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. The Goatman isnt just a haunting campfire tale, its also a reminder that an ignorance of our history is no protection from its everlasting consequences. The Denton County location is notoriously haunted by the spirit of Oscar Washburn, or "Goatman," who was believed to be a former goat farmer. Apparently, in 2010, there was a person who commented on a bunch of websites, basically anything that mentioned the bridge that year. The ground was damp and hoof prints should have been obvious, but I couldnt find any!. Next to the church is the cemetery. A rash of mysterious disappearances are becoming alarmingly routine on a. The bridge is located about seven miles south of Denton. In 2014, after Harrod's family had him declared legally dead and inherited his home, Heeter was evicted. 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. Maverick Kyrie Irving Has a Lot To Learn, Like the Earth Is Round, Dinosaurs Lived and Antisemitism Is Bad, Equal Representation at Center of Dallas' District 1 City Council Race, Students Fight To Change 2 Building Names at UT Arlington, Two Dallas City Council Seats Destined for New Blood, Texas Democrats Double Down on Defending Public Ed. . us, which seems the perfect opportunity to revisit one of Dentons most But for this particular bridge, those feelings may be more grounded than not. Watch the new and 7th season of BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime! The Klansman then fitted a noose over his head and pushed him over the side of the bridge. 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. However, given the condition of remains, the deaths may more likely have been the result of passing trains. Nicknamed " Goatman's Bridge " by Denton natives, legend says the Ku Klux Klan lynched a successful Black goat farmer there in the 1930s. independent local journalism in Dallas. Washburn was never seen again, they say, but a vengeful spirit has haunted the Old Alton Bridge ever since. Highlights include: Thoughts about how the internet transforms and changes urban legends A little digital gumshoeing Some Mothman easter eggs. But the success of a black man was still unwelcome to many, and, in August 1938, Klansmen in the local government crossed the bridge and kidnapped Washburn from his family. 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. Local legend says if you knock on the steel bridge three times at midnight, or perhaps- turn off your car lights and honk three times in summons, then you dare a visitation from the vengeful Goatman thats preceded by the stench of decaying flesh. Several other reports tell of numerous abandoned cars that have been found near the bridge, with their occupants missing. When approached, the woman is said to vanish. The stated goal of, Do you ever read a book so interesting that you gotta tell. The couple had met and become engaged in 1950, but they were separated when Harrod joined the military and eventually both of them married other people. Passing over any bridge as antiquated and creaky as the Old Alton, its normal to feel a little unsettled. Located less than a mile from present-day Corinth, the new townsite was called Alton on a high ridge between Pecan Creek and Hickory Creek. The KKK apparently kidnapped and killed Washburn by throwing him over the bridge. Also, for the record, there have also been reports of the lynchings of white people in the area, so I have seems some older stories that seemed to claim that a white goatman had been lynched. Although he lived modestly and drove an older model car, Harrod was worth approximately $5 million. The bridge first served as a route for riders on horseback. Around 2:30 p.m, his son in-law drove off to Home Depot to pick up supplies. Many believe that the Goatman haunts the overpass and the nearby woods. 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. There is nothing on the channel. Some reports describe the Goatmans fur as a deep, fiery red, while others describe his coloring as black as night, so black you can hardly see him as he moves through the edges of the trees. The Big Book of Texas Ghost Stories by Alan Brown, published in 2012, doesnt mention the Old Alton Bridge. 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. if (theYear < 1900) The comment also said that the car was a Mustang, because of course it was, and it says that there were lots of people that reported other missing persons linked to the Goatmans bridge and the Goat man with no additional detail. Ghost Adventures first premiered in 2008 and has aired over 250 episodes, including specials. On a dark night in the late 1930s, a lynch mob of Kluxers stormed Washburn's shack and dragged the screaming Goatman to their noose waiting on the bridge, tightened the rope around the begging Oscar's neck, then mercilessly flung him over the side. 