But of course, they didnt believe me. This creature is probably the most well-known cryptid in West Virginia. By the time it crossed the road, it paused for a couple of seconds before it slowly turned around to look at me one last time. And a shapeshifting dog manthat certainly cannot exist in the natural world. However, upon hearing of other sightings he decided to speak up. This is a narration of the sighting. No one heard of Ingrid that I knew . At 7:15pm on September 12, 1952, three little boys witnessed a bright object cross the sky. The hind legs resemble more like those of a dog or wolf; this I can easily tell because they bent backwards and had these massive paws for feet, and from the looks of which, it was standing on his toes more than on his feet. This collection of over 170+ articles, direct from newspapers of the 1800s and 1900s, brings some of the most bizarre, amazing, and incredible stories of true monster encounters out of the past and into your hands! wvwild.org's list of some of the more common dangerous animals that you can find in WV. By the time it stepped onto the road, the wolf turned its head towards my direction and stared right at me. What cryptid are you? https://dogmanencounters.com/hancock-county-wv-encounter/, During an encounter in Point Pleasant, the witness felt as if the dogmans eyes drew here in. She said when it stared at her, she became lost in its eyes. And we interview a lot of eyewitnesses. Notable examples include: Painting based on the witness' descriptions, The Flatwoods Monster from The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Flatwoods Monster Forms (1952) - The Flatwoods Monster Forms (2002), Flatwoods Monster from Ninja Baseball Batman, The Flatwoods Monster as potrayed in the Popular and arguably awful game Fallout 76. To my shock, it was more than a wolf standing on its hind legs; it had a human-like torso from the waist up that appeared pretty muscular with broad shoulders and long forearms, longer than those of a normal human being. 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Take this tour to learn more about each of these Mountain State monsters: descriptions of claimed sightings, possible explanations for their appearance, and explorations of the historical context surrounding their rise in popularity. Have you heard the story of Grafton's monster? "I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It claimed the monster may have resulted from an "individual pushing a handcart loaded high with boxes, walking along Riverside drive on Tuesday night". Who is the Flatwoods Monster? The Sheepsquatch myth was an obsession for a cryptid hunter named Calvin van Lowe who devoted his life to hunting down this creature that many people claim they've seen in their travels through southern Appalachia's Mountains, A storyteller talks at length about what happened when you encounter this monsters-how did they come into being? It was an honor to speak at this event which locals are estimating topped over 20,000 attendees on the first day alone. With that scary thought, I snapped out of my trance and decided to get the hell out of there. It's located next to the Mothman Museum and the Mothman Statue. Sticker. Rather, they are the recollection from memory from everyday, ordinary people who want to be heard. The West Virginia North American Dogman Project, A Strange History of Dog-Headed Men Mysterious Universe (article), Monsters In Print: A Collection Of Curious Creatures Known Mostly From Newspapers, Solve for Bigfoot: Using ChatGPT to Mathematically Estimate The Bigfoot Population of the United States, Cryptid Encounter in Stanford: Eyewitnesses Describe a Winged Humanoid in the Cornfields of Kentucky. While it drained blood from him, Frederick found himself enthralled by the flashing colors of the creature's eyes. There shouldnt be a wolf out there this big; in fact, the more I think about it, there shouldnt even be any wolves here in West Virginia anymore since the timber wolves that once lived in these woods were killed off. There is no fossil evidence or evidence of an upright-walking bipedal canid. Run, he's fuzzy, get out of here." Finally, I gained this overwhelming sense of dread after seeing it walk to my side of the car on two legs, slowly bent down to level its eyes with mine, and I froze in pure, unadulterated horror when it used its hand to jiggle the door handle to try and open my car door. (Implies that he felt the monster was of extraterrestrial origin.). At 7:15pm on September 12, 1952, three little boys witnessed a bright object cross the sky. Could these werewolves be a manifestation of John Keels. Perhaps the key (or a key) to this case (and maybe to the phenomenon in general) lies in the concentration of ancient burial mounds in the area. Awkward-Reference177. How dark was dark is my question. Whites description of what he saw was less detailed than those of others, but included a glimpse of a serpentine tail that quickly led readers of his account to draw the connection with earlier ones that depicted a large, turtle-like beast with two heads, a long tail, and a penchant for dragging its victims to an underwater lair. We have included sources for further reading, but must caution that all featured monsters, these sources, andthe study of them, are questionable. Most state that the monster was armless, while others claim it possessed small, "toy-like" arms. Bringing cryptozoological awareness to the public. West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Jennings would go on to say that the being looked weakened, sickly. The wikipedia page for Bigfoot, for further reading. On September 12th, 1952, three children saw a bright object cross the sky, and land neara farmer's field. At this location Grafton Sentinel reporter Robert Cockrell made one of the first and by far the best known sightings of the alleged West Virginia