According to legend, those who dare speak the Goatmans name while crossing his bridge unwittingly summon his spirit. His family doesn't believe he would have left without warning. There is also another variation that predates the bridge itself. I chatted him instead. He also mentioned the bridge in a handful of his tweets, but the tweets werent coherent enough for me to glean anything from or for them to be worth reading from here. 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. 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. . 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. 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. 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. legendary ghost stories. His channel has also been deleted, and he hasnt posted on reddit under that account since March 4. 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. The church is located at 5724 Teasley Lane ( F.M. When Washburn posted a sign on the bridge that advertised this way to the Goatman, it angered local Klansman. Numerous reports tell of unholy glowing eyes that burn red from the darkness, eerie glimpses of a large snarling Goat-headed man-beast stomping in the wooded shadows, or a frightening apparition of a maniacal Satyr carrying the heads of goats or humans in his hands. 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. 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. However, based on a reply that someone posted the next day, the video was deleted within 24 hours. Take I-35E S/US-77 S to exit 463 and merge into the I-35 Frontage Rd. And also, as far as Ive been able to tell, thats when the Goatman was given the name Oscar Washburn. That road is known by locals as "The Goatman's Bridge." An African American, Washburn was said to be the target of Texas' Ku Klux Klan in the 1930s, according to Discover Denton. Please treat the episode audio as the final product. The Klansmen, however, did not exactly follow the due process of the law. A half a century later a legend of a monstrous half-goat, half-man demon was born. Washburn was never seen or heard from again or was he? Ghost Adventures fans are in for a spooky treat Thursday night. Many of his neighbors bestowed upon him the affectionate nickname the Goatman.. [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. This series is the true story ofhow I became The Goatman. Old Alton Bridge aka Goatmans Bridge,' is a now infamous old haunted bridge near Denton Texas. The ground was damp and hoof prints should have been obvious, but I couldnt find any!. 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. 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. Whenever a sighting of this ghastly figure occurs, a string of mysterious disappearances is sure to follow. Before the new bridge was built, motorists were required to honk their horns on the one-lane bridge to let other travelers know they were coming. According to urban legend, Goatman is a creature resembling a goat-human hybrid often credited with canine deaths and purported to take refuge in the woods of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The first reports of supernatural encounters on the bridge were in 1938, and many are recounted in the episode. Goatman's Bridge was built in 1884 to connect the towns of Alton and Denton. Also on March 4, 2022, he got into a few arguments with people about metaphysical topics. Built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the 145-foot long . I obviously dont know Bob, but from reading this, I get a bit of a sense of self importance from him. We walked down one of the paths, and I swear something started chasing us! Around 2:30 p.m, his son in-law drove off to Home Depot to pick up supplies. Before he got involved with Heeter, he had been seeing a younger woman. Townsite lots began to be auctioned in January 1857. (Especially because I use dictation software for a lot of my script writing!) 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. His wallet and keys disappeared with him, but he left behind his gold 1997 Toyota Camry and his eyeglasses. One of the more disturbing variations of bridge experiences tells of a man waiting on the other side of the bridge with a goat head under each arm. It is open only to pedestrians today. However, given the condition of remains, the deaths may more likely have been the result of passing trains. The Hickory Creek Baptist Church, which continues to stand, was organized in 1855. The Sheriffs archives made no mention of the event. The heavily traveled Old Alton Bridge remained in constant use until 2001 when vehicle traffic was moved to an adjacent concrete-and-steel bridge. I went there back in highschool with a group of people. Denton County itself was formed in 1846, and the first attempt at settling the county seat was Pinckneyville (named for the Texas governor). Old Alton Bridge was included in the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1988. The Denton newspaper at the time did an article on a car found abandoned on the bridge." However, the goatmans bridge is haunted. Four women with personal reports of demonic attacks were featured on the episode. The 33-year-old college graduate an accomplished traditional dancer with ancestry from three area tribes was last seen soon after, walking across a bridge near a place marked End of Road . 