Eerie Erie Sheepman of Waterford

 The Eerie Erie Sheepman of Waterford

By Cole Herrold

Half-human creatures are a constant occurrence in the worlds of Cryptozoology, Ufology, Demonology, and other Fortean studies. Some are constantly pegged into their appropriate categories, whereas others seem to cross the boundaries forming new and difficult to determine classifications. Bigfoot, for example, is generally accepted to be a large unknown ape that resides in the forested regions of the state, yet there are some reports where bigfoot is in fact either directly or coincidentally connected to UFOs or other anomalous phenomena. Other creatures like dogmen, frogmen, fishmen, and lizardmen are regularly reported, and some do teeter in that gray Keelian world of joint phenomenon. But of all the unknown creatures out there, there is one that has brought many to the brink of terror and, in some cases, their own demise and ventures of into both a cryptozoological, Fortean and demonological phenomenon. This unknown group of creatures is referred to as Goatmen.

Goatmen are a peculiar bunch of creatures that exist almost universally around the United States, the most famous cases being the Maryland Goatman and the Pope Lick Monster. These creatures are described as humanoid in form, typically 6-7ft tall with features reminiscent of goat-like horns and hooved feet. These creatures are a mixed bagged phenomenon as they are researched by folklorists, Cryptozoologists, and paranormal investigators. These creatures are considered extremely aggressive some varieties have supposedly been known to carry axes or lure individuals to perilous locations. These creatures are also reported to attack cars, pets, and livestock, leaving dismantled corpses or bloodless bodies behind.

While reading J. Nathan Couch’s book Goatman: Flesh or Folklore? I stumbled upon one particular beast I had never heard of and was very near in location to me. This creature was tucked away in a short chapter called "The Pennsylvania Sheepman". The creature was described in very much the same universal way as the classic Goatman type figure, yet to me, it was interesting as it added another feather in Pennsylvania's already remarkably gaudy cryptid hat.

Waterford is a small town located in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Waterford has a rich early history predating both the English and French arriving in the US. The site where Waterford now stands was at one point a Native American village. The area had some remnants of this previous civilization all the way up to the 1860s. The area was home to two forts created by the French, and a wagon road was developed that interconnected the two. This fort and roadway led to an increase in commerce, which eventually helped build the town. The area had a rich history, some violent and some peaceful between settlers and the native inhabitants. In fact, the first death that occurred on the land was of a boy by the name of Rutledge, who died of wounds from a native American skirmish in 1795.  Waterford today is a sleepy town, not unlike the vast majority of towns and boroughs that exist around the country, has a current population of 1,517 and possibly one sheepish citizen.

The Pennsylvania Sheepman or the Sheepman of Waterford is a beast that made its debut in the town in the70s. America, it seemed, was reaching an all-time high at this point in weird creature sightings, including those of Goatmen like beasts, and Pennsylvania was no stranger to such beasts. Trying to research information about this peculiar creature is very difficult as a lot of sightings were not reported to the police or any other media source. All documented knowledge of the creature comes from later accounts, particularly in October of 2012 when such tales tend to be reestablished by local sources. Before that point, however, the tales of the beast were spread orally in the town's schoolyards and playgrounds and homes, spoken only just above a whisper to keep the beast at bay.

The vast majority of this enigmatic entity's sightings occurred on what is known as the Waterford Covered Bridge or, as it's known locally, the Old Kissing Bridge, which is located on Niemeyer Road. The creature is said to frequent this location, and some of the most violent encounters have been reported to of occurred by this hoofed hooligan. The most famous being a tale told by Herb Kinney, who had a friend who would come face to face with the monster one rainy night. His account would be included in both J. Nathan Couch's Book as well as an article entitled "The Legend of the Sheepman of Waterford, PA" found on the now-defunct Examiner.com website. Attempting to find the original article proves impossible as the site now is linked to a website that sells concert tickets.

Herb Kinney’s friend was out one summer night enjoying a nice little drive with another individual he knew. The night was growing darker as the two traversed down the old road in his dark blue ford mustang convertible. The sky began to swarm with an amass of clouds, and as the two reached a certain point in their journey, the heavens wept. The rain was beating down on the young men's heads due to the fact that the two decided that since it was such a nice night to drive around with the top down a decision, they would most certainly regret it. Herb's friend saw the possible air of protection from the elements in the Old Kissing Bridge and proceeded to go and drive inside. Putting the car in park, the pair left the vehicle and began to lift and adjust the collapsed roof back into place.

 It was at that moment that the sounds of heavy footfalls emanated from the bridge. The two men, probably thinking it was some kind Samaritan who noticed their plight or someone who was annoyed by their halted presence on the bridge, began to turn around unperturbed by the sounds. As the men turned, they realized that this was by no means something that seemed heaven-sent but something that to them seemed to of ascended from the bowels of Old Scratch's lair. The two men stared at this strange anomaly taking in the foul apparition in every detail. The creature was a 6-7ft tall beast covered in wet, dank grayish-white hair on its body, and atop its head, the beast was adorned with large, curled horns like a goat or rams. Its maw was adorned with long sharp carnivorous fangs, and the beast walked upright on hairy goat-like haunches, and its human-like hands were adorned with long sharp claws. Before the duo could even comprehend the strange caprine creature that clambered before them, the beast began to rush toward the men. Herb's friend reached out as he was assaulted by the beast hitting and smacking the creature until it let go. The two rushed back to the safety of their car, but the creature was in hot pursuit. The creature continued its aggravated assault on the top of the vehicle beating its fists and scratching its claws on the roof of the car. The friends struggled to get the car moving, but in a quick motion, the engine roared to life, and the two sped out of the bridge, leaving their unknown attacker behind as it unleashed a series of guttural sheep like sounds.

