In the early summer of 1955, in the small town of Loveland, OH, a businessman spotted three strange creatures on the side of the road. The unnamed witness claimed the human-like figures were leathery and hairless, had webbed hands and feet, deep wrinkles on their heads, were bipedal, had faces like a frog, and were between four to five feet tall. The most interesting detail though, was that one 'frogman' waved a cylindrical, 'wand-like', metal object around its head, emitting flashing lights and sparks. The businessman watched the entities for around 3 minutes, then ran away. There are several other versions of this tale, with the only major differences being that the frogmen were under or sitting on top of a bridge. No version specified the location of the encounter, the name of the witness, nor the time of day. But, that is only tales from Loveland. Farther west, in Evansville, Indiana, on August 21, 1955 a strange event occurred- thought to have spawned the vague Loveland legend. Mrs. Darwin Johnson was swimming in the Ohio River with her friend, Mrs. Chris Lamble. As they were swimming in 15 feet of water, something grabbed Johnson under the water and latched onto her knee. The creature dragged Johnson underwater twice before she was able to kick free of its grasp. After the pair frantically swam to shore, they observed bruising on her leg, as well as a pale, green palm-print that strained her skin. The Little Miami drains into the Ohio River, and Evansville is 240 miles southwest of Loveland. Yet, this story is not the first about a creature part frog (or reptile), part man. Shawnee and Twightwee Native Americans told early settlers (around the 1600s) about a species of creature called the Shawnahooc (or roughly translated, 'River Demon'). Shawnahoocs walked on two hind legs, lived along river banks, had no nose, but a frog face, and were reptilian in nature. The entities were said to guard the riverbanks and were thought to be immortal- delving deep into the waters if injured. At one point in their history, the creatures continuously threatened native peoples, causing them to send their greatest warriors to drive the 'demons' back and out of their territory. The Shawnahoocs lost the fight, and were forced back into the waters, where they hid. This first encounter raised the question: Alien, Hybrid, or Primitive Life? The second documented encounter occurred on March 3, 1972 at 1 a.m. (seventeen years later). After some rain, the cool, night air made Loveland's roads icy and dangerous, causing Officer Ray Shockey to drive slowly and carefully. As he was travelling on Riverside Drive, an animal scurried across the road and he slammed on his brakes. At first, because of its size, he thought it was a dog, but then, as his headlights illuminated the creature, he realized it looked nothing like a dog. The figure- between three and four feet tall and fifty to seventy-five pounds- was crouching like a frog, had leathery skin, and also looked like a giant frog. The frogman stood up on two legs, looked through the windshield at Shockey, climbed over the guardrail and escaped into the Little Miami River. An investigation by other police officers revealed that there were distinct markings (scratch marks and abrasions) on the guardrail exactly where the creature reportedly climbed over it. However, no pictures were taken- or at least kept- as evidence Two weeks after this incident, fellow officer Mark Matthews had a run in with the creature. He was also driving down an icy road late at night, when he thought he saw a dead or dying animal lying on the road. He pulled his vehicle over to remove the carcass, but the creature stood erect on hind legs when he neared. The unexpected movement and frog-like visage scared Matthews, who pulled out his revolver and shot once at the figure. The frogman fumbled over the guardrail and escaped out of sight. Matthews gave the same description as Shockey, though during his encounter, he claimed the entity had a tail.
