PARANORMAL & MONSTER LEGENDS

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

http://www.flatwoodsmonster.com/index-id%3D228330&fuseaction%3Dbrowse&pageid%3D28.html

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

SNALLYGASTER




Reports of a strange flying beast known as the Snallygaster first appeared in Frederick County in early February, 1909. The story was carried prominently in Middletown�s Valley Register, a weekly newspaper, for about a month, when the story mysteriously died.

In the early issues, the flying beast seemed to be everywhere at once: New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio, and headed this way.

It was reported to have created quite a stir in New Jersey, where its footprints were first discovered in the snow.

The first person to see it, James Harding, described it as having enormous wings, a long sharp beak, claws like steel, and one eye in the middle of its forehead. He said it made shrill screeching noises and looked like a cross between a tiger and a vampire.

A vampire may have been a good description, for it was reported to have killed a colored man, Bill Gifferson, by piercing his neck with its sharp bill and slowly sucking his blood.

It was also seen in West Virginia, where it almost caught a woman near Scrabble, roosted in Alex Crow�s barn, and laid an egg near Sharpsburg, where it was reported some men had rigged up an incubator to try to hatch it.

T.C. Harbaugh, of Casstown, Ohio, wrote a letter to the Valley Register in early 1909, telling of a strange beast that flew over his area making terrible screeching noises. Harbaugh described it as having two huge wings, a large horny head, and a tail twenty feet long. He said it looked as though it was headed this way.

Sure enough, the Snallygaster was first sighted in Maryland by a colored man, who fired a brick-burning kiln near Cumberland. The strange beast was seen cooling its wings over the outlet of the kiln. When the beast�s sleep was disturbed by the man, it emitted a blood-curdling scream and angrily flew away.

It was also shot at near Hagerstown, sighted south of Middletown at Lover�s Leap, and seen flying over the mountains between Gapland and Burkittsville, where it was reported to have laid another egg � big enough to hatch an elephant.

Sightings of the Snallygaster were creating such a commotion that at one point it was reported that President Theodore Roosevelt might postpone a trip to Europe so that he could lead an expedition to capture it.

Apparently the Smithsonian Institute was also interested in the beast. From the description provided by engineer 83, at Shepherdstown, West Virginia, they determined the strange beast was either a bovalopus or a Snallygaster, since it had the characteristics of both. Further, its hide was so rare that it was worth $100,000 a square foot, as it was the only substance known to man that could polish punkle shells.

(Punkle shells, for those of you who don�t know, are used by the African tribes of Umbopeland for ornamentation.)

The last sighting in Frederick County in 1909 occurred near Emmitsburg in early March. Three men fought the terrible creature outside a railroad station for nearly an hour and a half before chasing it into the woods of Carroll County.

Twenty-three years passed before the Snallygaster appeared again in Frederick County.

First reports were received from just below South Mountain in Washington County. Eyewitness accounts claimed that it flew toward them from the Middletown Valley.

The beast was often seen floating back and forth over the area and was described as being as large as a dirigible, with arms resembling the tentacles of an octopus. The creature appeared to be able to change its size, shape, and color at will.

Although the creature made no attempt to harm any of the residents of the Valley, most people sought the safety of their homes as it flew overhead.

All descriptions seemed to indicate it was the Snallygaster, last reported in these parts on March 5, 1909. As the life expectancy of a Snallygaster is only about twenty years, the most logical explanation seemed to be that the latest sighting was the offspring of the 1909 creature, possibly hatched from one of the eggs laid near Burkittsville.

Since the Snallygaster appears so rarely, the Middletown Valley Register requested that local residents sighting the creature provide as accurate and detailed a description as possible for scientific purposes.

Two such residents, Charles F. Martin and Edward M. L. Lighter, were able to provide the necessary information. While driving a truck on the National Pike just east of Braddock Heights, they spotted the Snallygaster flying about twenty-five feet overhead. They thoroughly confirmed the descriptions published the previous week.