 The two returned to town, and Herb's friend returned home. He sat in his car for a second, his eyes reeling from the ghastly horror show he was plunged into and, with a sigh of relief, got out of the car. His roof, which was the whole reason for his pause in coming home, was decimated, its frame bent, and rooftop clawed and beaten. He went inside and told his parents all about his encounter with the horned hellion on the bridge. The parents proceeded to go outside and see the carnage. When Herb's friend said about calling the police, the two adults looked down at their offspring and said that nothing of the sort would happen. The idea of their son's brush with the goateed nightmare to them would be embarrassing and not something they would want to be advertised in town. So, the story stayed quiet until Herb would recount his friends' perilous encounter with the beast some thirty-forty years later.

This account is by far the most aggressive and detailed account of the Sheepman in the very scant cases on it. In several sources, there are claims of over one hundred sightings of this creature from the sixties to at least 2012. Yet finding anything about a vast majority of these other sightings has proven fruitless. This tends to be the case with a lot of cryptid sightings, though. For everyone sighting of a strange animal, chances are there are another ten that goes unreported partially out of fear of ridicule and partially out of a lack of places to submit an encounter. While the internet now has countless sites where people can submit their reports like Phantoms and Monsters, Cryptopia, BFRO, Singular Fortean, and with us now at the New World Explorers Society. Back in the seventies and sixties, while there are countless UFO newsletters, magazines, and bulletins, monster or cryptid encounters really only got reported to individual investigators, police, or the local newspapers. These options go back to the reason’s reports went unwritten.

While cases of the Sheepman are difficult to come across, Herb's friend is not the only one to claim to come into contact with this malicious faun. A woman named Marilyn had actually seen the satyr on more than one occasion. Marilyn claimed to grow up on Baghdad Road, which is another area that is a hotspot for Sheepman sightings. Some claim the Sheepman lives in a cave located along the road. Her accounts are interesting, for while they lack the sensationalism that Herb's friend experience, these accounts point to something more biological in origin as opposed to some heinous beast. Marilyn had claimed that she had seen this allegedly horned beast crossing the road twice in her lifetime. The second and most recent sighting occurred on one dark night as she had just pulled into her long stretch of driveway when there in front of her a gray form sprinted in front of the car it looked at her as it ran and without stopping returned to the wild wilderness it called home.

In my research on the subject, I came across one other scant account that appeared on The Pennsylvania Rambler of a boy named Eric who claimed one night to of encountered a tall and hairy beast with horns under the Old Kissing Booth who the boys whom the author of the article heard the account from claimed lived under the structure to come out at night to harass those on the bridge and nearby woods. This account is probably the most recent account if authentic, but the boys who regaled the author with the story also made claim Eric was drunk at the time of his sighting.

Another witness called Sally B. said that the Sheepman had lived along an old dirt road near her family’s farm. She claimed that the creature was part man part sheep much like the other cases reported yet in a strange turn of events claimed that the beast also carried a hook that it would use to scare people out of the areas it would call home as well as presumedly kill anyone it could get its hairy hands on.

This last report tends to shred some of the authenticity of the creature. Goatmen type creatures are often discussed by folklorists for the fact that in many ways, they behave and enact in many of the same or similar manners as other urban legends such as the Hookman or Cropsy. These figures are essentially immortal serial killers rumored to come out of their wooded locals to kill and frighten teenagers stupid enough to venture or make love in their areas. The Maryland Goatman case has many of these same attributes, including coming out to accost teenagers making out in cars. The Maryland Goatman is said to attack vehicles, pets, and teens with a large hatchet or ax. The Pope Lick Monster of Louisville is another supposed ax and lantern wielding Goatman that lurks atop a train trestle. Many who have climbed the trestle either led by the siren song of the beast or by their own curiosity have actually lost their lives, making it a legend with actual danger. These ax wielders are not dissimilar to the Sheepman and his hook in this respect. In Massachusetts and New York, legends of Cropsy and the Hookman reign supreme, and in the legend of the Hookman, the story goes that he was an escaped mental patient who had a hook for a hand and would come out to attack lovers, usually scaring them by scraping his hook along the side of their car. The Pennsylvania Sheepman, in this way, seems to be a weird barrier between the two areas of legends. This makes this creature more than just a physical chimera but a folkloric one.

Another element that seems to point to something folkloric as opposed to Cryptozoological or paranormal is an anonymous email claiming to know the origin of the Sheepman. Paranormal researcher and folklorist Heidi Kirclich LaDow received this email from a local after she was investigating the legend of the beast. The email goes as follows:

“I will let you know that the Sheepman story, as far as I know, started in the vocational agriculture student's heads, and the fable grew until the general public adopted it as a local legend. I heard of Sheepman in the 1970, and as a seventh grader it awed me and others. [the story was] that a man could have sex with a sheep [and produce a sheep-man]. What started as a dirty little story grew into a small town legend. I ain’t telling no more!”

