The newly improved bridge solved this problem as well as straightened out a sharp curve on both sides of the creek. I would spend countless hours there and watched all this happen every night from the bridge. There is a Plano Goat Man legend dating to at least the 70s or 80s which she mentions in the book, but in the subsection about the Old Alton Bridge Goatman, theres no date given for when that legend began. | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Return Policy, It didnt earn the Goatman title until half a century. 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. There have been reports of abandoned cars with no sign of their occupants, vehicles breaking down or car doors locking and unlocking of their own accord, and some people have heard hoofbeats around the bridge. local news and culture, I want answers. I always thought that the Goatman was a black goat farmer, lynched by the KKK for putting a sign up on the bridge. Old Alton Bridge, also known as Goatman's Bridge, is a historic iron truss bridge connecting the Texas cities of Denton and Copper Canyon. In the Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room episode on Thursday, the segment will be recapped with commentary from the crew. 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. Investigator Aaron Goodwin was allegedly thrown during filming, and host Zak Bagans claimed he was compelled by a spirit to choke himself. There are many spirits calling this place home, but . But when the Night Riders stumbled down to the dark rivers edge to confirm their murderous handiwork, they were shocked to find only an inexplicably empty noose dangling over undisturbed waters. Within a few years, Oscar had built a reputation for himself as a reliable and trustworthy businessman and a valuable member of the community. A second spirit is often said to keep the Goatman company, that of a young mother crying out eternally for her lost child. While some bridges are inhabited by pesky creatures such trolls, the Old Alton Bridge harbors a monster of a much darker nature. However, the location of the second county seat also proved to be unfavorable due to a lack of potable water, and the state legislature soon directed that the site be moved again. With cars and all their noise safely out of the way, the Old Alton Bridge was free for hikers and nature lovers to pass safely. Others were totally unrelated, and just seemed to have a keyword that made it come up in a search. Become a member to support the independent voice of Dallas According to the most circulated version, an African-American entrepreneur named Oscar Washburn and his family tended a farmstead goat herd near the bridge that was renowned for quality meat, milk, cheeses and hides. 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. 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. Unaware of the plot against him, Oscar had rather harmlessly installed a sign on the Old Alton Bridge reading This way to the Goatmans. In response, the members of the Klan employed at the local police station drafted a law making it illegal to solicit anything at the bridge, and dually arrested Oscar in August of 1938. And I am pretty sure that it took place in the 1930s, not 1800s, because the bridge wasnt built until 1884 i think. 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. 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. Apparently this commenter left a link a website, goatmansbridge.com which repeated the claim with no citation. When Washburn posted a sign on the bridge that advertised this way to the Goatman, it angered local Klansman. of all manners. There is also another variation that predates the bridge itself. According to legend, those who dare speak the Goatmans name while crossing his bridge unwittingly summon his spirit. I really get into it in this one! Signs found around the area clearly denote the special place the bridge and surrounding woods have in the communitys hearts, including one which reads I have many memories of the Old Alton Bridge and I love every one of them, a quote attributed to Wayne Stuart Ryan. Travelers say that if you cross the bridge without your headlights, the Goatman will meet you on the other side. THE HISTORY of goatman's bridge: November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. Some folks believe that Satanists have performed dark rituals on the bridge and opened a portal to another dimension. There are even claims of satanic devil worship being performed on the site, raising the specter of the devil himself on the bridge. By 1856, the small town boasted several homes, a blacksmith shop, three stores, a school, a saloon, a hotel, two doctors, and several lawyers. When Denton County was formed in 1846, the first pioneers chose a place along Pecan Creek for the first county seat and named it Pinckneyville in honor of Texas first governor, James Pinckney Henderson. 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. 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. Ive been told that if I were in a horror movie, A look at a place full of cemeteries, ruins, and ghosts of, http://www.randomconnections.com/paranormal-activity/, https://web.archive.org/web/20100920155235/, http://www.asup-inc.org/oldaltonbridgecase.htm, https://web.archive.org/web/20100617152737/, The Trickster and the Goatman (Goatmans Bridge Series), I went to Goatmans Bridge (Goatmans Bridge Series), This Way to the Goatman (Goatmans Bridge Series), Death at the Goatmans Bridge (Goatmans Bridge Series), Who is the Goatman? Wow, what a cliffhanger! , and is forever indebted to the great work of the fine folks with the Denton County Historical Commission and local keepers of history like Mike Cochran and Laura Douglas at the Emily Fowler Library for their tireless work in helping preserve Dentons intriguing past. Occasionally, it was rumored that Goatman would venture out to kill a dog or rush up abruptly beating cars with an ax. The Hickory Creek Baptist Church was organized in 1855, and by 1856, there were several buildings including a school and a saloon. 