Ever since that fateful day, several strange things have reportedly occurred on and around the bridge. Maybe that spirit is that of La Llorona, who is well known as haunting the rivers of the Southwest. The person said: There have been several disappearances on and around Old Alton Bridge. But for this particular bridge, those feelings may be more grounded than not. 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. 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 . . And its not lost on me that theres a connection between the two legends: both involve a animal man hybrid as well as a bridge. 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. So whether the Old Alton is named after a terrifying demon or a particularly resilient goat farmer, the bridge is certainly worth the trip. 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. As of 8/6/22, he had deleted his account completely. theYear=theYear+1900
His hobbies include fishing and playing slot machines, and he left behind three daughters, a grandson and three great-grandchildren. If youre interested in the moth man at all, youre probably familiar with silver bridge collapse. Though it is called the "Old Alton Bridge" the community of Alton had already dispersed by 1884. 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. Copyright 2008 -
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. The Denton County location is notoriously haunted by the spirit of Oscar Washburn, or "Goatman," who was believed to be a former goat farmer. More articles and blogs were being published online about the legendary Goatmans Bridge and they all said the same copy/pasted Legend along with some other ones mentioning of it being currently under surveillance by DAPS aka Denton Area Paranormal Society (never heard of or saw them the 1000s of days and nights I would spend obsessing over this place, but ok DAPS). Also, heres a weird synchronicity. Texas Hill Country Facebook page is growing by over 1,000 fans per | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Return Policy, It didnt earn the Goatman title until half a century. Also, I wanted to read this excerpt from the site: As most folk tales often do, the bridge takes on newer and more fanciful claims with every passing year. 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. The bridge takes its name from the abandoned community of Alton, which between 1850 and 1856 was the seat of Denton County. local news and culture, I want answers. 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. 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. The newly improved bridge solved this problem as well as straightened out a sharp curve on both sides of the creek. if (theYear < 1900)
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. Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated June 2021. Goatman Bridge is a nickname for Old Alton Bridge in Argyle, Texas. Built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the 145-foot long . , 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. One of the most famous local ghost stories though, and one of the more terrifying, is the legend of Goatman's Bridge. Whenever a sighting of this ghastly figure occurs, a string of mysterious disappearances is sure to follow. 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. Dallas is a city known for its expensive taste; expensive cars, fancy food, and luxurious hotels are in no short supply here. Oh, also, it seemed like he tweeted a lot in early-to-mid June 2022 and hasnt tweeted since, which also matches the pattern. theYear=now.getYear()
STOP..GOINGTHERE..PEOPLE! The first tragic legend claims that a successful African American goat farmer named Oscar Washburn was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan on the bridge in the 1930s. [1] Despite evidence to the contrary, stories of Goatman's existence continued to circulate, especially among local students. More tales of strange noises have also been described, including the sounds of horses hoof beats on the bridge, splashing in the creek below, maniacal laughter, and inhuman like growling coming from the surrounding woods. 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. These tales are obviously old, as the bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2001. . Well, thats it. On July 25, 2008, someone who Im going to call Leland (not his real name) posted a 2-minute youtube video telling the story of the Old Alton Bridge. Apparently, hearing about this, the County Sheriff went out to check on the mans welfare, but found neither the man nor the goats, dead or alive. In the meantime, Alton began to die as many of its businesses moved to the new county seat. The Klansmen, however, did not exactly follow the due process of the law. Become a member to support the independent voice of Dallas 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. Take I-35E S/US-77 S to exit 463 and merge into the I-35 Frontage Rd. The tale continues that when travelers crossed the bridge at night with their headlights off, they would meet the Goatman on the other side. [1] 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. There have also been reports of inhuman screams coming from the nearby woods, or maniacal laughter sounding. 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. I don't bring people out to Goatman's Bridge very often but people always ask me about it. I want to say that he screams, but I don't remember. 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. If I can just summarize the research I did, which I talked about in ep 1 of this series: the Old Alton Bridge and the Goatman werent mentioned in the older books that I have access to about the paranormal or urban legends in Texas: I have two books by folklorist J. Frank Dobie, Legends of Texas Volume II: Pirates Gold and Other Tales, and Tales of Old-Time Texas, and the only stories they have about the area are about Sam Bass. 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. His wallet and keys disappeared with him, but he left behind his gold 1997 Toyota Camry and his eyeglasses. Denton County itself was formed in 1846, and the first attempt at settling the county seat was Pinckneyville (named for the Texas governor). Left to right: Jay Wasley, Zak Bagans, Billy Tolley, Aaron Goodwin. The Sheriffs archives made no mention of the event. Most ghosts are given names because we need to feel like we can know them. And in the trunk of her vehicle was her cold, bloodied, and decomposing body. 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. You wont find the names of Oscar Washburn or Jack Kendall in any historical records. The Hickory Creek Baptist Church was organized in 1855, and by 1856, there were several buildings including a school and a saloon. Some people have claimed to see the figure of Goatman, with glowing eyes and. There are no definitive records of Washburn or Kendall, but as a Denton local said, that doesnt mean its not haunted.The bridge is seven miles south of Denton, if you ever get the urge to visit just keep your headlights on and dont knock on the bridge, unless you want to visit with the Goatman. 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. of all manners. 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. This person couldnt find newspaper articles to back up the story, but found where the rumor seemed to have started online. The bridge was built in 1884, by the King Iron Manufacturing Bridge Company. 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