This email is not an original idea. Many times, in the world of folklore, there are countless beasts that were supposedly the offspring of man and animal. In Greek culture, for example, the god Zeus in the form of a great white bull seduced Minos's wife Europa, and the two in a union produced an offspring which would become known as the Minotaur. Many times, in folklore, the idea of two totally separate species producing an offspring is common in places where cryptids are reported. There are several ideas of separate species like alligators and a monkey crossbreeding to form the creature that is seen or terrorizing the area. While we know this is a ridiculous idea, it is not unheard of for separate species to create offspring ligers, zonkeys, and mules; for example, are some common varieties that zoos or sideshows would purposefully create. In human history, our species co-bred with other hominids like Denisovans and Neanderthals resulting in the wide genetic diversity we have today as a species. There even was an attempt at one point where a scientist had tried to create an ape-human hybrid by inseminating a woman with orangutan semen. The results were unsuccessful but possible. There are even reports of the Almas Zana who supposedly had given birth to a half-human half Almas offspring in Russia. Now a man breeding with a sheep, however, is an entirely different ballgame and not possible to occur.

While the Sally B. account does match and points towards a more folkloric kind of beast, Marilyn and Herb's friends' accounts, if authentic, definitely point to something other than the oral traditions that all cultures share. What this creature or creatures could be, those are difficult to determine. Most Cryptozoologists often lump these kinds of reports in with Bigfoot cases as bigfoot is frequently known to attack cars and the sprinting type figure is a common behavior described by witnesses. While Marilyn's account is rather vague as she described it simply as a dark gray form that streaked across the road, so there is the possibility she did see a bigfoot like creature. Herb's friend, even though it's told from a secondhand source however seems to point to something entirely different his liminal space Sleepy Hollow-esque account is something that clearly depicts a half-human half goat-like beast and not a traditional bigfoot like creature. With that said, what could this creature be?

A bear or bigfoot would be the most likely explanation for this creature seeing as the height would be about the same as the creature seen, and it wouldn't take much to think that in the darkness that a bear's ears could be in the right light look like horns. The problem with this hypothesis, though, is, of course, that while bears will walk upright if their front paws are injured, they do not have the fluid movement as seen in creatures that are described as walking bipedally. As sasquatch would be the next possibility, but again there's nothing that would appear as horns on a bigfoot, and while it may be the answer to a select amount of sightings, it cannot be the answer to the creature Herb's friend reported.

One cryptid that does bear a striking resemblance to the Goatman is the Sheepsquatch. These creatures are almost a direct match for the beast seen in Waterford. The color, height, fangs, horns, aggressive behavior are all features that are the same as the Sheepsquatch. Now one feature that is reported in some Sheepsquatch accounts is that of a possum-like tail, but a tail is something not described in any of the accounts. Another possibly misleading aspect that could point to a different kind of creature is Goatman accounts typically are described as a thin creature, not a big hulking monstrosity like what is seen typically in Sheepsquatch accounts.

The idea of a Goatman type creature as an undiscovered species is unlikely but of all the hypothetical answers seems to be one of the only possibilities that could explain biologically what this creature could be. True, there is no evidence for such a creature in the fossil record, but at one possible point in our history, the ancestors of sheep were carnivores. Andrewsarchus was a large animal found in China, which has some debate around it. This animal was at one point believed to be the ancestor of sheep, but some are thinking it could be related to whales.  If the original hypothetical origin is correct, though, it is possible that this could be the great grandfather of the Goatman. As evolution would take its course, the creature’s ability to stand upright for a short period could turn into longer and longer periods and ultimately freeing up the front paws, which could extend the phalanges to the point of fingers. Resulting in what we now know as Goatman and even possibly Sheepsquatch. Yet, as with everything when it comes to hypothesizing this kind of phenomenon, the evidence for this is basically nonexistence.

Interestingly this is not the only time PA has seen a strange goat hybrid beast. A group of sightings from late summer of 1973 of a strange creature described as a goat horned, white-maned, tiger fanged, bipedal beast was seen attacking Amish farms. This creature was seen rampaging from farm-to-farm, devouring wooden tools and grabbing geese with its hands, which it later threw at a brave Amish woman who pursued the beast. J. Nathan Couch hypothesizes in his book that this creature could very much be the same beast and that it managed to move from Erie to the southern section of the state where these sightings took place.

Another article argues that this creature might, in fact, be extinct or if it was a singular entity dead, seeing as how the average life span of a sheep is around a decade. This to the author could explain why sightings after the 1970s were essentially nonexistent. This is interesting if accurate because if this animal is advanced in every other element as it seems to be, it would be unique for it to maintain this primitive aging quality.

A demon is a common answer for this mystery for a lot of people who have researched this phenomenon. While the Sheepman of Waterford does seem to be a physical entity in many regards' creatures like the Pope Lick Monster appear as something more phantasmagorical. Supposedly many mediums have linked these creatures to the infernal realms or as negative entities whose only goal is to kill and destroy humans. I personally do not agree with this assertion into this phenomenon as a lot of our depictions of demons are the culmination of the church taking various cultures' gods and spirits and converting them into the cloven-hooved beasts we see now. While I suppose it is not outrageous for maybe if these spawns of the dark one do exist that one or a few of them could look like a Goatman.

The final possibility is that what is seen is something like a faun, Pan, or satyr. In Greece, there were several myths of half-human half-goat animal and nature spirits. These creatures were a paradox as they were loud, rowdy creatures that would have sexual encounters with humans and have drunken bouts with the god of wine Dionysus but also passive, peaceful creatures who would play music on the panpipes and walk peacefully in the woods. The leader of the satyrs and fauns was the god Pan who could create a sound that would result in humans running away in absolute terror hence the origin of the word panic. These creatures are tied into the faerie world and folklore of a variety of European cultures, and some Fortean researchers believe that some reports of cervine and caprine type humanoids could be these creatures returning to our world to either protect nature or some other as yet undetermined reason.

