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Historic encounters / Kentucky
7 old newspaper reports of strange things in Kentucky. Wild men (4); Giant birds (1); Other strange creatures (1); Phantom lights (1). Each links to the original page.
The Hurricane, southwest of Uniontown, Kentucky approx. · March 1869
The Uniontown Appeal said a family living near a tract of storm-felled forest called the Hurricane had for months heard cries like a child in distress coming from the timber. After long watching, the father finally saw a strange hairy creature there.
“a sight that made him creep”
Near Stanford, Lincoln County, Kentucky · Dec. 1869
Boys out fox hunting near James Peoples' place outside Stanford heard unearthly screams from the treetops, along with what sounded like clanking chains, and fled. Papers later reported that a remarkable seven-foot bird had been captured there.
White Sulphur, Kentucky approx. · Jan. 1890
Something seen only at night around White Sulphur attacked dogs and bit a farmer's fat hogs, which died showing signs of rabies. Those who glimpsed it called it a hyena, a tiger or a wildcat, and dogs refused to leave the houses.
Brownsville, Edmonson County, Kentucky, in the Mammoth Cave country · April 1892
People in Brownsville, surrounded by caverns, said a gorilla hid in the caves by day and walked the streets at night, and several claimed to have seen it. Everyone barred their doors after dark; papers guessed it had escaped from a travelling show.
Hills of Lewis County, Kentucky approx. · July 1892
A Vanceburg doctor said people in Lewis County were excited over a wild man of gigantic size, covered in thick hair, haunting the hills. A man who tried to talk to it was answered with a shower of rocks, and the doctor said he had seen it himself.
Taggart Creek near Middlesboro, Kentucky · July 1901
A farmer watering his team at night said a long-haired creature sprang nearly forty feet from a tree onto his horse, screaming and scratching, until he beat it off. Later three children said a figure in a stolen cotton dress chased them a mile with a club, and a search was organized.
Glendeane, Breckinridge County, Kentucky approx. · April 10, 1907
On a dark, misty night a cone-shaped light as big as a corn shock moved like a skiff on waves from a vacant cabin to a neighbour's house, hung there fifteen minutes, came closer and seemed to have something dark like a person inside. Three named neighbours wrote to the paper asking what it was.
Newspaper pages: Library of Congress, Chronicling America (US newspapers published before 1927 are in the public domain). Text search: American Stories (Dell, Bryan, Carlson and others, CC BY 4.0). Summaries are our own. Place data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).