Id like to go through a timeline of the Goatmans Bridge legend as its now known. But, unfortunately, some did not welcome a successful black man within their midst. 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. Dentons most famous spectre is a story handed down for generations with a few variations, and thats the haunted Goatmans Bridge. . Half a century after the bridge was built, an African-American man named Oscar Washburn settled with his family near the bridge. \r\rSince the disappearance of the Goatman there have been many strange sightings on and near Old Alton Bridge. The location has already been featured on Ghost Adventures: Extra Pulses. Harrod was last seen at his residence in the 500 block of Carnation Drive Placentia, California sometime between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on July 27, 2009. . "For the last several years I've given ghost tours on the Square, usually on the weekends. A similar tale to Washburns predates the building of the bridge, in which a group of cowboys lynched a goatherder called Jack Kendall. [1] In February 2022, a "six-foot goat man" was supposedly seen near a village called Staverton, in Northamptonshire. His hobbies include fishing and playing slot machines, and he left behind three daughters, a grandson and three great-grandchildren. When they looked down to see if he had died, the noose was empty. The new townsite was located on a high ridge between Pecan Creek and Hickory Creek and was called Alton. Oh I guess there is one other thing about his YouTube channel, which is that he added a header that has a picture of a goat man. 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. Supposedly the video series was going to answer everything, but it never happened, and you cant watch the video this description went with, since it was deleted the day after it was posted, having garnered 39 views when it was archived by the wayback machine. 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. In a time predating cars, massive cargo carriages drawn by hefty workhorses became the bridges most frequent users. The person said: There have been several disappearances on and around Old Alton Bridge. Some of the posts he commented on were about the Old Alton Bridge, Texas Hauntings, or similar topics. Id like to loop back to some of the trickster stories I mentioned in the first episode of this series. Intro for Death at the Goatman's Bridge (Goatman's Bridge Series) Content note for this episode: I will be talking about white supremacist violence, chattel slavery, and racism. The Denton newspaper at the time did an article on a car found abandoned on the bridge." The Hickory Creek Baptist Church was organized in 1855, and by 1856, there were several buildings including a school and a saloon. 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. Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room will take viewers out of the actual haunted location and into a casual conversation with the Ghost Adventures crew. | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Return Policy, It didnt earn the Goatman title until half a century. 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. However, this changed in 2001 when vehicle traffic was redirected to an adjacent, more contemporary concrete-and-steel bridge. Oh, also, it seemed like he tweeted a lot in early-to-mid June 2022 and hasnt tweeted since, which also matches the pattern. Not only is the Old Alton Bridge a picturesque historic site, but it is also said to be haunted by the Goatman, hence the nickname of the bridge. 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. Other than that, Bob made a twitter account in June and hes tweeted a lot about an invocation of Zalgo, which I guess is a creepypasta from 2004. Join the discussion on our new social platform Texjas.com! Shortly afterwards, so the stories go, a family was passing over the bridge at night and encountered the old man, or at least his apparition, standing in front of them, a goats head tucked under each arm. People DID trickle in most nights sporadically, ever few hours or so. But like I said, theres more than one version that attempts an explanation for a century of recurring frights and sights encountered at the bridge. The Klansman then fitted a noose over his head and pushed him over the side of the bridge. 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. [5][6], The Goatman lore has isn't as well known but there have been some adaptations such as the slimy alien version in the game, Goatman's revenge. 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. He did reply to a paranormal investigation show with: Anyway, thats what Ive got for this timethe way that Ive traced this story back as close to its source as I can, and the weird twists and turns the story has taken. Before he got involved with Heeter, he had been seeing a younger woman. The tiktok account just has the two videos, and it has like five followers so you are missing anything there. Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated June 2021. It was just me, my equipment, my dog and the Spirits.. who grew more accustomed to my energy presence the longer I spent out there and got to know what this place was, how beautiful it truly was at night, when the rest of the world just came looking for a quick jump-scare or half-man half goat/ghostly headlights/knock 3 times to summon the demon/goat hooves sounds/shadow figure etc (the Legend quickly began to spin and soon I would realize I set events in motion that nobody EVER couldve expected. The Denton County location is notoriously haunted by the spirit of Oscar Washburn, or "Goatman," who was believed to be a former . 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. Highlights include: Thoughts about how the internet transforms and changes urban legends A little digital gumshoeing Some Mothman easter eggs. I think he deleted it previously and then recreated it and then deleted it again. Whether its Washburn or Kendall haunting the bridge, lots of strange things have happened around the Alton Bridge. There are also some other mentions of the bridge hauntings, which arent part of the popular legends now: Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, the secondary visits have raised more questions than they might otherwise have answered, including additional photographic anomalies and cold spots on bright, sunny days where the physical environmental data would suggest it impossible. Wow, what a cliffhanger! For all I know, since they knew each other, they could have worked on the video together, but I dont really have evidence of that so cant and wont speculate. 