While I'm open to the idea for a lot of creatures to exist, the Sheepman seems to me to be a heavy mixture of folklore and some potentially real encounters with an as of yet unknown animal. Just what that animal is, is to be debated. It seems that all the answers to what this creature could be are shrouded in mystery. Unfortunately, most of the accounts we do have are from secondhand sources or from online interviews, emails, and comments, so trying to interview the witnesses even more thoroughly is almost impossible. This creature, if real, would be an evolutionary discovery that could change the fabric of what we know about the ancestry of a variety of creatures and how evolutionary change occurs. Yet there are too many folkloric variables to ignore as well and this, of course, just pushes this creature deeper into the shadows of fable and out of the light of science. But perhaps someday we will find the answer to this mystery down Baghdad Road.

 Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Mammal/Hominid/Primate

Location: Waterford, Erie County, Pennsylvania

Sighted: Throughout 1970s

Works Cited

Couch, J. Nathan. Goatman: Flesh or Folklore?. CreateSpace Independent Publishing. 2014.

Styn, Rebecca. “Eerie Erie: Seven Tales to be Told After Dark” Erie Reader. October 17, 2012. https://www.eriereader.com/article/eerie-erie-. Accessed December 23, 2020.

Wanna See Something Weird?. February 7^th, 2019. https://cryptids-of-the-world.tumblr.com/post/182627376451/the-waterford-sheepman-is-a-goat-like-creature. Accessed December 22^nd, 2020.

Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society.http://fortleboeufhistory.com/about/waterford-erie-county-pa/. Accessed December 22^nd, 2020.

“Andrewsarchus”. https://walkingwith.fandom.com/wiki/Andrewsarchus. Accessed December 22^nd, 2020.

“Weirdness in Waterford”, The Pennsylvania Rambler. August 5, 2018. https://thepennsylvaniarambler.com/2018/08/05/weirdness-in-waterford/. Accessed December 22^nd, 2020.

Wood Eating Amish Country Goose Grabber

 The Wood Eating Amish Country Goose Grabber

By Cole Herrold

Cryptid Research, in general, can be extremely difficult for a myriad of reasons a lot of which are not too dissimilar to what biologists and zoologists experience in the field or as some archivists have trouble with when trying to find some missing piece in a grander account. Cryptozoologists have all of these issues and more as there is for those in the field equal parts of both with newer sightings the most difficult aspect would have to be the fieldwork itself but with resources the accounts are usually recorded and made readily available. When looking at older cases, though, the already established problems are doubled as witnesses either now are deceased or refuse to discuss the events due to the countless years of criticism or even the fact that to protect their identities, they chose to remain anonymous. While I understand and respect those who choose to do so, it does make it difficult for future researchers to discuss the events of their sightings in an attempt to glean more information. With cases that are older and feature anonymous witnesses, we are left entirely upon the research of those who have cataloged the accounts, which in itself can lead to problems. One of the main is the interpretation of extremely obscure cryptids. As researchers, I know we want to put things in neat little piles, but sometimes that desire for order really creates false information. This is one such case for this creature has appeared in The Bigfoot Casebook, Strange Pennsylvania Monsters, Goatman- Flesh or Folklore?, I Know What I Saw and the first book I encountered the beast in Monsters of Pennsylvania. The beast is such an enigma that it is thrown in almost every terrestrial Cryptozoological category and researchers completely aligning it to one cryptid or another. I’ve heard it referred to as a bigfoot, Goatman, horned tiger, and a totally unknown beast, and to this day, no one is sure what was lurking around the Amish homesteads. The creature I've come to dub the Wood Eating Amish Country Goose Grabber is a weird chimeral beast that, to me, does not match any known cryptid. It bears a resemblance to creatures we know like Sheepsquatch, Bigfoot, Goatmen, and even to some extent the fictitious Ozark Howler, yet there are features about it that are left up to interpretation, and because of this, the creature can appear extremely bizarre and different than all of them.

The Wood Eating Amish Country Goose Grabber is, as the name implies, reported to lurk in the fields, woodlands, and valleys of the Middle to Southern portion of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has Amish colonies that have, in a way, become one of the state's most notable features. The humble and hardworking societies that dot the state are mostly located in the southern portion of Lancaster County. Lancaster County is, in fact, the largest and oldest Amish community in the United States, with an approximate population of 30,000. They are mostly known for their strong Christian beliefs, salt of the earth lifestyle, simple clothes, their shunning of modern technology, which results in probably their most famous attribute, their usage of horses and buggies. They are master craftsmen and cooks and have a rich folklife and folk history that is fascinating to study.