The Snallygaster finally met his end in a way some might envy. The creature was flying near Frog Hollow in Washington County when it was attracted by the aroma of a 2500-gallon vat of moonshine. As the beast flew overhead, it was overcome by the fumes and dropped into the boiling mash. A short time later, revenue agents George Dansforth and Charles Cushwa arrived on the scene. They had received information about the still, but were rather startled at the sight of the dead monster in the vat.

The two agents exploded five hundred pounds of dynamite under the still, destroying the remains of the Snallygaster and John Barleycorn�s workshop.

A great deal has been written about the Snallygaster since 1909. It has appeared in countless articles in the Middletown Valley Register, Frederick News Post, and other area newspapers. Is has also appeared in the Baltimore Sun, National Geographic, and Time Magazine.

In 1976, the Washington Post sponsored an unsuccessful search for the Snallygaster, as well as other strange Maryland creatures.

Frederick County is known for a great many things, but most will agree that none is as imaginative as the Snallygaster. Those of us who have been entertained by stories of the Snallygaster owe our thanks to the resourceful staff of the Middletown Valley Register, particularly George C. Rhoderick, Sr. and Ralph S. Wolfe, Sr., who in 1909 thought they would write a little nonsense to entertain the readers and boost circulation. Little did they realize that their imagination would continue to amuse for seventy years.






Snallygaster is an "oicotype" from the Frederick County region of Maryland, USA. Most likely corrupted German "schnell geiste", a Pennsylvania Dutch term meaning "quick spirit" often associated with those draughts that slam doors, topple over lightweight objects, or scatter papers. The visual or physical appearance of the Snallygaster is confusing since there are several variation narratives, some of which where invented after the oral tradition, having roots in the dragonlore of the early settlers. The Snallygaster more often has similarities to dragons, green and scaled, and winged.

However, of her tales exist around the South Mountain region where the Snallygaster is a monstrous bird preying on young children. [Shades of the Blair Witch! - Jonah] Literary accounts of the Snallygaster were printed in the local newspapers. These narratives were most likely invented tales by two rival editors. To end the rivalry caused the Snallygaster demise; sent plummeting headlong into a boiling vat of whiskey. Such a just end for this unseen spirit. Of interest to scholars is the nature of the various tales likely invented, those which were patterned after Dragonlore, the absence of Native American influence (owing to the region once inhabited by Leni Lenape, Susquehannocks, Cherokee and other Northeast tribes), and its connection to Pennsylvania Dutch lore.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

Here's a story/Legend that will bring back some memories for ya

Who can forget the scary story of Bloody Mary, the evil spirit who will scratch your eyes out when summoned? Most people heard the Bloody Mary legend when they were children, listening to spooky ghost stories around the campfire. The tale is still told at slumber parties, campouts, and late-night bonfire parties.



The legend claims that the evil woman can be summoned by chanting "Bloody Mary" into a mirror anywhere from three to one-hundred times in a darkened room lit only by a candle. (Thirteen seems to be the most popular number of chants, appropriately so.) The bathroom is the most popular setting to test out the legend, but other dark rooms seem applicable.



After the given amount of chants, the spirit will then appear in a mirror and claw your eyes out and death will follow. Other variations have her driving you insane or pulling you into the mirror, never to be seen again.



Who Bloody Mary really is remains a mystery. While there are many versions of this story, most accounts point to a woman named Mary Worth, who was horribly disfigured in a car crash. Some people still tell of a witch who was burned at the stake and has returned for revenge, or it may be the devil himself who comes for your soul.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

Hickory Hills,Illinois seems to be crawling with Ghosts, here's a few stories...........


A headless man can be witnessed over and over again walking a German Shepherd at midnight on a shadowy Hickory Hills residential road. Loads of people who live here assert this ghost is the ghost of a visitor that was murdered while driving through Hickory Hills before the present.