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. We also run the premiere real-estate site in the hill country at HillCountryRealestate.com. Oh, also, when people delete their accounts on Reddit, their comments often still appear on the platform and it just says deleted under their username, but I was able to confirm that at least some of the comments that he had posted under his old username were also deleted. When she found out, she threw herself from the bridge, and her spirit has haunted it ever since. Running across the bridge back to the car and then on that gravel is damn scary. Denton County itself was formed in 1846, and the first attempt at settling the county seat was Pinckneyville (named for the Texas governor). In February 2022, a "six-foot goat man" was supposedly seen near a village called Staverton, in Northamptonshire. All rights reserved. For years, there was only 1 video on YouTube that even referenced this location or the local Legend until I started posting videos with my evidence of this mysterious places anomalies starting in 2011. However, not everyone was pleased with Oscars newfound success and acceptance within the North Texas community. Some reports describe the Goatman's fur as a deep, fiery red, while others describe his coloring as black as night, so black you can hardly see him as he moves through the edges of the trees. After securing it around Oscars neck, they tossed him over the side. They hung a noose on Old Alton Bridge and, after securing it around his neck, threw him over the side. 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. In a panic, the mob fled from the bridge. For the Kentucky creature, see, Last edited on 23 February 2023, at 17:27, "Legend of Goatman Survives Despite Lack of Evidence", "Maryland's Goatman Is Half Man, Half Goat, and Out for brains", "Famed Goatman Forever Held In Dusty Room", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goatman_(urban_legend)&oldid=1141159056, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 17:27. Within a few years, Oscar had built a reputation for himself as a reliable and trustworthy businessman and a valuable member of the community. In an account that may go back as far as the 1860s Texas Troubles, some Copper Canyon cowboys lynched a Creole slave goat-herder named Jack Kendall from a tall creekside tree near where the bridge now stands, but ineptitude separated the runaway slaves head from his body. Last updated June 16, 2017; two pictures added, details of disappearance updated. When Washburn posted a sign on the bridge that advertised this way to the Goatman, it angered local Klansman. (Goatmans Bridge Series), I Seen the Devil (Goatmans Bridge Series), Satanic Rituals at the Bridge (Goatmans Bridge Series). The bridges architectural composition is known as a truss, a visually distinct structure of connected elements forming triangular units. 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. But all of this is Internet talk, without corroboration, Blair explains. Related: Goatmans Bridge is a reminder of the cowardly Klansmens dastardly deed. . There have been four known lynching events of white people in Denton County since its founding, and the reason for white lynchings was typically horse theft. Nature lovers and paranormal enthusiasts alike will love checking out this remarkable historic landmark and the beautiful scenery surrounding it, just be sure not to cross after three a.m. https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/buzzfeed-supernatural-investigators-visit-denton-bridge-to-see-if-its-really-haunted-by-a-half-goat-half-demon-10051546, https://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-alton/, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/goatmans-bridge, https://wedentondoit.com/blog/2013/10/18/back-in-the-day-goatmans-bridge, https://texashillcountry.com/goatman-bridge-history-hauntings-denton-alton-bridge/. 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. 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. . Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. Same types of people, same cliche expectations and same reactions tonothing really. And I am pretty sure that it took place in the 1930s, not 1800s, because the bridge wasnt built until 1884 i think. 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. North Texans endearingly began to call him the Goatman. But its wild that those details have congealed into this almost monolithic urban legend nowadays. Hill Country, and we welcome you to our family. It just seems to be the story that captures everyone's imagination.". 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. https://web.archive.org/web/20100920155235/http://www.asup-inc.org/oldaltonbridgecase.htm. His wallet and keys disappeared with him, but he left behind his gold 1997 Toyota Camry and his eyeglasses. I had saved direct links as well as screen grabs of his comments, so I was able to test that and it said that the comments were deleted and then when I searched his user name, it said that his account had been deleted as well. THE HISTORY of goatman's bridge: November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. If you park outside the bridge at night and honk your horn three times a goatman will appear. The video also links to the Association for the Study of Unexplained Phenomenon (ASUP) website (http://www.asup-inc.org/oldaltonbridgecase.htm); the original website is down, but you can still read it on the wayback machine. Authorities don't believe Harrod was harmed by a stranger. On the other hand, the book Haunted Plano, Texas by Mary Jacobs, which was published in 2018, has a whole section about the Old Alton Bridge, even though it isnt in Plano. The new townsite was located on a high ridge between Pecan Creek and Hickory Creek and was called Alton. If history is the self-congratulatory narrative of a community written by its victorious elite, then our ghosts will often problematize and haunt such tidy romanticisms of back in the day. theYear=theYear+1900 Wow, what a cliffhanger! 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. 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goatman's bridge disappearances