I stated earlier that this case is very problematic in many ways. It is beyond just problematic that to the point it's a mess. The beginnings of this are even in the location of the sighting. The first article that was written on this particular beast appeared in the January 1974 edition of the Pursuit newsletter in the article "And Still the Reports Roll in". In the article, the location of the sightings is in an area known as "the Big Valley" in Lancaster, Pa. Upon doing some digging, there currently is no area in Lancaster, Pa known as "the Big Valley". However, there is an area in both Mifflin and Huntingdon County called the Kishacoquillas Valley that is referred to as “the Big Valley," and it was settled by a group of Amish around 1791. There is still a striving population of Amish in the area, which is currently around 3,000. This area is around a 2hr drive from Lancaster, and it could be possible either through the assumption that the Amish witnesses were from Lancaster or simply a misunderstanding that when the article was written up, the location was placed in the wrong area of the state. Another possibility, even though it is easy to point out this discrepancy, yet to give the writer his due, that there very well could have been an area known as "the Big Valley" in Lancaster. The sighting occurred in 1973, and if this were some locally known name for a particular stretch of farmland or some community itself, the name and location then could be accurate. It is boggling the number of businesses and places that pop up and are shut down because of one reason or another, so this could be an example of that. Trying to find information on this possible hypothesis, however, currently proves fruitless. Hence why I refer to the beast as the Amish Country Goose Grabber instead of the Lancaster Goose Grabber or the Huntingdon County Goose Grabber.

The weird case of the Wood Eating Amish Country Goose Grabber, though, would occur in the summer of 1973. The Big Valley area would be besieged over the course of three evenings by this creature's strange and unsightly rampage across the local farms resulting in the loss of both livestock and tools. The first encounter occurred one late evening when two Amish brothers on horseback were finishing their day's work by bringing into their barn a load of hay. It was just as the sun was starting to dip lower in the sky that the horses began to behave strangely. They began to buck and neigh as though some unseen predator was in their midst. The brothers searched the fields of their farm, looking for a coyote, bear, or some other possible danger. As they stared out in a particular section of the field, they noticed a strange moving figure that seemed to come near them. The brothers looked as the figure approached yet remained unalarmed since the way the figure was running made them think it was a relative or neighbor coming to tell them supper was done or possibly to come help finish the chores for the day. As the figure came closer, however, the brother's eyes widened as the gray blob became clearer to them, and they realized that this was not a human but a strange beast running like a man. They could make this strange creature out as it came closer. Adorned on the top of its heads were two long horns like a Billy goat or rams. The creature was covered in gray fur and around its neck, and possibly its head was a white mane, the creature was as big as a good size cow with long legs, its mouth had large tiger-like fangs, it came closer to the men where they noticed the beast's large hands that were tipped with grizzly claws. The horses bolted and bucked the men off, and the two fell onto the dry ground.

The men stood and waited for their inevitable end, but the creature ran past them, and some reports claim it grabbed a chicken and ran back into the woods. The men ran off to their home and proceeded to tell their family about their experience. They returned to the area where the horses were still out and had begun to calm down and searched the ground for tracks to determine what the animal was and where it could have gone to. Yet because of the lack of rain in the recent days, the ground was dry, and no tracks could be found. The men terrified by the encounter decided that this creature was not something he, his family, and his neighbors could deal with and went to the police with their encounter. Apparently, nothing was done.

The next evening at a farm about 5 miles from the initial encounter, the landowner was out cutting the ever-growing weeds on his property when he heard a loud and ferocious roar the creature in a similar fashion as what was seen at the brother's farm happened as the beast began charging towards the farmer. The farmer, in fear, raised the hand scythe he was using to remove the pesky weeds as the creature came closer to where he stood. The farmer realizing that this creature was potentially coming to end his life, took a swing at the beast with his gardening tool. Yet it was in a moment of horror that the farmer realized he was no match for this strange abomination as in one swift motion, the creature beat the tool out of the farmer's hands before it could make connection with the beast's flesh. It was in that moment that the man of the soil saw the beast and described it the same as the way the brothers did with only two differences, the first being it bore three horns as opposed to two and the second being that it had a long tail.  The man began to run away after seeing his tool now in the grizzly bear handed beast's grip. The beast did not follow, but what the beast did with this tool would not go unnoticed as it began to gnaw and chew and swallow the handle of the scythe. The next day in the spot of where the beast was seen with his scythe was the blade and bolts, all that was left of the farmer's tool. There is some issue on this part of the account as some sources say the beast did this in front of the farmer, whereas others say he simply found his tool handle gone the next day. The investigators who would later arrive on the scene would later comment that the beast's sudden wood craving was due to the fact the creature was craving salt because of the summer heatwave.

The third, final, and arguably most comical encounter with this strange beast occurred at a farm midway between the two previous farms. An Amish woman out feeding her chickens and attending to other needs of the farm was distracted by the sound of a loud cacophony of fowl noises. The sound was not the usual honking and clucking she was used to but the sound as though the animals were scared and worried. As she looked up, she saw the creature that her fowl friends and food had tried to warn her of. She saw it slinking around where her largest geese were and watched as the beast reached down and grabbed the biggest two, one in each hand/paw. The beast looked up and realized the geese's rightful owner was watching began to run away towards the woods. The Amish woman, in a moment that some could argue as brave, others as suicidal or foolish, began to then chase the beast down. She was waving her apron at the creature and yelling as she ran towards the strange beast. The animal, either annoyed by its pursuer or simply not wanting to get caught, did one of the most hilarious and frightening things it could have done. It, looking down at its hands, stopped and with what could only be a fraction of its strength threw the goose at the poor woman. The goose, assumedly dead, hit the woman with such a force that the poor woman fell on her back, and she lay on the ground as the creature made its way into the wooded terrain with one of its quarries.