A lady with her head and right arm and right leg separated has every so often been seen peeping through residence windows in Hickory Hills at night. Locals who have seen this ghost say this ghost is that of a local resident who lived here in Hickory Hills some time ago.

An army outfit marching about lacking a body in it is from time to time made out dining on a cookie in Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor outside the park headquarters.

The ghost of a terribly charred female can sometimes be witnessed rummaging around in garbage container on a Hickory Hills avenue. A resident argues that this spirit takes pleasure in terrifying foolhardy folks who have the courage to interrupt the peace in Hickory Hills. No matter what, it is     
    in all certainty a menacing ghost that any sensible person wouldn't want to bump into.

The ghost of the driver of a train has repeatedly been perceived on a Hickory Hills street in the early morning hours. One thing is for sure, this ghost certainly is scary; one that you shouldn't go trying to find.

A lady lacking a head is repeatedly 
   noticed carrying a human cranium in Goose Lake Prairie State Park by the ranger station.

A guy devoid of a head has allegedly been perceived on a small number of instances looking at a person snoozing on a couch in a trailer in Hickory Hills. One of the locals determinedly says that this ghost gets pleasure from startling folks who come looking for ghosts in Hickory Hills.

The ghost of an old gold digger with a sizeable beard and a wooden right leg can often be witnessed trying on shoes in a Hickory Hills trailer. Some of the folks who live here declare this phantom could be the soul of a local person who died here in Hickory Hills in the past.

The ghost of an aged female gripping a revolver may be distinguished repeatedly creeping up from a storm drain on a Hickory Hills residential street at midnight. Any which way, this is an antagonistic ghost that should be stayed away from

[Unknown Primate]

Hey Doc (and everybody else), check out Ray Castile's State Of Horror website.  Has lots of cool, creepy stories and is excellently written by Coffin Ray himself.
www.stateofhorror.com

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

Didnt know he even had a site, thanks for the link, some awesome Legends there, and few I knew about, like MOMO.
I'm fixin to do some more research on Molly Crenshaw, I'm intrigued by Witch's Ghosts stories.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

BROWN SPRINGS GHOSTS???, THE LAST PIC IS THE FELLA WHO TOOK THE PICTURES AND WROTE THE ARTICLE, DONT KNOW HIS NAME



























Have you ever been to a place where time just seems to stop? Where you seem surrounded by something evil, something you can't see, yet you feel you're being watched? A place where death seems just a breath away. I visited such a place in south central Oklahoma in the early '70s by the name of Brown Springs. I went there again in August 1997 for the second time in my life. It was an experience I wouldn't forget. I have since been back and each time I have this feeling something is wrong down there, very wrong.

Brown Springs is located in a low, almost airless area south and east of Thackerville, Oklahoma in Love county. If your traveling on I-35 between Oklahoma City and Dallas, you would exit I-35 at the 1 mile marker which is about 4 miles south of Thackerville, Oklahoma. Then travel east of I-35 a few hundred feet to the Chickasaw Smoke Shoppe and then turning south, a person travels a few hundred more feet to the end of the concrete road. From that point on is dirt. The springs are located exactly one mile south of the Smoke Shoppe. Here is where you come to a place where the trees and vegetation is thick, covering the roadside. The area seems like the end of the world, a place where there's no way out except the way you came in. It is in this low, motionless place where Brown Springs is found. It is located on the north side of the dirt road, with the spring's water overflow running south under the road into a lifeless lagoon. The lagoon empties just a few feet to the south into the Red River, which separates Oklahoma from Texas.

Over the past 20 years or so, several bodies have been found in Brown Springs. Some of the bodies met violent deaths in the Dallas area, and then brought to Brown Springs and dumped. I remember several being found during the 1970s, another body found around 1989. The last one was a young lady from Gainesville, Texas whose body was found in Brown Springs, laying on top of her automobile. Her body was found about June 1997.

