The Freeport Owlman

by Cole Herrold

Mothman has always been one of my favorite cryptids. I loved the menacing glowing red-eyed, winged creature ever since I came across him in Daniel Cohen's America’s Very Own Monsters, the first cryptid-oriented book I ever came across in elementary school. As I began to do research on the flying fiend, I came across a similar and equally bizarre creature that was seen in Mawnan, England. The two avian anomalies have been some of my most beloved cases, and to me, evidence of potential cases of giant owls or, as Mark Hall would call them, "Big Hoots." I had even as a kid drew a potential migratory pattern for these creatures but have since scrapped it as I know feel that the two are totally separate species. I have longed for Pennsylvania to have an Owlman and Mothman, and extremely recently, my wish seemed to of been granted.

In Armstrong County, a bizarre flying feathered freak had been reported in October of 2013. Armstrong County is located right next to Butler County, for those who are truly familiar with the strange and unusual in Pennsylvania will know that the area is ripe with bizarre flying creature encounters. The most famous being the Butler County Gargoyle, which has been extensively covered by Fortean researcher Stan Gordon in several of his books and website, is for all intents and purposes a neighbor to another avian atrocity.

It was at 5:30 pm on October 11th, 2013, when a man named DF had begun to descend into a twilight zone of terror that would continue to plague him and his family for months. DF owned a recording studio that was located next to his home near Freeport in Armstrong County. On the property was also his home and a barn giving his patch of land a true jack of all trade’s vibe. It was on this darkened day, for the sky had already begun to turn dark due to the change of the seasons. DF was in the recording studio listening to a client at the piano. He had listened intently to this prodigy pianist but soon felt the need for a libation to help enjoy the performance even more and so proceeded to walk to the adjoined kitchen and went to the sink to get a tall cool refreshing glass of water. Looking out the kitchen window above the sink, DF had noticed that there was something unexpected in the ever-darkening auburn sky. He stared at a dark object that was gliding through the golden hue. It must be a plane; he thought until he noticed that the strange object's wings were flapping and that the figure began to descend from the heavens. The figure got closer to the perplexed man, and soon the figure dropped down and proceeded to land towards the back of the studio.

It was in that moment that DF could see that what had descended on his property was not a plane, nor a bird of the common variety but something that seemed pulled from an Ornithophobian nightmare. The creature fully visible from the window was a bizarre spectacle that DF would never forget. The creature stood on two large, sturdy man-like legs, which were attached to a large tan feathered body with a yellowish gold stomach and reached a height of 5-6ft tall. The creature had enormous wings about 18-20 feet in length that were covered in long feathers. At the bottom row of feathers on the wings were longer, darker feathers which were spaced 6-7" apart from each other. Yet while the colossal beast was already bizarre, things would be even more so when looking at the head. The head was round with large black circular eyes, a hooked beak, and with an air of feathery fashion large feather-like ears as seen on Great Horned Owls. The creature seemed to sway, and bob as DF watched it. The motion seemed not like agitation but of curiosity and pleasure. DF realized that the creature was homing in not on the architecture or searching for something or person to devour, but instead was engaging in the arts by listening to music. The creature seemed to be drawn by the rhythmic keys of the piano, holding it in a haunting ballet of its own making. The creature swayed on its three-toed taloned feet, listening to each rise and fall in the sound. Then whether because of realized it was being observed, or because the playing struck a wrong chord, or some other unknown reason, the creature, as quickly as it came, proceeded to flap its wings a good three times before getting enough lift to hurdle towards the sky and fly away till it was nothing more than a speck on the horizon.

DF stood there gawking ever still at the window as the water from his glass had continued to overflow from the cup, leaving his hand soaked from the distraction. He returned to the studio to find his pianist had begun to pack up and leave for the day and, needing no escort out, left the studio with only the usual so long. DF left the studio and slowly wandered over to his house, his eyes transfixed on the sky, waiting for some supernatural Strigiformes to drop and take him to his unnatural end. Arriving in the house, he proceeded to see his wife and children in the living room. He sat down in his favorite chair, and his wife and offspring could tell that something had startled the man, for he sat ever so quietly that a mouse could be heard. After much poking and prodding as family is known to do, he proceeded in telling them above the bizarre beast that dropped down from the sky. The children gave their beloved father a sketchbook, and the man proceeded to draw the winged weirdo in exquisite detail. The group stared at the picture in disbelief, and the other members of the household then decided that he should attempt to report his sighting. The man refused for the time being and continued on, hoping that he would forget the strange beast and that it would never entangle his life ever again. This was not to be the case.