That was the last known encounter of the Wood Eating Amish Country Goose Grabber.  It has since been one of the weirdest cases on record, and while it has appeared in several books on the subject of Cryptozoology, it usually is summed up in a paragraph. It is an obscure topic that terrorized an Amish Community to the point of them seeking outside help, something that tends to point to a sort of authenticity to the case. As with most cryptid cases were left with more questions than answers, and this case is one of the largest amounts of unanswered questions for me personally. This creature, for example, even with its description in regard to the mane, is it like a horse's mane or a lion's mane or something entirely different? The hands are sometimes referred to as paws like a grizzlies or long clawed hands, and upon reading all the information I've come across, it seems intermixedly in every source. I commented on the wood-eating incident and when the wood of the scythe was eaten remains a mixed mystery. Yet unfortunately, this case is almost 50 years old, so the eyewitnesses are either extremely old or deceased, and the fact that they are anonymous makes finding them impossible. So, we are unfortunately left with the material given and a vast amount of questions. With that said, there are things that we can speculate on, like, as always, what it could be.

The most skeptical possibility is of a misidentification, possibly of a gray or blonde colored black bear or a piebald bear. Black bears are reported across the United States and Canada, and while mostly reported to be black in color, there is an incredible range of colors that they can appear as from brown or blondish bears seen in the Western USA, White and light brown seen in British Columbia, bluish-gray as seen in Alaska. While there are a ton of variations in black bear color in Pennsylvania, black is the predominant color, yet we do have what is referred to as Cinnamon bears, which are of a browner color. There is the possibility that an alternative-colored bear could be the cause of this sighting, but it seems unlikely. Especially when you look at how this creature moves and behaves, it's something much less bear-like, and even its description implies that it cannot be a bear since bears do not have horns.

The next likely possibility is of a Bigfoot. A Bigfoot would match the behavior and some elements of the description reported of the Amish Country creature. Bigfoot has been reported with gray fur and is famous for disturbing horses and stealing livestock. Even during the filming of the Patterson Gimlin film, the horses behaved erratically when in the presence of a sasquatch. The fact that the creature seen also runs bipedally adds more to this hypothesis. There are, however, several features that do not seem to indicate that this creature is a bigfoot though. For one, the creature seen has horns, which is something bigfoot do not have. The fact that the creature had long claws and tiger-like fangs are also something that does not match a typical bigfoot description. Another feature is that this creature has a mane, and while it is not stated what kind of mane is represented, it's something that bigfoot does not typically own.

One of the most interesting possibilities that I’d heard proposed was by J. Nathan Couch in his book Goatman: Flesh or Folklore?  in it, he proposes that this phenomenon was actually connected to another caprine-like beast. This strange Goatman he was connecting to this case was, of course, the Sheepman of Waterford; he proposes that since the Sheepman was seen in the 70s and assumedly around the same time as when the Wood Eating Amish Country Goose Grabber. The idea that the Sheepman of Waterford basically went on vacation to the Amish Country to what it seems simply to sample that super tasty Amish cuisine is fantastic and possibly something that I honestly love the idea of it. The possibility that this is, in fact, the same species as seen in Waterford adds to the idea that there is, in fact, a breeding population of these beasts adding a more biological twist to a phenomenon often connected with the occult.

Another creature that is very similar to the creature reported in the Amish country is the infamous Sheepsquatch. I've written about this albino monstrosity, what seems to be countless times, and am surprised at how many times this creature could be behind a variety of other cryptid reports. The Sheepsquatch is about the same height and color as the creature seen in the Amish lands, as well as bearing the horns and fangs seen. The Sheepsquatch's hands are often described as resembling paws with long claws, which is interestingly not unlike what was reported in 1973. Even in the second encounter, when the witness claimed the creature had a tail is something that matches with the Sheepsquatch. Of course, the big problem with this is that Sheepsquatch is reported to live in the Appalachian mountainous areas of Kentucky and West Virginia and not the open fields of Pennsylvania.

While a Goatman or Sheepsquatch might very well be the answer to this mystery, there is also the possibility that what was seen in Pennsylvania may be a new animal yet undescribed even from a Cryptozoological standpoint. This creature is something that, while similar to a variety of the previously listed beasts, does have some features that seem to be entirely specific to it alone. If this creature, for example, eats wood not due to some lack of nourishment but as a food source, that would be something incredibly different than what has been seen in a lot of species. The creature is clearly intelligent; however, if it is a new animal for not many species would throw an object, let alone a goose, to knock down a pursuer so it can escape swiftly so it would be interesting to see what this creature could be.

Another possibility is obviously that this creature could be a demonic creature or supernatural beast. There are obviously those of a more religious mindset that would view this creature as some agent engaged in spiritual warfare against the faith-oriented community. It is also worth noting that Goatmen or goatlike creatures are constantly connected with evil or dark forces of nature, and since this creature seemed to act aggressively in two of the accounts, it is always possible that that could be the case here. It is unlikely, however, as the way the community treated this creature, they viewed it as a biological animal and, from what we can glean from the article, not some supernatural threat requiring prayer or some other dogmatic rite of exorcism to rid themselves of the bizarre aberration.