cryptid known as the Grafton Monster or Beast of Grafton. Cockrell made the sighting on June 16, 1964 while driving home from work after 11 PM on Riverside Drive along the Tygart River, describing what he encountered as seven to nine feet tall, four feet wide, and white with seal-like skin. farm to try to find whatever it was that the boys had seen. The six-man A.I.M.S. Instead of attacking me head on, the Wolfman bared its teeth at me and let out an extremely deafening snarl before walking around the front sideof my car and crossing the road on its hind legs in just two steps. The triangle of hills between the towns of Jumbo and Grassy Creek in Webster County, West Virginia is home to the largest cluster of reported sightings of the Blue Devil. These sightings, which occurred in the winter of 1939-1940, described a bluish, doglike creature larger than a pony that prowled the area late at night and emitted a ghostly howl. On the road you were on at the time of the encounter, was it dusk, failing light, or were there trees shading the road from the light? This is a very perplexing case for a couple of reasons: 1) While I have received dogman type of reports before, I have never received a first-hand account in which a witness saw a metamorphosis take place; 2) I have never received (or even read of many) reports in which a pack of these creatures were together. The rolling hills and deep forests of Appalachia are home a wide array of natural flora and fauna, and perhaps unsurprisingly, are also a hotbed of monster or cryptid sightings. The dog shows up in roads, follows people home, and sits at a distance from dwellings as though waiting for someoneThe white dog does indeed wait-not for a friend or a lost owner, but for a death. From the Mothman to the brakesucker (not really exists), there's no shortage of strange creatures said to roam the mountains and valleys of the Mountain State. I wasnt dreaming of this incident nor was I hallucinating it; it wasnt even a simple misidentification. One of the locals' dog ran ahead out of sight and started barking, and moments later ran back to the group with its tail between its legs. For more information, please see our You have to wonder, do the old mound sites serve as some sort of portal to. Suddenly, he could make out the words. The most famous of these supposed creatures by far is the Mothman, first sighted in the town of Point Pleasant in 1966. At this point, I was absolutely shaking in my drivers seat with that same fear still latched onto my soul. While Appalachia refers to a large area that covers parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi,and Georgia, we'll be focusing on West Virginia. Mrzer Bruyns, W. F. J. The Sheepsquatch's initial sightings state it ran from people, but it seems to have become more aggressive over time. If so, then how did this one get so freaking huge? Cryptid By State: West Virginia. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. My family and I originally lived in Jacksonville, Florida during my childhood, but we eventually moved up north because we couldnt handle the humidity and oncoming hurricanes. The alligator turtle is the most similar known animal to the Ogua, but it's not an exact match. Frog, an alien modeled after the Flatwoods monster appears in the episode Fake It 'Til You Make It. I drove from my home to the town of Wayne, then past Tolsia and Louisa, and finally, as far as Chapmansville. crew may look like expert moonshiners, but these guys seriously research and hunt odd creatures on their TV series, "Mountain Monsters," which kicks off its second season tonight on Destination America. 5. It just so happens that these areas are renowned for paranormal activity. The wikipedia article about cryptids and cryptozoology. Click to take the quiz. The monster also posses no discernible head and is said to emit a whistling sound. Click to take the quiz. Cryptids are animals or creatures that are mentioned in folklore or other accounts, but whose actual existence is questionable. Shortly thereafter, a putrid sulfuric odor filled the air. To begin, the witnesses described glowing amber eyes. And why do we want them so badly anyway?). After two years West Virginia's largest cryptid celebration returned and it returned to record numbers. Ansted, West Virginia Mystery Hole The "mysteries" of this quintessential roadside. Getting back to the strange eyes of the creature, a report from West Virginias Northern Panhandle recounted a monster with glowing red eyes. In the game, some of the cryptids are "naturally occurring", now freed to roam the world following humanitiesnear extinction. Bigfoot is a large, ape-like creature, primarily found in the deep woods or mountains, which describes our region perfectly! A large, humanoid bipedal creature with no visible head and covered in slick white seal-like skin. WVU Libraries West Virginia I WISH MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. Several of them had even reportedly sighted the monster. Anyone interested in trying to catch a glimpse of the Blue Devil today may do so by traveling down scenic Grassy Creek Road in Webster County between Jumbo and Grassy Creek. While most cryptids in the game are hostile to players, the Mothman can appear as a helpful creature. Yes, there are famous creatures here but you know I won't be talking about them. Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published. team. The sculpture is adjacent to the Mothman Museum which opened in 2005 and offers exhibits related to the first "Mothman sightings" of the 1960s and Mothman's transition from rumor and superstition to a regional cultural icon. The Mothman Festival is an annual commemoration of the visit of the cryptid known as the Mothman. In the XBLA game Happy Wars, there is a weapon called the Flatwoods Monster. More than 20 calls came in from people who allegedly sighted the monster. Another cryptid with ties to the Point Pleasant and Charleston areas of West Virginia is the Sheepsquatch. While the page says monsters, the proper term for the creatures on display here would be "cryptids". Over time, the white wolf became a white dog in Appalachian lore. Bigfoot - Virginia: Bigfoot (aka, Sasquatch) is probably one of the best-known cryptids. Mothman is said to be a harbinger of misfortune or doom wherever it appears. One of the few pages with information about this creature. To be clear, I have never been a believer in dogmen as a flesh-and-blood cryptid. Institution. Robert Cockrell wrote an article on the Grafton Monster which was published in the Sentinel on June 18th. Sheepsquatch, also known as the "White Thing", is a woolly-haired cryptid reported across numerous counties in West Virginia, predominantly within the southwestern region of the state. Black bears (the state animal! Even with this, though, something from somewhere else seems to be a better explanation than something from our physical world. On June 19th, 1964, the Grafton Sentinel published an article claiming the sightings of the Grafton Monster were the "personification of active imaginations." Now, I may have made up different stories and stuff before, but that was only when I was so little and whatever Ive experienced wasnt a joke; I told them the whole truth with honesty, but terror in my voice. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Can anyone fill me in? Remember, these accounts as told by witnesses, are not being presented as evidence of any event. I honestly thought I was going to die that night, that my family and friends would never see me again, that they would never know that I was about to be killed or eaten alive by something no one even believes existed, and that there was nothing I could do about it. West Virginia Cryptids: A Visual Travel Guide for Traversing the Mountain State Paperback - May 13, 2021 by Mr. Mark A Randall (Author), Mr. Les O'Dell (Author) 9 ratings See all formats and editions Paperback $10.00 1 New from $10.00 The area now known as West Virginia has always been steeped in mystery. Sometimes they can aid in holding down or moving something that is holding their interest but the are limited in their ability to manipulate their surroundings with paws alone. They also gathered a statement from the mother of the local farmer, in which she said that, at the approximate time of the crash, her house had been violently shaken and her radio had cut out for 45 minutes, and a report from the director of the local Board of Education in which he claimed to have seen a flying saucer taking off at 6:30 in the morning of September 13th (the morning after the creature was sighted). White Things, White Devils or Devil Dogs, most notably the Sheepsquatch, which appears on the show Mountain Monsters, are amongst the most historically infamous cryptids in West Virginia. It also had these dexterous hands that looked almost like raccoon hands, but with more elongated fingers and long, jet-black claws at each fingertip; they looked like they can be used to easily manipulate any kind of prey in its clutches and they looked like they could easily rip me to shreds, or maybe they can do more than just that. An article from the "cryptid wiki", on the Flatwoods Monster. During an encounter in Point Pleasant, the witness felt as if the dogmans eyes drew here in. She said when it stared at her, she became lost in its eyes. This creature, thought to be the same creature sighted in Flatwoods, is known as the Frametown Monster. The following is a series of questions I presented to the witness after the initial report. Since then, the Mothman has gone on to become the central figure in a bevy of books, documentaries, and a 2002 Richard Gere film based on the 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies. This could possibly be a reptilian version of the Flatwoods Monster, only without the skirt-like structure around its waist. Following the collapse, there were no more reported Mothman sightings in the area, and speculation arose that the events were connected. It was last autumn on August 27, 2017 when my experiences first began; it was a Saturday evening between 6:30-7:30 PM, I think it was. The "cryptid wiki" article covering White Things / Devil Dogs. The counties with the most sightings are Boone, Kanawha, Putnam and Mason, with a surge in sightings taking place in Boone County during the mid-1990s. Click to take the quiz. According to local legend, werewolves have been spotted on the outskirts of the town of Belington. The Grafton Monster or Beast of Grafton was a cryptid from Taylor County, West Virginia sighted in 1964. But the eyes the eyes were the one thing, the only thing about my encounter that night, that Ill never forget and even writing about it to you all right now sends a bone-chilling fear down my spine. Have you ever been through an experience in your life where, even though youve known all your life that youre an apex predator, you find yourself going out into the wilderness alone and you suddenly feel so weak, so vulnerable, so helpless in the eyes of such a beast like this? More sightings followed but no physical evidence was ever found. It is believed to be of extraterrestrial nature. Cryptid Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Frederick then claimed to hear a deep humming from the other side of the hill. These are just a few of the many cryptids that are said to roam the state of West Virginia. In the late evening half light, the person and the handcart took on a weird shape. Bigfoot reports are also tied to these areas as well. The Mothman is said to be a winged creature with glowing red eyes. Not to be outdone by Flatwoods, the town of Grafton in Taylor County, WV, has its own local monster. West Virginia is home to many cryptids, folk lores, and stories.