I was at Brown Springs August 2, 1997, it was at dusk, the sun just going down. While I stood beside the lagoon, looking out, a pickup drove up behind me across the dirt road, and two young men got out and started north into the green, lush, heavily wooded area where the spring water bubbles up out of the ground. One man looked like the devil himself, and the other looked like the Grim Reaper. I got this feeling they were not there to check on a flower garden. They gave me this cold beady eyed death look as if they wished me dead. I swear the tall thin one was so pale looking, he already looked dead. I just gave them a go-to-hell look back, and then they turned and went into the woods. That's when I decided it was time to get back to civilization.

What is it that seems to draw death and spirits from the dark side to this God forsaken place in the southern most, south central part of Oklahoma? Its like a mysterious phone call I received in 1999 from a lady who would not identify herself telling me I was crazy to go to Brown Springs. Said she knew of 'the springs' and I didnt know what I was messing with, and whatever I did there, 'do not take anything from that cemetery, not even a pebble". Take a look at the photo below of Brown Springs where it empties into the lagoon. See if you don't get the same erie feeling I did. But a word to the wise, never go to Brown Springs after dark.

[Unknown Primate]

I know, that's a legend just aching to be made into a film.  Very creepy story.  The Molly Crenshaw one, I mean.

All towns seem to have their own ghostly stories, and speaking of witches, I know of one story that came out of Daleville, Indiana (a town about 10 miles from my hometown of Muncie).  Actually, I don't know much about the story behind the legend, even though I've been to this place a few times.  Locals call it "The Witch's Circle" or "The Witches Circle".  It's in an old graveyard.  Nobody even keeps up maintenance or anything there anymore.  It's quite a ways off the road and you have to go through a little overgrown brush and over an old wrought-iron fence.  The tombstones are all old and in disarray (sp?).  There's supposedly an area outside the fence where a witch was buried (in unhallowed ground).  There are large stones that have been set around her resting spot, hence the circle.  Obviously, it was a great spooky spot to go to if you wanted to get creeped out.  I talked to some Daleville police about it and a couple did indeed say that a self-proclaimed coven of witches performed a series of rituals within the "circle" within the last 20 years.  They wouldn't say what became of them.  Eventually, the entire graveyard got to be a place for partiers & sadly, of course, vandals.  The area has several No Trespassing signs alongside the road these days.  About two years ago, my nephew, brother & myself drove out that way (on the night after Halloween).  It was around 2 in the morning and we were surprised to see a car sitting on the edge of the road.  We drove slowly past it and saw three or four paranormal investigators standing around with EMF detectors, cameras & tape recorders.  We didn't want to bug them so we just left.  My 24 year old son is wanting me to go out there with him this Halloween!

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

I went there with some friends during the day, It was me,my brother and his girlfriend, and my best friend and his wife.
We had a Camcorder with us, which I was using, and also a tape recorder, which "Scott"'s wife was using.
Let me tell ya, if yer not in shape, and I am not, the walk up that path nearly killed me, terrible footing and way too long.
The cemetery itself is overgrown with tall grass, lots of trees, and plenty of Ivy(Virginia creeper).
We stayed there for some time, but it got real boring, real quick, nothing spooky happened.
I did make a "Blair Witch Moment" with the camcorder, too bad Scott erased it

I did have really strange Dreams and Nightmares for a couple of days, kept seeing a little girl trying to kill me.
Didn't take anything back with, except maybe a few Mosquito bites, of course I dont know if anybody else took anything.

It was quite Creepy looking, I wouldn't want to be there at night.
Ray, you might wanna make yer next movie there, it has the right atmosphere

[Unknown Primate]

Someone else who has some great true ghost stories is the UMA's BARON TIMOTHEUS BGG.  He posted some fascinating stuff awhile back.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

I know, that's a legend just aching to be made into a film.  Very creepy story.  The Molly Crenshaw one, I mean.