While doing research on this subject, I did come across a creature known as The Goat Baby. This creature is a supernatural beast that was birthed by an Amish woman named Ruth and a man named Ezekiel from Lancaster who had sex outside of wedlock. The case occurred on the show Amish Hauntings and featured the granddaughter of the woman who claimed to of given birth to the creature around the early 1930s. She claimed the early days of the creature’s life were cared for by the grandfather, whose sole duty was to keep the beast quiet and to stop it from escaping. The mother of the beast, however, wanted to train her child to be more like what her beliefs should be and proceeded to take the creature to church. As a baby, however, the beast cried and fussed and escaped its mother's arms revealing the hooved monster to the church congregation. This resulted in the family being shunned and the creature, after a horse and buggy chase escaping into the woods. The creature now allegedly attacks both people and livestock when winter comes, and an offering of warm food is placed out to appease the creature. The creature even has some eyewitnesses such as fellow Amish Jedediah and Mervin Troyer, who supposedly heard both the beast cries and hooves as well as experienced the loss of a prized goat, which they claim was the result of the Goat Baby.

This case, while clearly drenched in folklore and religious mythology, does have some comparisons to other cryptids. The tale instantly makes me think of the Jersey Devil and Mother Leeds and the in-between relationship they had, depending on the version of the tale. There is even a possible biological relation to an actual animal since a lot of these kills are in the winter when animals in pens would be a more available target than other species. Yet the tale of the Goat Baby seems to be a mixed case, something that could describe a child with a birth defect, folktale, and to explain some of the modern sightings a possible cryptozoological phenomenon intertwined with the story. It is interesting that Pennsylvania does seem to have horned and hoofed visitors that are in a close range from each other, so possibly the Goat Baby and the beast seen in 1973 could be related.

While there are certainly even more bizarre beasts out there plaguing and wandering throughout the United States, the Wood Eating Amish Country Goose Grabber has always been one of my favorite obscure creatures for obvious reasons. It is something that has a lot of similarities to other phenomenon but at the same time is so unique that it does not seem to fit in the natural order of things. In that way, it is a mystery that will endure until the ancestors of the witnesses or even possibly the witnesses themselves come forward with more information on what they saw and the problems that have been passed down in each retelling of the events. There may even be more creatures seen to this day that the community has not branched out to talk about yet. Maybe someday, some individuals will come forward and say that this creature did not stop its wood-eating and goose grabbing in 73' but continues to chew on tools and goose grab to this very day, and I really hope that is the case.

Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Mammal, (possible Hominid according to some researchers)

Location: "Big Valley" Amish Communities either Lancaster, Mifflin, or Huntingdon Counties, Pennsylvania

Sighted: Summer 1973

Works Cited

Bord, Janet, and Colin Bord. Bigfoot Casebook Updated: Sightings and Encounters from 1818 to 2004. Pine Winds Press. 2006.

Couch, J. Nathan. Goatman: Flesh or Folklore?. CreateSpace Independent Publishing. 2014.

Flick, Warren. “Amish Country: Out and About in the Big Valley of Pennsylvania” Later Living. January 7, 2019. https://www.laterlivingblog.com/amish-country-out-and-about-in-the-big-valley-of-pennsylvania/. Accessed January 3, 2021.

Godfrey, Linda. I Know What I Saw: Modern-Day Encounters with Monsters of New Urban Legend and Ancient Lore. TarcherPerigee. 2019.

Miller, Matthew L. “When Is a Black Bear Actually a Blue Bear?” Cool Green Science. February 7, 2017. https://blog.nature.org/science/2017/02/07/when-black-bear-actually-blue-bear-color-phases-grizzly-identification/. Accessed January 2, 2021.

Newton, Michael. Strange Pennsylvania Monsters. Schiffer Publishing. 2012.

Wilson, Patty A. Monsters of Pennsylvania: Mysterious Creatures in the Keystone State. Stackpole Books. 2010.

“Amish History & Beliefs” Discover Lancaster.https://www.discoverlancaster.com/amish/history-beliefs/#:~:text=The%20Pennsylvania%20Amish%20community%20in,in%20the%20past%2020%20years. Accessed January 2, 2021.

“Kishacoquillas Valley”. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. September 15, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kishacoquillas_Valley. Accessed January 2, 2021.

Allen V. Noe "And Still the Reports Roll in". Pursuit Newsletter. Volume 1 No. 7. January 1974. 

The Billiwhack Monster

 The Billiwhack Monster

By Cole Herrold

Around the United States, there are various reports of creatures described as being half man and half animal. The most famous of these accounts being Bigfoot, the half man half ape that has been reported in every state as well as in Canada. Bigfoot is often depicted as a shy lumbering giant that is curious of man but also very fond of running away from humans; however other manimals are much more violent and aggressive in their behavior. Perhaps the most aggressive of these creatures are the entities known as Goatmen. Goatmen are reported in a variety of different states, with the most famous versions being reported in Maryland and Kentucky. While most of these creatures are found in desolate forested areas, one creature is said to of taken up residence in an old dairy farm in sunny California.

The Billiwhack Monster, also sometimes spelled Billiwack Monster is a muscular and powerful grey or white-furred ram-headed humanoid with yellow-green cat-like eyes. This creature reportedly is approximately 9-10ft tall with hands tipped in razor-sharp talons and is said to dwell in the crumbling Billiwhack Dairy Farm. The farm is located on a back winding road in Aliso Canyon, which is in Ventura County and about 6 miles West of Santa Paula. The creature reportedly never leaves the compound except to travel to the nearby citrus orchards to feed on rabbits and other small animals.