A few days later, DF was once more in the recording studio, but this time it was another client that was with him. DF felt on this particular occasion that he needed a breath of fresh air and proceeded to step out of the building. While there taking in the scenery and the crisp autumnal air, he could still hear the tinkling of piano keys and the melody transcribed within them. While the world around him seemed, normal DF could tell that something was a miss. A chill ran up his spine, and a sense of DeJa'Vu seemed to fill his body. It was at this moment that DF proceeded to look up, and to his shock and horror, he saw that dark beating of wings coming nearer to the studio. He stood gazing upward, his eyes not needing to squint or adjust to make out the flying form he could see with utmost certainty that the creature had returned. The creature once more proceeded to descend by the studio, getting closer as it beat its magnificent wings. But unlike the time before where the creature landed for its private concert, the creature proceeded to once again rise up into the air and flew away from the free music hall. DF had thought that the creature must have seen him this time, resulting in its abrupt dismissal, or perhaps unlike the original pianist, the playing of this client was too loud or unpleasant. The music not soothing the savage beast on this occasion led to it searching elsewhere for song.

DF did not have a camera either time in those days to photograph this avian anomaly, but like the first night, he proceeded to sketch the creature in great detail. It was after this second occurrence that DF had searched the internet for a place to relay his encounters. This ultimately led to him emailing Lon Strickler of the Phantoms and Monsters website. Strickler then proceeded to send Fortean researcher Ryan Fusco to interview DF and see if there had been any other sightings. When Fusco came and interviewed DF he could tell that he was sincere in his assertions of encountering some as of yet undiscovered giant bird. In his array of questionings, Fusco asked if anything else had occurred after the initial two sightings. DF stared at him and said, "yes, and I'm not the only one."

DF started by discussing the third time he was plagued by this musical marvel. It was between 1:30, and 2 am in the morning when he and his wife were awakened by a terrible bloodcurdling scream that rang out on their property. The sound was like the unholy mixture of a woman screaming and an owl's screech. The couple sat straight up in bed, listening to the terrible din as it erupted in an ungodly chorus that seemed to be ripped from the mouth of the underworld. DF slowly rose out of bed and proceeded to creep towards the window. He unhinged the latch and lifted the glass pane up, inviting the wind and cool night inside his bedroom. He listened and proceeded to hear a sound which he described as "bones would make rubbing against a metal roof" how he would know what this sounds like is anyone's guess, but he stared into the inky black relying only on his ears to pinpoint where this mystery marauder might be. At first, he thought the sound might be the well house, but the roofing did not match how the sound would it was at that moment; he realized the only place it could be coming from was the nearby barn. Shutting the window, he proceeded to go downstairs and grabbed his bow and arrows, and went armed to stop this gargantuan screech owl finally. Yet as soon as he put one foot on his porch, he could hear the sound of wings and the quiet of the night for the din and its horrible maker had flown the coop.

The next morning when going out to feed the family cats, the household was in for a shock. One of their cats, a feline named Leo, was nowhere to be found. They searched high and low for their furry friend, but they could not find him anywhere on the property. As the days went on, Leo never came home. DF's wife, distraught over the missing member of their four-legged family, told DF what happened to Leo; she assured him that the Owlman had taken him most likely for dinner.

While this was the last of DF's sightings, his family was not out of the loop, for one member of his family would later recount that he too had seen this awful aves while out. He had seen it perched over the shattered remains of a deer carcass on the side of the road. Its maw filled with the gore of the once-living ungulate. The man got out of there as quickly as possible, leaving the creature to its rotting meal.

DF would later on get a job working on a mushroom farm which is approximately 8 miles from his property. One night when checking the footage on the property, he was in for a surprise for several local teenagers was found gallivanting on the property. The authorities were called, and when the boys were inquired as to why they were there, all they would say was, "There was a giant bat-like creature with glowing red eyes that lives in the caves. We've seen it leave and come back several times, and we're here to kill it." DF and the youngsters to this day firmly believe that the mushroom field area is where this creature roosts.

