According to Micah Carlson Crittendens University of North Texas masters thesis published in May 2020, The Tall Grass West Of Town: Racial Violence In Denton County During The Rise Of The Second Ku Klux Klan: Due to shifts in the public perception of white criminality and lynching as a violation of due process, white lynchings in Denton County stopped in 1880 and never resumed.This meshes with some other older reports I found on the bridge, in which the goatman seems to be white (or at least his race isnt mentioned). His hobbies include fishing and playing slot machines, and he left behind three daughters, a grandson and three great-grandchildren. Old Alton Bridge was included in the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1988. His living was raising and selling goats. They returned to his home and slaughtered his family, according to the legend. Finally, in May 1859, its post office doors closed forever. [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. 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. The tale continues that when travelers crossed the bridge at night with their headlights off, they would meet the Goatman on the other side. DISCLAIMER: Im providing this version of the script for accessibility purposes. The Denton newspaper at the time did an article on a car found abandoned on the bridge." Highlights include: Thoughts about how the internet transforms and changes urban legends A little digital gumshoeing Some Mothman easter eggs. The Old Alton Bridge's nickname, Goatman's Bridge, originated from at least two eerie local legends. If they did, they always lasted about 5 mins and get spooked, running back to their cars. 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. 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. So who knows maybe this series will appear on his channel, Ill try to keep an eye on it and I will update you if there is any movement there. 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. STOP..GOINGTHERE..PEOPLE! They learn about Satanic worship underneath the bridge and hear stories from f. The residents of what are now the cities of Argyle and Denton thought the man to be a bit of a loner and rather odd, but no one really knew all that much about him. The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. [3] The belief is based on the legend of a black goat farmer named Oscar Washburn, who was said to have moved his family to a residence just north of the bridge. \r\rSince the disappearance of the Goatman there have been many strange sightings on and near Old Alton Bridge. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. legendary ghost stories. The Ghost Adventures crew first visited Goatman Bridge in a Season 13 episode that aired on January 14, 2017. In fact, the only residence that existed was that of a man named W.C. Baines, who established a farmstead long before the designation of the new county seat. Whenever a sighting of this ghastly figure occurs, a string of mysterious disappearances is sure to follow. Importantly, he has a tattoo on his belly button that looks a lot like the tattoo that Sully Erna, the lead singer of the nu metal band Godsmack has. This attempt was more successful. Please treat the episode audio as the final product. You wont find the names of Oscar Washburn or Jack Kendall in any historical records. The first reports of supernatural encounters on the bridge were in 1938, and many are recounted in the episode. Best Tales of Texas Ghosts by Docia Schultz Williams was published in 1998 and has plenty of stories of ghosts in the Dallas area, but no mention of Denton County or the Old Alton Bridge at all. There is little remaining of the old townsite today, except for the Hickory Creek Baptist Church and the old Alton Cemetery, which contains graves that date back to 1852. There are even claims of satanic devil worship being performed on the site, raising the specter of the devil himself on the bridge. Hill Country, and we welcome you to our family. Aside from demonic satyrs, a second version of the story seeks to explain the origins of Goatmans Bridge. 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. 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. It continued to be used until about 2001 when it was replaced with a concrete-and-steel bridge and a new road, which straightened out a sharp curve. Liminal areas of crossing can be full of possibility and danger, present injustices are informed by past prejudices, and there are critters like snakes or gators down in the creek that younguns might outta be leery of. Dentons most famous spectre is a story handed down for generations with a few variations, and thats the haunted Goatmans Bridge. People DID trickle in most nights sporadically, ever few hours or so. And in the trunk of her vehicle was her cold, bloodied, and decomposing body. The first few years I spent out there it was mostly barren at night, void of all life or cars driving by or people coming to visit. Although as far back as the 1930s, the bridge has taken on a second, much more sinister nickname: Goatmans Bridge. 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. And, yeah, I mentioned this in the beginning, but I suspect that theres some mental health stuff surrounding some of Bobs posts and stuff. Copyright 2008 - Some attribute the work of Satanists who opened a portal for a hellspawn demon, while others say the Goatmans wife is eternally searching for her murdered children. Townsite lots began to be auctioned in January 1857. 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. [1], According to some variations of the legend, Goatman is said to have once been a scientist who worked in the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. Some folks believe that Satanists have performed dark rituals on the bridge and opened a portal to another dimension. Locally, the bridge is known as Goatman's Bridge, as it is said to be haunted by a half-man half-goat figure called Goatman. . Ghost Adventures fans are in for a spooky treat Thursday night. Local high schoolers often trek there at night, the. 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. According to local lore, the historic Old Alton Bridge marks the entryway to the territory of a malevolent demonic force known only as the Goatman. Some even believe that crossing over the bridge at certain times of night can unlock a portal into Hell itself. havent been able to find mentions of Oscar Washburn prior to 2008. A week and a half after he went missing, two of his children filed for conservatorship to get control of his assets. 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." Constructed in 1884, the bridge connected Lewisville to Alton. Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. My understanding is that the legend had been circulating for some time, but as I talked about in the first episode of this series, there was a clear difference between pre-July 2008 stories about the Goatmans bridge, and post-July 2008 stories. Dallas Observer's The Morning After Brunch, virtual remembrance and fundraising event. 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. Legend has it that a demon that's half-man and half-goat haunts the bridge. You all asked for it so we did it. The tiktok account just has the two videos, and it has like five followers so you are missing anything there. Put to a vote in November 1856; the county seat was moved again to Denton. The Old Alton Bridge, or more famously known as The Goatman's Bridge, is an old iron-truss bridge just Northeast of Dallas, Texas, near the now uninhabited town of Alton. 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? The Denton County location is notoriously haunted by the spirit of Oscar Washburn, or "Goatman," who was believed to be a former . 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. No Goatmans Bridge legend ever existed or was ever mentioned in any of your Texas legend/myth or ghost story books (even those published as late as the early 2010s.). In August 1938, masked Klansmen abducted Washburn and hung him from the bridge. Most who were brave enough to even make the 30 second journey to the bridge, would stand on it (and im dead serious) for a minute or two and would immediately leave, not even bothering with the well-traversed-in-the-daytime hiking trail to either side along the river. The county seat was moved again to Denton will NOT be tax-deductible music and,. 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