The new townsite was located on a high ridge between Pecan Creek and Hickory Creek and was called Alton. The historic Old Alton Bridge, which connects the towns of Denton and Copper Canyon, has a complex and haunted history. Low around 65F. It was not exactly a metropolis. But the Hickory Creek that cuts through the land made transportation difficult, which led to the construction of a bridge by the King Iron Manufacturing Bridge Company in 1884. Stay up to date with all of the sports news coming out of Denton-area high schools. People say theyve heard horses hoof beats on the bridge, splashing in the creek below, maniacal laughter, and inhuman like growling coming from the surrounding woods., The legend keeps growing, Texas sources say. Mont, who was Black, was found dead in Hickory Creek, near the Old Alton Bridge outside of Denton. It was closed to car traffic and is open only to pedestrians today. At night if you shine your headlights, you can see the silhouette of the man hanging from the bridge. It was Mont, but his parents were confounded as to how he got there. Treat has written about numerous local places and personalities at his Denton Haunts blog, 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. Change). The Old Alton Bridge south of Denton looks peaceful enough in the daylight, but after sunset the spirits come out to claim their lost ground. A keyboard player in a local church choir, the one in the family who liked to get everybody up and dancing, a teenager looking forward to college, Stowers-Jones wasnt the type to enjoy the outdoors or venture around a creek or old bridge. The Old Alton Bridge, where Monts body was found, has a divisive past. Invalid password or account does not exist. The travel site trailsofdentoncounty says, While the true history of the bridge is interesting, it has also gained a reputation as a haunted place for as long as local residents can remember, always being the spot that kids would flock to on Halloween night in hopes of capturing a glimpse of a ghost who traversed the area late at night. Their research suggests the possibility of entities haunting the bridge, though they believe the spirits belong to Denton pioneer families buried in Old Alton Cemetery- a piece of the community that once was. When can my son have justice?" Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. 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. Why are they here? Stowers figures they were asking. Authorities there wrote in the report that Stowers-Jones died from drowning and marked his case an accidental death. agaudet@dentonrc.com, Anyone can be an artist at this new downtown Denton bar, McCarthy blasts Biden, Democrats over debt limit. There is also another variation that predates the bridge itself. The Old Alton Bridges nickname, Goatmans Bridge, originated from at least two eerie local legends. 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. The last time Monts family saw him alive was a few days before Thanksgiving that year. dalton.laferney@dentonrc.com, By Juan Betancourt Having raised their children in Denton ISD since they moved here from Illinois more than a decade ago, Stowers said people at Denton High recognize her as Monts mother. The legend goes that Kendalls body reanimated through the power of voodoo, ripped off the head of a nearby goat, and replaced his head with the goats as the astonished cowboys watched in horror. As she walked through the gymnasium to find a seat Tuesday morning, she noticed many of her sons classmates staring at her, as if they all knew something she didnt. According to the most circulated version, an African-American entrepreneur named Oscar Washburn and his family tended a farmstead goat herd near the bridge that was renowned for quality meat, milk, cheeses and hides. Another version of the famous Goatmans Bridge legend involves a half-goat, half-man entity that guards the bridge and the forest around it. The 17-year-old, whose family called him Mont, will be laid to rest at the end of this week while Tarrant County medical examiners search for what caused his death. Demolished via explosives on August 21 and, This page was last edited on 9 May 2021, at 17:04. The county's oldest remaining Pratt-truss iron bridge, Old Alton Bridge was built in 1884 over Hickory Creek at Copper Canyon Road and that's where it remains today. DO THE DENTON HOLIDAY LIGHTING FESTIVAL LIKE A PRO, THE MANY FACES OF DENTON'S FINE ARTS THEATER. Here at the Office of History and Culture, we wont confirm or deny any paranormal activity at the Old Alton Bridge, but we can speculate and share the bridges story with you. The Old Alton Bridge made the Dallas Observers 2015 list of 10 Stops to Make on a Creepy Tour of Dallas., The Dallas Observer reports, One theory is that Goatman is the spirit of a goat farmer who was lynched by the KKK near the Old Alton Bridge. Internet Sleuths Accused Him of Stealing a Dog. Everything was shuttered, leaving only the church and cemetery in place. Old Alton Bridge was included in the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1988. Windy and becoming cloudy during the afternoon. 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. (LogOut/ Built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the 145-foot-long bridge would serve until 2001, when it was replaced by a modern, shiny concrete-and-steel bridge and a new road. Alton was later abandoned after its county seat was moved to the neighboring town of Denton at the end of the 1850s. Haunted or not, the century-old bridge remains a popular site, even for those who are looking to take some peaceful photographs. Windy this evening. If you would like to learn more about the story of Goat Mans Bridge and other Denton hauntings, check out local Dentonite Shelly Tuckers book Ghosts of Denton: The History of the Mysteries in a Small Texas Town, or go on one of her haunted tours of downtown Denton! KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. 