"The creature was three to four feet tall, 50 to 75 pounds, leathery skin, possibly wet - matted hair on its body that made it look textured, possible tail, a head and face like a frog or lizard, and could leap over the roads' guard rail." -Matthews' falsely reported account. Later, Matthews recanted his story (whether this was due to guilt about lying, or because of local humiliation is unknown). He stated that he only had seen a large lizard, or maybe a large pet iguana that escaped or was released. He reportedly tried to capture the lizard to support Shockley's story. "It was and is no 'monster'. It was not leathery or had wet matted fur. It was not 3–5 feet tall. It did not stand erect. The animal I saw was obviously some type of lizard that someone had as a pet that either got too large for its aquarium, escaped by accident or they simply got tired of it. It was less than 3 feet in length, ran across the road and was probably blinded by my headlights. It presented no aggressive action." — Mark Matthews, Skeptoid.com, The Loveland Frog An anonymous local farmer also reported seeing three strange creatures around this time while inspecting his fields (which were located near the Little Miami River). The farmer reported the the frogmen had large, circular eyes, pale, greenish-gray skin, and wide mouths full of sharp teeth. The creatures looked at the farmer and ran back towards the river, out of sight. Years later, Shockley approached the Loveland council in an attempt to have them recognize the Loveland Frogman as a sort of mascot and capitalize on its notoriety. The idea was dismissed. The most recent sighting occurred on August 3, 2016. A couple, Sam Jacobs and his girlfriend, were playing Pokemon Go between Loveland Madeira Road and Lake Isabella when they spotted the creature. "We saw a huge frog near the water. Not in the game (Pokemon Go), this was an actual giant frog. I took a couple of pictures and a video 'cause I'd never seen one that big. Then the thing stood up and walked on its hind legs". Jacobs went on to say he realizes some people will think he's crazy. "I swear on my grandmother's grave that this is the truth", Jacobs said. "I'm not sure whether it was a Frogman or just a giant frog. Either way, I've never seen anything like it." (Fox19, August 4, 2016; picture below) Whether or not the Loveland Frogman exists, it is an interesting and enjoyable story. The Ohio River and its surrounding areas, like the Little Miami, are considered to be a cryptid hotspot, with several strange creature cases and sightings. Sources/Further Reading Cryptopia Fox19- "Local Legend: Does the Frogman Live On?" Week in Weird Mysterious Universe The Lineup
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The Flatwoods Monster was not one of those stories I heard in Southern Ohio as a kid, but one I stumbled across on the internet much later. It has since become one of my favorite Appalachian cryptids. Monster NamesThe Flatwoods Monster, The Braxton County Monster, The Phantom of Flatwoods, The Visitor From Outer Space, The Green Monster Origin StoryThe Flatwoods Monster originates from an incident that occurred in Flatwoods, West Virginia on September 12, 1952. Allegedly, a mother (Kathleen May), her two sons, and their friends saw a bright, red light soar low through the sky. As the light seemed to hover and land on a nearby hilltop, they naturally followed it to see what it was. On their way up the hill, their dog ran ahead of them and began barking; soon after, it ran back to them, cowering with its tail between its legs. The group continued up the hill, and once there, they saw a blinking, red light, "like a big ball of fire" about 50 feet to their right. A thick, smoky mist hung in the air. The group reported that they began to feel nauseous. On their left were two smaller, blue lights (some say the eyes were green-ish-orange and reflective like some animal's eyes are) under an oak tree. One of the boys shined a flashlight in that direction, and the shape of a large, man-like creature with a head shaped like the "ace of Spades" (or as if it was wearing a pointed hood) was exposed. The head seemed to have a circular window, but the creature did not have arms or legs. They believed that the body may have been made up of a green, smooth rubber-like material. The approximately six foot tall creature appeared to glide, and made hissing noises. One of the young boys fainted, causing the group to drag him as they all ran away. The following day, investigators discovered a thick black substance, matted grass, and burn marks in the soil. The witnesses were notably frightened when interviewed by A. Lee Stuart Jr. (for the Braxton Democrat); some asked for first aid, others were barely able to speak. Other witnessesThis encounter occurred when several 'UFO' sightings were reported in the area. Bright orange balls were seen near Birch River, the airport at Sutton, and one woman from Weston swore that she shared the same experience as the group one week prior-noting the noxious odor and smoke-but was too afraid to come forward. In his article (1953, Fate), Gray Barker wrote that "numerous people in a 20-mile radius saw the illuminated objects in the sky at the same time making a circuit of the area." He believed that the incident was consistent with other reports of UFO activity (like sightings of flying saucers). TheoriesMost believe that the incident was caused by the appearance of a meteor paired with the nearby sighting of a large owl (barn owl, more specifically). People often mistake everyday images for more supernatural ones when they are afraid or when it is dark. The group was expecting something mysterious or frightening-and they had probably never seen a barn owl before- so the scene caused them to panic. However, the witnesses have been fairly consistent with their stories. Some believe that government employees were dispatched to the scene to interview the group (posing as reporters), clear the area of evidence, and pass around a story of hysteria caused by an owl and meteor sighting. Of course, this would be done to cover up the existence of aliens. But, what do you think? Sources/Read MoreThe Flatwoods UFO Monster The Braxton County Monster: The Cover-Up of the Flatwoods Monster Revealed UFO Evidence: The Flatwoods Monster Stranger Than Science (1959) |
AuthorKristen Puckett Archives
August 2018
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