to have reactivated his YouTube channel. Texas Hill Country. [1][3], As well, Goatman was rumored to reside in a makeshift shelter in the wooded region of northwestern Prince George's County near the vicinity of Bowie. 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. He's half-goat half-man. This attempt was more successful. Take I-35E S/US-77 S to exit 463 and merge into the I-35 Frontage Rd. Goatman. The bridge was built in 1884, by the King Iron Manufacturing Bridge Company. His hobbies include fishing and playing slot machines, and he left behind three daughters, a grandson and three great-grandchildren. Apparently, in 2010, there was a person who commented on a bunch of websites, basically anything that mentioned the bridge that year. In February 2022, a "six-foot goat man" was supposedly seen near a village called Staverton, in Northamptonshire. The legend goes that Kendalls body reanimated through the power of voodoo, ripped off the head of a nearby goat, and replaced his head with the goats as the astonished cowboys watched in horror. [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. 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. 2023 Copyright Dallas Terrors. Local legend says if you knock on the steel bridge three times at midnight, or perhaps- turn off your car lights and honk three times in summons, then you dare a visitation from the vengeful Goatman thats preceded by the stench of decaying flesh. Hed had the account since 2018, but the only other visible thing that hed posted was something on a World of Warcraft subreddit. It isn't clear whether this woman or the debt had anything to do with his disappearance. | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Return Policy, It didnt earn the Goatman title until half a century. Visitors hear hooves beating across the bridge, splashing in the creek below, maniacal laughter, and an inhuman growl that emanates from the woods. . The third county seat location was designated in November 1850, about five miles southwest of present-day Corinth on Hickory Creek. Bridge transitioned from carrying horses to carrying cars Corinth on Hickory Creek dragged him the! 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