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. On a dark night in the late 1930s, a lynch mob of Kluxers stormed Washburn's shack and dragged the screaming Goatman to their noose waiting on the bridge, tightened the rope around the begging Oscar's neck, then mercilessly flung him over the side. 40. . If you find this reporting valuable, considermaking a tax-deductible gift today. On a dark night in the late 1930s, a lynch mob of Kluxers stormed Washburns shack and dragged the screaming Goatman to their noose waiting on the bridge, tightened the rope around the begging Oscars neck, then mercilessly flung him over the side. It is very clear that it is a place that has become a beacon for white supremacy, and white supremacist legends, these kinds of stories and myths that uphold these types of ideals, Luther Rummel said. When the popular businessman proudly hung a sign on the Old Alton Bridge directing This way to the Goatman, it infuriated local Ku Klux Klansmen who plotted violence. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office was expected . At least one witness claims that their friend was pulled off the bridge by an unknown entity. The Old Clark Bridge was a bridge that carried U.S. Route 67 across the Mississippi River between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois. Photo taken by the Denton County Historical Commission. Jones says for several hours, his family scrambled to find Mont while police continued to search for his body. There have also been reports of visitors seeing the Goat Mans shadow holding two goat heads in his arms, sightings of his ghost herding phantom goats across the bridge, and appearances of a half-goat half-man. Staff Writer Why would a demonic entity haunt a rarely used country bridge in Denton, Texas? Fort Worth is home to many supposedly haunted spots. Photo by Ron CC BY 2.0. Our The Goatmans Bridge is my least favorite story, said Shelly Tucker, who wrote the book Ghosts of Denton and leads local tours around Denton. $76.92. No one has been charged in connection with Monts death. We are your resource for Hill Country travel, things to do, places to eat, Error! 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. Supposedly numerous abandoned cars that have been found near Old Alton Bridge, their owners strangely missing. local news and culture, I want answers. Texas Hill Country Facebook page is growing by over 1,000 fans per We won't share it with anyone else. A public viewing is scheduled for 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. 12 The Royal Gorge Bridge. The story goes that Washburn was lynched by white supremacists then hanged from the edge of Old Alton Bridge. The Old Alton Bridge's nickname, Goatman's Bridge, originated from at least two eerie local legends. Invalid password or account does not exist. School was out for Thanksgiving, and Jones said he dropped off his son at the Denton County Courts Building on East McKinney Street between 10:45 and 11 a.m. so he could take care of some things associated with two nonviolent charges he received earlier this year. Washburn was never seen or heard from again or was he? Choose wisely! In-between the failed settlement and Denton County is an old iron bridge called "Old Alton Bridge" a bridge that would earn a twisted nickname more than a half a century later. A 2015 photo of Old Alton Bridge. There are many Denton ghosts Bridge Construction from. legendary ghost stories. They just gotta know.. A drone shot from above Old Alton Bridge Goatmans Bridge showing the span over the waterway and a single man laying on the bridge for reference. It was closed to car traffic and is open only to pedestrians today. Built in 1884 by the King Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company, it originally carried horses and later automobiles over Hickory Creek at a location that once was a popular ford for crossing cattle. Staff Writer Dentons most famous spectre is a story handed down for generations with a few variations, and thats the haunted Goatmans Bridge. Make sure you're prepared with the Denton Record-Chronicle's coverage of Denton County's key races, and the candidates in the running for them. Hill Country, and we welcome you to our family. The main span of the two-lane bridge is a 100-foot-long Pratt through-truss. Every Wednesday morning, get the week's top crime stories in Denton from the Blotter in your inbox. The bridge was built twenty-five years later and dubbed the Old Alton Bridge.. Get exclusive, in-depth coverage of the University of North Texas athletics teams in this weekly newsletter. Photo by Ron CC BY 2.0 And the Goatman. If you don't know the sto. . Choose wisely! The bridge was initially a toll bridge. agaudet@dentonrc.com, Anyone can be an artist at this new downtown Denton bar, McCarthy blasts Biden, Democrats over debt limit, The family has started a fundraiser for his funeral expenses. Sometimes, she said, Mont would stay at a friends and come back home the next morning to face some extra chores as punishment for staying out. The heavily traveled Old Alton Bridge remained in constant use until 2001 when vehicle traffic was moved to an adjacent concrete-and-steel bridge. The bridge was initially a toll bridge.[3]. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the same location. A few years later, Washburn, having become known as a dependable and honest businessman and dubbed the "Goatman" by locals, displayed a sign on Alton Bridge reading "This way to the Goatman". Windy this evening. According to local lore, this demonic presence was brought to the bridge by the ghost of a Black goat farmer who was brutally lynched by the Ku Klux Klan there. Others have claimed to hear sounds like hooves galloping on the bridge behind them and a growling voice ordering them to get off the bridge.. Old Alton Bridge, where Lermont's body was found, carries its own mythos. 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