Encounter Atlas
The Pope Lick Monster is a part-man, part-goat (some say part-sheep) creature said to live under a tall railroad trestle over Pope Lick Creek in eastern Louisville. Legends say it hypnotises people or mimics voices to draw them onto the bridge, leaps onto cars passing below, or carries a bloody axe.
Its backstory changes with the teller: a circus performer who escaped when a train derailed, or a farmer who traded goats for dark powers. Local filmmaker Ron Schildknecht made a short film about it in 1988, which upset the railroad.
The real danger is the trestle. It is an active Norfolk Southern main line with freight trains crossing every day, and several people have died or been badly hurt trying to cross it. The railroad warns trespassers will be arrested. Look from the road below, never from the bridge.
What witnesses report
- A goat- or sheep-legged figure under the trestle
- Voices calling from the bridge
- Something dropping onto cars below
Famous cases
- 1988Short film The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster
Louisville, Kentucky
Seen the Pope Lick Monster?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