The origins of this creature are assumedly interconnected with the founder of the Billiwhack Dairy. The dairy was opened by August Rubel in 1925 and was a struggling dairy farm that ultimately closed its doors after Rubel’s mysterious death in 1943. It was right after his death when the creature began to make its residence in the old dairy building. Some have come up because of this several hypotheses as to why this occurred; one theory was that Rubel had created a mutant offspring from breeding experiments to better the output of milk. Another more governmental conspiratorial hypothesis is that August Rubel, who died while fighting in WWII, was, in fact, a member of the Office of Strategic Services or the OSS, which was a precursor to the CIA. There is a belief that Rubel while being in the OSS, had several Nazi Scientists under his control. These scientists were forced to attempt to conduct experiments that were similar to the Marvel Comics Super Soldier ideology. The results of these experiments are believed to be the Billiwhack Monster.

While there is certainly tons of early lore attempting to explain how the creature came about and allegedly encounters that appeared all the way back in 1943. The very first reported encounter with the Billiwhack Monster comes from the 50s when a 9-year-old boy who, along with a group of friends, had decided to go and check out the reportedly haunted Billiwhack Dairy themselves. The group proceeded in entering the dilapidated structure; as they trespassingly traversed therein, they entered a particularly dark shadowy section. As the group moved around searching at the old cartons and production line, they noticed a pair of glowing eyes peering from within the shadows. The group proceeded to stare into the darkness at this set of glowing eyes, holding their breath. As the group stared, the eyes started to move and approach the group; it came closer and closer the sound of clicking on the tiled floors. The eyes seemed to stop before it hit the light, and it was only a short bit away. The group started to back away, slowly inching their way back. Just as the group felt that this form might be trapped by the darkness, it jumped out from the shadows a mere foot away from the group revealing the horrifying man goat creature. The group, not stopping to see what this creature might do, proceeded in running as fast as they could. As they were running, the 9-year-old felt a sharp pain in his back. This did not stop him, however, and he continued to run all the way home. When he arrived home, his mother noticed his shirt was torn, and upon removing it that his back was covered in large scratches.

In November 1964, several boys would encounter the creature while out hiking in the canyon. The creature, enraged at their intrusion into its lair, proceeded to chase the boys. The boys began sprinting as fast as they could away from this horned beast; they managed to make their way out of the area, and as suddenly as the creature came, it disappeared. On another separate encounter, a boy claimed he encountered a “snarling hairy man in a hole” in the property. Others who would travel up to the road would have encounters with the creature outside in the safety of their cars; the creature would allegedly throw 50lbs rocks at any who would travel up the road.

While there are very few official detailed accounts of interactions with this creature, it clearly did sweep up the community. Police were constantly traveling to the road and picking up various trespassers and would-be monster hunters. One such monster hunter was ready to face the Billiwhack Beast in a pure medieval showdown as the individual came prepared not with a gun or with any classic mob-based weapon like a pitchfork but instead one of the most mighty of weapons, a sword. The sword-wielding boy intended to smite the beast down in its lair and bring the remains back to free the town from the cantankerous caprine. Yet even this encounter is mild compared to what would transpire in almost a classic Universal style. Dorothy Renterra, a leaser who had kept tabs on the property and had tried to stop any further trespassing on the property, would be caught up in the monster mania when she had to hold off a group of 43 would be monster hunters with a shotgun until the police arrived to remove the mob. The angry mob had sought to capture and dispel the cursed beast from the plant to stop the assault on those who enter therein.

After the 60s, sightings seemed to dip down, and no major accounts were published. The creature, while sightings allegedly occurred sporadically and at night, primarily became a major focus on ghost hunters. In fact, the creature was in a contest won, being the best ghost in the area. Ghost hunters to this day often write about this creature and some contest that this creature is completely supernatural in origin, citing it as a demonic entity or some curse that was connected to August Rubel as there have been whispers of several ill-fated tragedies that have occurred to him. Another more skeptical hypothesis is that these reports are entirely the fabrications of young minds as most reports come from younger witnesses.

While rumors of the creature's origin are fiercely debated, there are allegedly sightings to this day. While these modern sightings are not exactly specified or even detailed, there is an increasing cultural growth with the legend. Due to the ever-increasing Latin culture that is being more embraced and expanded, so too is interest in the legend. The creature has been embraced by those of Latin descent and heritage, and they have given the creature its own name Chivo Man. The figure has been used as a more boogeyman type figure in that older generational figures like parents and grandparents will tell their children and grandchildren to behave, or Chivo Man will get you!

The Billiwhack Monster is one of the oldest American Goatmen in the books and is one that does seem to be a mixture of folklore and fact. Perhaps this creature is a deformed bigfoot or a supernatural entity, or perhaps it is just a case of mass hysteria, for some of the elements seem to be a dual of a real creature seen and the mass hysteria-oriented hype of others reporting the encounters. Yet while the jury is out on this particular creature, it is extremely interesting to see how the legend grows and the cultural effect it has on the community. It's a legend that I'm sure will last for a very long time.

Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Mammal

Location: Billiwhack Dairy, Aliso Canyon Road, Aliso Canyon, Ventura County, California

Sighted: From 1943 to Modern Times

Works Cited

Goatman Flesh or Folklore? by J. Nathan Couch

Mysterious California: Strange Places and Eerie Phenomena in the Golden State by Mike Marinacci

Weird California by Greg Bishop, Joe Oesterle, and Mike Marinacci

The Los Angeles Times November 4, 1964

Ventura County Star-Free Press November 2, 1964

“THE BILLIWHACK MONSTER”. Rikki Rockett. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iltev1bG69k