The Denton County location is notoriously haunted by the spirit of Oscar Washburn, or "Goatman," who was believed to be a former goat farmer. However, descriptions differed on whether Goatman greater resembled a hairy humanoid or a human with the lower portion of a goat similar to the fauns of Greek mythology. While some bridges are inhabited by pesky creatures such trolls, the Old Alton Bridge harbors a monster of a much darker nature. The Denton newspaper at the time did an article on a car found abandoned on the bridge.. Dobie describes Sam Bass as a sort of Texan Robin Hood, an outlaw who was apparently well liked and spent some time in Denton County. 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. He had no known medical conditions when he disappeared, although he did have some short-term memory problems like being unable to remember phone numbers. These units are usually stressed from tension, compression, or both in order to support heavy loads. I really get into it in this one! 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. Copyright 2008 - He had lent this woman $86,000 over about nine months. 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. Prior to the new bridge, it was necessary for motorists to signal with a car horn before crossing the single-lane span. Most notably, one that occurred November 15th 1967. I chatted him instead. Goatman's Bridge: A Suicide Hotspot - with Author Becky Vickers | Clips Embed 2 *Taken from episode 20. 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. There is nothing on the channel. In the meantime, Alton began to die as many of its businesses moved to the new county seat. 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. Last updated June 16, 2017; two pictures added, details of disappearance updated. [1] Despite evidence to the contrary, stories of Goatman's existence continued to circulate, especially among local students. They were later released pending . We walked down one of the paths, and I swear something started chasing us! Visitors hear hooves beating across the bridge, splashing in the creek below, maniacal laughter, and an inhuman growl that emanates from the woods. Goatman Bridge is a nickname for Old Alton Bridge in Argyle, Texas. I want to know what happened to my son." By 1856, the small town boasted several homes, a blacksmith shop, three stores, a school, a saloon, a hotel, two doctors, and several lawyers. He was successful, and most of the community was supportive and friendly toward Washburn and his family, but unfortunately, the local Ku Klux Klan was not so pleased. A rash of mysterious disappearances are becoming alarmingly routine on a chilling stretch of road that is known by locals as the Goatmans bridge., https://web.archive.org/web/20100617152737/http://www.goatmansbridge.com/, Weirdly, November 15th 1967 is exactly 1 month before the Silver Bridge collapsed in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Road 2181), Denton, Texas. November 15th 1967: police discover an abandoned car beside Old Alton Bridge, five miles south of Denton, Texas. Next to the church is the cemetery. Join the discussion on our new social platform Texjas.com! [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. They reconnected by telephone after their spouses died and then met in person, and decided to get married only six days later. 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 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. 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. Ironically, if you search Bobs username on youtube, the cached metadata on Duckduckgo says USERNAME is resurrected from the digital grave. which is really ironic. His son-in-law went to the store and when he returned at 1:00 p.m., he found the housekeeper locked out and waiting on the porch, and Harrod missing. The location has already been featured on Ghost Adventures: Extra Pulses. [4], According to University of Maryland folklorist Barry Pearson, the Goatman legend began "long, long, long" ago and were further popularized in 1971 when the death of a dog was blamed on Goatman by local residents. 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. A fan-favorite episode in which the crew took on Goatman Bridge will be featured on Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room. A half a century later a legend of a monstrous half-goat, half-man demon was born. However, based on a reply that someone posted the next day, the video was deleted within 24 hours. 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.). Also on March 4, 2022, he got into a few arguments with people about metaphysical topics. Our These tales are obviously old, as the bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2001. His wallet and keys disappeared with him, but he left behind his gold 1997 Toyota Camry and his eyeglasses. The men dragged him to the bridge where they had prepared a noose. [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. This legend results in the area around Old Alton Bridge being popular among paranormal investigators,[5] such as the crews from Ghost Adventures and BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural. The new townsite was located on a high ridge between Pecan Creek and Hickory Creek and was called Alton. The bridge was built in 1884, by the King Iron Manufacturing Bridge Company. For decades, the Goatmans remained as consistently in use as it had in the 1880s. Some say that the bridge was once the site of an execution, another of a lynching; others say that an old goat herder was murdered on this spot, while still others believe it is the earthbound spirits of those killed in the Sam Bass Texas Rangers shootout nearby. 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. 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. Old Alton Bridge was included in the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1988. It might have just been a racoon or somethingbut it was moving in our direction, and we all bolted out of there! Residents making their way over the bridge late at night have reportedly heard her ghostly wails, and others have spotted her crying at the bridges center. However, the goatmans bridge is haunted. There are news reports of abandoned cars on the bridge from the 1960s for sure.. [1], The creature was commonly claimed to have a human face but with a body covered in hair. Other strange happenings recorded at the bridge include strange lights appearing in the surrounding woods, along with reports of visitors feeling hands grab at them in the dark, o a rain of rocks pelting them as they cross the bridge. It is open only to pedestrians today. Oh, also, it seemed like he tweeted a lot in early-to-mid June 2022 and hasnt tweeted since, which also matches the pattern. I went there back in highschool with a group of people. 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. And also, as far as Ive been able to tell, thats when the Goatman was given the name Oscar Washburn. 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. Other legends circulating about the demon focus on his name. Whenever a sighting of this ghastly figure occurs, a string of mysterious disappearances is sure to follow. The bridge was built in 1884, by the King Iron Manufacturing Bridge Company. I dont know whether that has anything to do with my series here, since Bob had deleted his YouTube video impulsively as well, but if youre listening to this, Bob, hello! And both are popular urban legends, so if someone in 2010 wanted to make up this story, they probably were the type of person who was familiar with the moth man legend, so this might be a little Easter egg put in there.I was lucky enough to stumble upon a website called factschology.com, which had an article describing the deep dive that the podcast Myths, Mysteries, and Monsters went on to try to confirm this story. According to her autopsy report, she was stabbed dozens of times, with puncture wounds all over her head, face, and upper . Others report seeing a ghostly man herding goats over the bridge, while others say they have seen an apparition staring at them, holding a goat head under each arm. If they did, they always lasted about 5 mins and get spooked, running back to their cars. The new bridge straightened out a sharp curve on both sides of the creek and provided additional travel lanes. Though the fledgling town had begun to grow, the location of the county seat was still unsatisfactory for the majority of Denton County residents, who soon petitioned for yet, another county seat one that was more centrally located and again, one with better water. All there is is one single piece of information on the about page which is that he joined YouTube on July 15, 2022. Many who have crossed at night. 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. They also relive terrifying encounters and reflect on each discovery from a safer environment. 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. According to locals, Washburn's story is likely an urban legend. Other strange happenings recorded at the bridge include strange lights appearing in the surrounding woods, along with reports of visitors feeling hands grab at them in the dark, o a rain of rocks pelting them as they cross the bridge. havent been able to find mentions of Oscar Washburn prior to 2008. They returned to his home and slaughtered his family, according to the legend. From tragic and riveting tales of murder to the somewhat vague stories of a ghostly goatherder, its sure to give you the chills if you ever visit heading out there after dark probably isnt advisable, in any case! However, no goatman. 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