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. The Hickory Creek Baptist Church, which continues to stand, was organized in 1855. (Especially because I use dictation software for a lot of my script writing!) The new bridge straightened out a sharp curve on both sides of the creek and provided additional travel lanes. Ghostly figures and strange lights are said to appear in the surrounding woods, as well as reports of visitors being touched, grabbed, and having rocks thrown at them. Around 2:30 p.m, his son in-law drove off to Home Depot to pick up supplies. The church is located at 5724 Teasley Lane ( F.M. https://web.archive.org/web/20100920155235/http://www.asup-inc.org/oldaltonbridgecase.htm. In a panic, the mob fled from the bridge. Gradually, these carriages were replaced by automobiles, which were supported equally as well by the bridges sturdy truss structure. He and his son-and-law were getting Harrod's new wife's arrival that day. She asked fellow forum-goers what they thought she might have seen, and there were amazing suggestions. On Halloween, if you go the bridge and honk your horn twice, you may see the fiery red eyes of the Goatman. The Klansmen, however, did not exactly follow the due process of the law. The KKK apparently kidnapped and killed Washburn by throwing him over 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 Other reports tell of a womans spirit who wanders the area, allegedly searching for her lost baby. Built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the 145-foot long . Others were totally unrelated, and just seemed to have a keyword that made it come up in a search. 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. There has been no activity on Harrod's bank accounts or credit cards since he went missing. And luckily for us, the video description was a wall of text almost 900 words long. The story of the Goat Man himself can't be factually confirmed, but there have been several disappearances and tales of abandoned cars found in the area going back to at least the 50's, and documented by the local police departments. theYear=now.getYear() Copyright 2008 - Its original purpose was to carry horses and automobiles across the river. If you think youre brave enough to cross the haunted Goatmans Bridge, read on. Harrod was last seen at his residence in the 500 block of Carnation Drive Placentia, California sometime between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on July 27, 2009. 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. By 1856, the small town boasted several homes, a blacksmith shop, three stores, a school, a saloon, a hotel, two doctors, and several lawyers. The legend goes that he had a wife, who died mysteriously and that one night a group of drunken cowboys found the old man out crossing the bridge, herding his goats and drove the animals off the bridge, killing them in the fall. Hill Country, and we welcome you to our family. The tale continues that when travelers crossed the bridge at night with their headlights off, they would meet the Goatman on the other side. Dallas is a city known for its expensive taste; expensive cars, fancy food, and luxurious hotels are in no short supply here. 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 . Apparently this commenter left a link a website, goatmansbridge.com which repeated the claim with no citation. A second spirit is often said to keep the Goatman company, that of a young mother crying out eternally for her lost child. Put to a vote in November 1856; the county seat was moved again to Denton. You wont find the names of Oscar Washburn or Jack Kendall in any historical records. The bridge is located about seven miles south of Denton. There is nothing on the channel. Goatman's Bridge is the common nickname for what's formally called Old Alton Bridge, an iron-truss span that once connected Denton, Texas, to Copper Canyon. 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. 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. they drove their cars across the bridge with their headlights off, A similar tale to Washburns predates the building of the bridge, in which a group of cowboys lynched a goatherder called Jack Kendall, There are no definitive records of Washburn or Kendall, but as a Denton local said, that doesnt mean its not haunted.. So, anyway, starting from this initial rumor that was immortalized in the form of a YouTube video, the new version of the legend started to spread widely. Local high schoolers often trek there at night, the. We are your resource for Hill Country travel, things to do, places to eat, However, not everyone was pleased with Oscars newfound success and acceptance within the North Texas community. . The panicked Klansmen frantically searched the area unsuccessfully before rushing to Washburns shanty, setting it afire with the Goatmans family shrieking inside, perhaps to bait a desperate rescue attempt by the vanished Oscar. His living was raising and selling goats. However, given the condition of remains, the deaths may more likely have been the result of passing trains. 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. Goatman's Bridge was built in 1884 to connect the towns of Alton and Denton. According to legend, those who dare speak the Goatmans name while crossing his bridge unwittingly summon his spirit. Haunted Texas: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Lone Star State by Alan Brown, published in 2008, has no mention of the Old Alton Bridge, even though it does mention another Denton haunting, the haunting of the University of North Texas Bruce Hall. The stated goal of, Do you ever read a book so interesting that you gotta tell. 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. 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. A vicious and hateful group of Klansmen working in the local government began to conspire against him, waiting for Oscar to slip and give them some excuse to be rid of him. A rash of mysterious disappearances are becoming alarmingly routine on a chilling stretch of road that is known by locals as \"the Goatman's bridge.\"\r\rConstructed in 1884, the bridge connected Lewisville to Alton. Details of Disappearance. We walked down one of the paths, and I swear something started chasing us! I don't bring people out to Goatman's Bridge very often but people always ask me about it. Most notably, one that occurred November 15th 1967. When approached, the woman is said to vanish. The Denton newspaper at the time did an article on a car found abandoned on the bridge.. Authorities don't believe Harrod was harmed by a stranger. Due to the great number of unexplained happenings at the Old Alton, the bridge has been the subject of a number of investigative paranormal shows. They also relive terrifying encounters and reflect on each discovery from a safer environment. 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. Its original purpose was to carry horses and automobiles across the river. Alton, now Cooper City, has long been abandoned. 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