With fiery glowing red eyes, the Goatman stands on guard at the Old Alton Bridge. He is the master of the bridge, possessed by a demon from another realm. This isn’t the Old Alton Bridge any longer. Now it’s the Goatman’s Bridge.
Approximately 3 ½ miles from present day Corinth, Texas, stood the small village of Alton (population 1). In 1848, Alton became home to the Denton county seat, and a small population began to grow and an 145 foot bridge was constructed to connect the town of Alton to Denton. But the town failed to grow and in 1850, the county seat was moved about five miles southwest of present day Corinth, taking the name and the people with it, however the bridge remained.
For more than a century the bridge served the locals, initially carrying horses from one side to the other, and then eventually motor vehicles. Today, the bridge remains open only to pedestrian traffic. However, there is more to this bridge than just the iron it was made of. The bridge is haunted, and not by any ordinary ghost. No, this bridge is home to a demon known as the “Goatman.”
There are a few stories about how the bridge got its nickname, however the most popular one is the story of Oscar Washburn.
In the 1930’s, an African-American man named Oscar Washburn settled with his family near the bridge. Oscar was a goat farmer, and it wasn’t long before the locals began to refer to him as the “Goatman.”
His business was successful, and that angered many people in the area. Then, Oscar made the biggest mistake of his life; he hung a sign on the bridge that advertised, “this way to the Goatman.”
To say this angered the local Klansmen would be an understatement. They waited until the time was right to strike, and on a dark night in August, 1938, they crossed the bridge without their headlights on. They went to Oscar’s home and drug him out, away from his family, and onto the bridge. They fitted a noose around his neck and pushed him over the side of the bridge, but when they looked over to make sure he was dead, all they could see was an empty noose. Oscar was gone.
Feeling they were robbed, the Klansmen returned to the Washburn home and killed Oscar’s wife and children.
Since that fateful night, strange things began to happen on and around the bridge. Ghostly figures and strange lights have been seen in the surrounding woods. One of these figures is a man herding goats, another is an apparition holding a goat head underneath each arm.
The site became a hotspot for satanists, performing rituals, rituals that led to the opening of a gateway into another realm. This gateway went both directions, and now the most popular sighting is of a creature that resembles a half-goat, half-man. This creature has large glowing red eyes, and large goat-like horns.
Visitors hear hooves beating across the bridge, splashing in the creek below, maniacal laughter, and an inhuman growl that emanates from the woods. Often the growl will be accompanied by the words, “Get off my bridge!”
People have been touched, grabbed, and had rocks thrown at them.
It has been reported that whenever a traveler would cross the bridge at night with their headlights off, they would meet the Goatman on the other side. This in and of itself is not that scary, until you add the fact that those who walked away reported their car doors locking and unlocking on their own, and or breaking down. Additionally numerous cars have been found near the bridge, their occupants missing without a trace.
If you’re brave, you can drive up to the bridge and honk your car horn twice at midnight. You will see the Goatman’s glowing red eyes on the bridge. If you’re really brave, go stand on the bridge and knock three times to meet the Goatman face to face.
Rumor has it, the Goatman is not alone. He has found a female companion who wanders the area, searching for her lost baby. Could this be the spirit of La Llorona?
One more thing to add to the creepy factor here, is that Goatman’s Bridge is right along the lines of the Pentagram of Blood. This pentagram is formed by ancient Ley Lines or Solstice Lines of Energy that cover North America. These lines are also referred to as the Five Lines of Death, where pretty much every major loss of life event in North America has happened in the past twenty years.
Do you believe the Goatman’s bridge could be haunted? If you’ve been there, or happen to go, let us know what you experience in the comments below.
