The Goatman Legend began way back in the 1940s and 50s. The Goatman goes by other names like “Pope Lick Monster”, “Satyr”, and “Faun”. He has the lower body of a goat and the upper body of a man with rams growing out of his head. It is said that he is between six and eight feet tall and he makes a very high-pitched squealing sound. Most people that have come close to encountering the Goatman have said that there was a certain odor that you would smell that would be a dead giveaway that he was near.
The Goatman is said to live in caves, under bridges, and outside of cities and towns. He has been seen holding an ax to kill its prey or victims. It is not a supernatural creature, so it is vulnerable. The first actual report of the Goatman was in 1957, where some people reported that they saw a hairy monster in the Forestville and Upper Marlboro area.
The story of the Goatman began at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. It’s said that the Goatman was created by a scientist, Doctor Scott Fletcher, who used to work at the research center. He was experimenting with goats with his assistant, William Lottsford, when something went wrong with the experiments and that’s how the Goatman was created. It is said that he then started attacking cars with an axe and roaming the back woods of Beltsville, MD.
This is not the only story that was created about how the Goatman came about, but it is the one most people have heard. Other stories are of a half-man, half-animal that walks on two legs or of a hermit who just roams around in the woods and when anyone approaches him, he runs away.
The Goatman has been seen in Louisiana, Kentucky, Texas, Maryland, and many other states. The story in Texas is that the Goatman was a man named Jack who was very close to his goats. One day some men came to bother Jack and his goats. The next night, deputies came to look for Jack and could not find him. A couple weeks later, people started hearing odd noises from under a bridge and smelling a very foul odor in the air. When some deputies went to go investigate this, they didn’t expect to see what they saw that night. When they turned around, they saw a very tall creature with red eyes holding the head of Jack’s favorite goat and Jack’s body.
Also, it is said that if you park your car on Goatman’s Bridge, which is located in Texas, turn off all the lights, and honk your horns three times, the Goatman will appear. Goatman is believed to be responsible for the deaths of pets that are just roaming around the woods or area, and couples that are parked in cars in the woods or secluded place. It can jump very high and to great distances.
In 1957, some people said that they had seen the Goatman themselves. In 1962, it reportedly killed fourteen hikers. So far, the Goatman is believed to be responsible for the death of 15 people. Survivors of the Goatman said that it hacks its victims to pieces while making weird sounds. When authorities come to the scenes, all they find are lifeless bodies that have been decapitated.
The Goatman is known particularly to hang around Governor’s Bridge in Davidson, MD. Governor’s Bridge is also known as “Cry-Baby” Bridge because of another tale about a mother who threw her baby over the bridge and people who crossed that bridge would hear a ghostly sound of a baby crying. Some have also said to have seen a creature wielding an axe called the Bunnyman near Fairfax County, known as Bunny Man Bridge.
There is a documentary called Legend of the Goatman: Horrifying Monsters, Cryptids, and Ghosts. It was released September 1, 2013 and tells of someone who was kidnapped and forced to live in a cave for six days by these creatures. A swamp covering two states in Virginia is said to be filled with these creatures and ghosts.
There is also a movie titled Jimmy Tupper vs. The Goatman of Bowie and it was filmed approximately three years ago. The plot of the movie is Jimmy is intoxicated in the woods after a prank his friends played on him. When he returns, he is covered in blood. Jimmy and his friends head into the woods with a video camera to prove that the Goatman is real and not just a story. The director of that film was Andrew Bowser and he submitted this film at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival.
There are so many stories of the Goatman and where it is located. There are even some folk songs about this mysterious creature. Some people have witnessed the Goatman himself and some have just made up some stories. So beware of the Goatman and be careful roaming around the back woods of Beltsville. Happy Halloween!