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. He was successful, and most of the community was supportive and friendly toward Washburn and his family, but unfortunately, the local Ku Klux Klan was not so pleased. . DO THE DENTON HOLIDAY LIGHTING FESTIVAL LIKE A PRO, THE MANY FACES OF DENTON'S FINE ARTS THEATER. One of the most famous local ghost stories though, and one of the more terrifying, is the legend of Goatman's Bridge. 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. Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. He was working on repairs with his son-in-law between 11:00 a.m and 12:00 p.m in preparation for his newlywed wife's arrival. Nicknamed " Goatman's Bridge " by Denton natives, legend says the Ku Klux Klan lynched a successful Black goat farmer there in the 1930s. Today, the Baptist Church and the Alton cemetery are all that remains of the Alton village. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Copyright 2008 - The Big Book of Texas Ghost Stories by Alan Brown, published in 2012, doesnt mention the Old Alton Bridge. Back in The Day is an ongoing WDDI contribution from Shaun Treat, founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. After securing it around Oscars neck, they tossed him over the side. The post office closed forever in 1859. 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. 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. Goatman Bridge is a nickname for Old Alton Bridge in Argyle, Texas. Regardless of which origin gets told, old timers warn that knocking three times on the trusses of the bridge is an invitation to judgment, since the ghastly Goatman only spirits away those with the bloodlines of Klansmen or slaveowners into the woods for his terrible revenge. Rewriting Urban Legends: 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. We discuss the high amount of suicides that have happened at the bridge and more! Join the Observer community and help support 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. Wow, what a cliffhanger! 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. The turn of the century brought a black goat farmer and his family to a residence just North of the bridge, and a few short years later, Oscar Washburn was known as a dependable, honest businessman. 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. This video titled Paranormal Activity at Goatmans Bridge and its follow-up response Still Dont Believe? quickly went viral and became the top search results for the following couple years. 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? He never answered. The location has already been featured on Ghost Adventures: Extra Pulses. November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. However, this changed in 2001 when vehicle traffic was redirected to an adjacent, more contemporary concrete-and-steel bridge. Locally, the bridge is known as Goatman's Bridge, as it is said to be haunted by a half-man half-goat figure called Goatman. https://web.archive.org/web/20100920155235/http://www.asup-inc.org/oldaltonbridgecase.htm. Stranger stories even include people having seen a creature that resembles a half-goat, half-man. [1] Anyway, what did Bob have to say about this legend? All my old favorite TV/YouTube Ghost Hunters are falling victim to this energy vortex!!. Dallas Observer's The Morning After Brunch, virtual remembrance and fundraising event. Though the community is no more, the name remains. 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. I would laugh and think to myself (Another one bites the dust I guess) Many times however, I would get lucky and not have a single other person come visit the bridge, OR even a car drive by for an entire night. 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. You all asked for it so we did it. These units are usually stressed from tension, compression, or both in order to support heavy loads. 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. The bridge was built in 1884, by the King Iron Manufacturing Bridge Company. Lermon Jones. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 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. But, Pinckneyville would hold the title only two years and never develop into a town. Later it accommodated automobiles as well. Travelers say that if you cross the bridge without your headlights, the Goatman will meet you on the other side. 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. Ghost Adventures first premiered in 2008 and has aired over 250 episodes, including specials. We are born and bred in The 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. Bagans, Goodwin, Billy Tolley and Jay Wasley watch the subject episode and add candid commentary about behind-the-scenes moments. As far as I can tell, it seems like he made a youtube video about the Old Alton Bridge, wanted to drive traffic to it by posting on reddit, but then for some reason decided to delete it. 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. 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. 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. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. I think he deleted it previously and then recreated it and then deleted it again. . This person couldnt find newspaper articles to back up the story, but found where the rumor seemed to have started online. Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated June 2021. Also, heres a weird synchronicity. 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