All towns seem to have their own ghostly stories, and speaking of witches, I know of one story that came out of Daleville, Indiana (a town about 10 miles from my hometown of Muncie).  Actually, I don't know much about the story behind the legend, even though I've been to this place a few times.  Locals call it "The Witch's Circle" or "The Witches Circle".  It's in an old graveyard.  Nobody even keeps up maintenance or anything there anymore.  It's quite a ways off the road and you have to go through a little overgrown brush and over an old wrought-iron fence.  The tombstones are all old and in disarray (sp?).  There's supposedly an area outside the fence where a witch was buried (in unhallowed ground).  There are large stones that have been set around her resting spot, hence the circle.  Obviously, it was a great spooky spot to go to if you wanted to get creeped out.  I talked to some Daleville police about it and a couple did indeed say that a self-proclaimed coven of witches performed a series of rituals within the "circle" within the last 20 years.  They wouldn't say what became of them.  Eventually, the entire graveyard got to be a place for partiers & sadly, of course, vandals.  The area has several No Trespassing signs alongside the road these days.  About two years ago, my nephew, brother & myself drove out that way (on the night after Halloween).  It was around 2 in the morning and we were surprised to see a car sitting on the edge of the road.  We drove slowly past it and saw three or four paranormal investigators standing around with EMF detectors, cameras & tape recorders.  We didn't want to bug them so we just left.  My 24 year old son is wanting me to go out there with him this Halloween!

Thats awesome, I would do it in a heartbeat, if ya do it, make sure to take pics of it or use a camcorder.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

WITCHES CIRCLE IN DALEVILLE,INDIANA  UNKNOWN PRIMATE told me about this, so I did a little digging up on it.

(sorry cant post a pic, those stupid jerks(Tripod) wont let me)

THE CIRCLE IS WHERE A WITCH WAS SUPPOSEDLY BURIED, AND HER GHOST HAUNTS THE CEMETERY


It is said that people have seen outlines of a white woman figure here. There is also a myth that the red splatter on the road is where someone was murdered but people say it's just a paint splatter. Also it has been said that a old man that used to live close to the "Witches Circle" still haunts the place today, and its said that witches still go there to do witch craft.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

GHOSTS OF STEELVILLE

You may very well think that Steelville, Missouri is exactly the same as any other town in the United States, but the ghost stories passed on by the local residents are enough to make anybody think again about spending a night in this town. Chairs move about, talk out of the night. Several folks who live here declare there are no ghosts, but the ghosts of Steelville are out tonight seeking a person to freak out.

These are some of the spooky things that have happened here recently.

A beheaded guy has repeatedly been spotted struggling to grab something down near Big Spring late at night.

A lady with her left arm and right leg removed     
    is repeatedly observed in Birds Nest Beach Park on a dark night flashing a lantern. One thing is for certain, it's a menacing spirit that should be avoided.

The ghost of a man grasping a blood-covered axe has purportedly been distinguished on frequent instances poking around in mailboxes before sunrise in Steelville.

An army outfit staggering 
   about devoid of a body in it can frequently be observed shouting names at Brummet Lake Dam at midnight.

The ghost of a civil war warrior can be witnessed time and again appearing scary by Blairs Creek.

The spirit of a guy having the sign of the devil cut into his arm has occasionally been perceived fishing from the water's edge of Field Lake before dawn. Nevertheless, it's undoubtedly a chilling spirit that is rather not disrupted.

The ghost of the driver of a train is every so often noticed playing a guitar in a Steelville apartment. Many people who live here claim this ghost is the ghost of a visitor that was murdered while traveling through Steelville many years ago. In any case, this ghost undeniably is creepy; one that you wouldn't want to encounter after midnight.