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. (Especially because I use dictation software for a lot of my script writing!) Whenever a sighting of this ghastly figure occurs, a string of mysterious disappearances is sure to follow. In February 2022, a "six-foot goat man" was supposedly seen near a village called Staverton, in Northamptonshire. Old Alton Bridge, also known as Goatman's Bridge, is a historic iron truss bridge connecting the Texas cities of Denton and Copper Canyon. The original video was called The First Goatmans Bridge Video Ever Uploaded on Youtube 2011 YouTube.. Then he talks about his videos that he posted in 2009: I take issue with his claim that no legend at all existed, but I have been able to confirm that it seemed to be a much lesser known urban legend (for example, I lived there for years and had never heard of it), and the stories of hauntings seemed more scattershot. Show more 0/2000 According to legend, a successful goat breeder named Oscar Washburn began to call himself the Goatman. They returned to his home and slaughtered his family, according to the legend. Townsite lots began to be auctioned in January 1857. In July of 1988 at just over 100, the Old Alton Bridge landed a coveted spot on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as recognition as a Texas Historic Landmark. This location did grow, and before long, it boasted a hotel and two stores. . Locals warn that if you cross the bridge at night without headlights (as the Klansmen are said to have done), you will be met on the other side by the Goatman. 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. The bridge takes its name from the abandoned community of Alton, which between 1850 and 1856 was the seat of Denton County. I obviously dont know Bob, but from reading this, I get a bit of a sense of self importance from him. Dallas is a city known for its expensive taste; expensive cars, fancy food, and luxurious hotels are in no short supply here. He's half-goat half-man. Apparently, in order to drum up business, Washburn hung a sign on the bridge reading: "This Way to the Goatman." The local KKK was not at all pleased. 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. But the success of a black man was still unwelcome, and Klansmen in the local government turned to violence after he displayed a sign on Alton Bridge: \"this way to the Goatman's\"\r\rOne night in August 1938, with their headlights off, Klansmen crossed the bridge, dragged the Goatman from his family, and lynched him over the side. 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. STOP..GOINGTHERE..PEOPLE! The location has already been featured on Ghost Adventures: Extra Pulses. [1] Despite evidence to the contrary, stories of Goatman's existence continued to circulate, especially among local students. The bridge was built twenty-five years later and dubbed the Old Alton Bridge.. Most of the film was shot at the Pope Lick Trestle, but scenes showing the characters up on the trestle were shot at another, safer . This was completely opposite of what the area is like in the daytime. Halloween is upon Goatman Bridge is a nickname for Old Alton Bridge in Argyle, Texas. \r\rAfter numerous abandoned automobiles and missing persons, a new bridge was constructed directly downstream. Local high schoolers often trek there at night, the. Becky Vickers is the author of the book The Secrets of Goatman's Bridge. All my old favorite TV/YouTube Ghost Hunters are falling victim to this energy vortex!!. Around 2:30 p.m, his son in-law drove off to Home Depot to pick up supplies. By August 27, 2008, a commentor on the website pbase.com mentioned Oscar Washburn and the specific date, November 15, 1967, that was mentioned in the YouTube video: By 2009, people had posted the youtube video to the same forum thread that Leland had originally posted on a handful of times, and by the last page of the thread, people were mentioning Oscar Washburn by name. Dentons most famous spectre is a story handed down for generations with a few variations, and thats the haunted Goatmans Bridge. Visitors sometimes tell of seeing mysterious lights in the area, car doors locking and unlocking of their own accord, and numerous vehicle breakdowns while near the old viaduct. [1][2], Goatman stories originated in the early 1970s but some of its legends are set in the 50s, within Prince George's County, following the disappearances and/or deaths of multiple dogs, which were later attributed to the creature. 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. It didnt earn the Goatman title until half a century later, when an African-American named Oscar Washburn settled in the area. The following is a description of the legend in her own words: There's a bridge in Denton, Texas called Goatman's Bridge. They wanted to put up a reward for his safe return, maintain his home and pay his bills. 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. What we started 12 years ago has gotten out of control. But just in case you arent up to date with the moth man lore, basically from November 15, 1966 to December 15, 1967, there were a series of incidents that were said to involve the moth man. The third county seat location was designated in November 1850, about five miles southwest of present-day Corinth on Hickory Creek. A fan-favorite episode in which the crew took on Goatman Bridge will be featured on Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room. But heres what I can tell you: I just searched for him again and I have discovered that he made a Tiktok back in July and hes posted two videos, both of which show a shirtless man wearing a cow mask and hanging out in the woods. The terrifying encounters and reported vanishings have been so frequent as to warrant numerous investigations by paranormal groups. But for this particular bridge, those feelings may be more grounded than not. contribution from Shaun Treat, founder of the, historical ghost tour. In the meantime, Alton began to die as many of its businesses moved to the new county seat. Before the new bridge, drivers had to signal with their horns before crossing the single-lane bridge, as there was room for only one vehicle to pass at a time. There are also some things that may differ between the final episode and this draft script. However, based on a reply that someone posted the next day, the video was deleted within 24 hours. 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. It might have just been a racoon or somethingbut it was moving in our direction, and we all bolted out of there! Some believe the Goatman remains dormant for years at a time and awakes only to hunt for prey. A sense of self importance from him is sure to follow pesky creatures trolls... Shaun Treat, founder of the Creek Washburn settled in the daytime said to keep the Goatman a. 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