While sightings of the creature continued till at least 2019, nothing else has been officially written or reported on this creature aside from what has been told by DF. This bewildering bird is something that is extremely similar to other cryptids, such as the Mothman of Point Pleasant and the Owlman of Mawnan, England, and the Kikiyaon of Gambia. Many features seem to be nearly identical, and the creature is almost a mirror image to the Owlman of Mawnan. The Freeport Owlman, however, has somethings that make it its own beast. For one thing, the color pallet is off compared to the other three cryptids. Mothman has been described as gray or brownish, Owlman has been described as gray, and Kikiyaon is also of a grayish color. The Freeport Owlman is colored interestingly enough, just like the mechanical owl Bubo from Clash of the Titans. The creature's eyes are described as small and black, which is different from Mothman and Owlman, which are always described as having large red glowing eyes now, biologically speaking some of this could be eyeshine, but there is also the possibility the eyes are naturally red.

While the difference is there, the similarities are staggering and maybe more proof towards these creatures as being biological in nature even though many researchers feel they are something of an otherworldly persuasion. The Freeport Owlman has elegant human-like legs, which are both described in Mothman, and Owlman reports. The creature has ear-like tufts that were also reported in the Owlman case. The feet are described as having three toes, and when looking at the original illustrations drawn by DF they look almost like a tridactyl foot. A tridactyl foot is one with three toes and is seen in emus. Now known owls have four toes, two that are often seen in the front two in the back. They are ideal for catching prey as they are essentially fleshy cages for mice and other small animals. Now the Owlman of Mawnan is often described as having claw-like feet, indicating either its feet are, in fact, lobster claws or that the four toes gripping the branch are giving the appearance of meaty pinchers. The Freeport Owlman is possibly similar in its perching behavior with its digits now granted the images show a tridactyl foot so it could be the fourth toe is not seen or that due to evolution or some mutation, the foot did not need a four toe for survival causing it to become either vestigial or merge into a large third toe on the back of the foot. Possibly making this a different yet related species to the Owlman of Mawnan.

Another thing that is both similar and different about the Freeport Owlman is its wing movements. Owlman of Mawnan, in some sightings, utilized its wings, whereas, in one particular horrific encounter, it seemed to glide in a Vincent Price House on Haunted Hill style. Mothman had flapped its wings rarely, and its wings seemed to be much too small for the massive frame that it had. The Freeport Owlman is when looking at birds perfectly built in this form; it flaps its wings. Its wings are appropriately proportioned when comparing the width of its wings and height to those of other owls. It simply seems to be a biological creature. Whereas stated the others have supernatural qualities about them. I had often wondered whether many of the Mothman and Owlman reports were missized, and maybe due to limited mobility from being in a car, certain normal elements went a miss, like the flapping of wings. Humans are notoriously bad at

estimating sizes of objects without something of scale next to it in many tests on other cryptids like black panthers. For example, the vast majority of people mistake common house cats for giant panthers. It's an easy mistake and something not to fault the witness but something to think about when evaluating and researching these stories. I will say with the Mothman case, however, that there are many facets that could point to it being something different. what I can't say for certain but something that has and will leave multitudes of researchers scratching their heads for years at a time.

The Freeport Owlman is another mystery that we're left with, much like its flying family seen across the globe. A giant owl is something much like a giant ape or giant crocodile, or a giant bat is something plausible in a biological sense. We know that during the vast majority of the Pleistocene, the earth was littered with giant megafauna from mammoths, ground sloths, and glyptodons, as well as the gigantic teratorns, the prehistoric birds that preyed on our ancestors. Could it be a stockier sturdier Strigiformes evolved in the woodlands around the world hunting the smaller megafauna of the time? I would like to think so, but as with most hypotheses in cryptozoology, there's very little to back it up and nothing in the fossil record outside of smaller owl specimens.

The Freeport Owlman is something that has captured my interest and something that potentially has much more hidden in the vaults of the unspoken eyewitness. If this is the case and there are more sightings out there, it only raises more questions. Is Armstrong County the only place in PA where this great horned giant dwells, or does it have a wider distribution? We know it is carnivorous but is it a scavenger or a predator, and do we in PA have to watch the skies not only for thunderbirds in the day but for Owlmen at night?

Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Aves, Strigiformes, Owl

Location: Near Freeport, Armstrong County, PA

Sighted: October 11^th, 2013- 2019

Works Cited:

Winged Cryptids: Humanoids, Monsters, and Anomalous Creatures Casebook- Lon Strickler

“'Owlman' Twice Encountered in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania” Phantoms and Monsters. August 30, 2019. https://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2019/08/owlman-twice-encountered-in-armstrong.html. Accessed February 23, 2021.

“Update: Armstrong County, PA 'Owlman'” Phantoms and Monsters. September 23, 2019. https://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2019/09/update-armstrong-county-pa-owlman.html. Accessed February 23, 2021.