The ghost of an awfully mangled hunter dragging a dead coyote has been perceived on many instances in a Steelville secondary school at the stroke of midnight staggering the halls.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

THREE EYED MAN

Steam tunnels rumored to house a grotesque legend
By Brindy McNair
Edited by Jason Soukup

Historic Charleston and Columbia have hundreds of ghost stories known to natives and tourists. The Lizard Man, star of commercials for the S.C. Education Lottery, is said to wander the swamps of Bishopville.

Even the steam tunnels under the University of South Carolina are said to be the home of a spooky character with three eyes.

The Third Eye Man has received less publicity than other South Carolina phantoms, but he has been making appearances around the university for more than 50 years.

Christopher Nichols documented the first Third Eye Man sighting in 1949 while a student at USC. He and a friend claimed to have seen a strange man in silver enter a sewer portal the night of Nov. 12 in front of Longstreet Theatre. Nichols spread the story of the "Sewer Man" in an article for The Gamecock.

In April 1950, a university police officer allegedly encountered the Third Eye Man while patrolling near Longstreet Theatre. It's rumored the officer discovered the man, this time described as grey and grotesque, huddled over mutilated chicken parts. When the officer shined his flashlight on the man's face, he noted a distinct third eye in the middle of his forehead. By the time other officers arrived on the scene, the man had disappeared into the system of tunnels below the school.

The university police department, however, says it has no knowledge of any incident occurring in the tunnels or involving the Third Eye Man.

USC spokesman Russ McKinney said he's not surprised by mysterious stories involving tunnels under the university.

"To my knowledge, there's nothing down there." McKinney said.

"They used to say the same thing about the State House. They used to say there were escape tunnels down there," McKinney said. "To my knowledge, there's nothing down there."

Joe Rogers, director of USC's facilities management, says three tunnel systems run below USC but do not connect. Rogers said he knows students go down the maintenance accesses around campus, but he advises against it.

"We find beer bottles and trash down there from students," he said. "It's a hot, dirty place."

Rogers has heard stories about a three-eyed man in the tunnels but doesn't think they're true.

"To my knowledge, nothing has happened where anybody's gotten hurt," he said. "There are no haunted spaces."

No one who has explored the tunnels has ever produced any physical evidence of the Third Eye Man.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

WENDIGO




The legend of the wendigo has a long history. It was part of the folklore of the various Native American tribes - especially the Algonquian people - and was to be found in what now makes up the northern US States and Canada.

Some people consider the wendigo to be simply a version of Bigfoot or Sasquatch. The creature's origin is more complex - it's a little like a cross between a werewolf, Bigfoot and a troll!

The wendigo is a man-beast that lives in alone the forest. It is far from benign, feeding whenever possible on human flesh - especially that of children.

The wendigo originates as a human being. However the person is then possessed by an evil spirit and transforms into the beast. The most common reason for becoming a wendigo is if one eats human flesh. For this reason, it has been suggested that the wendigo legend came about in order to prevent tribes from descending into cannibalism during times of food shortage.

Some say that people bitten by a wendigo will begin to develop a craving for human flesh and eventually become possessed themselves. There is no cure.

The wendigo is also known as the "spirit of the lonely places". It is certainly a lone creature, again possibly a reference to the casting out of those who break tribal taboos. The wendigo hides in the forests and tracks you silently, always just out of sight. It waits, biding its time until it can pounce.


Cryptid or Phantom?
If the wendigo is a mythical spirit, what is it doing in the cryptozoology section? Cryptids are real hidden creatures, not myths.
That's true, however many myths have their basis in fact. Some people believe that the legend of the wendigo is itself based on a strange Bigfoot like creature. Many unexplained disappearances have been blamed on wendigo attacks.

There have been many wendigo sightings over the years, especially in Minnesota where the creature is believed to live in the woods and prairies. In particular there was a rash of well publicised sightings around the beginning of the twentieth century; it was probably these that inspired Algernon Blackwood.

It's interesting to note that the wendigo legend is restricted to the colder parts of the American continent and hasn't spread south. Could the wendigo be a relative of the yeti?