Historic monster reports in Pennsylvania

1. 1884
2. Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. Lancaster, Pa. · Nov. 1, 1884 · Page 1

   An eagle caught in a fox trap

   Preston mountains near Stockport, Pennsylvania approx. · Oct. 1884

   Lewis Williams set a fox trap in the mountains near Stockport and found an eagle had dragged it away. He tracked the bird down and had a fierce fight before he overpowered it.

   Also printed in 3 other papers

   • Daily Kennebec Journal., Augusta, Me., Nov. 3, 1884, p. 2
   • Martinsburg Herald., Martinsburg, W. Va., Nov. 15, 1884, p. 1
   • The Columbian., Bloomsburg, Pa., Nov. 21, 1884, p. 1
3. 1892
4. New-York Tribune. New York · July 10, 1892 · Page 13

   A schooner captain's Lake Erie serpent

   Lake Erie, about 16 miles above the Dummy light approx. · July 1892

   The captain of the schooner Madeline Downing saw the lake lashed to foam ahead and, coming close, a dark brown snake 30 feet or more long with a large head held four feet up, sparkling eyes and fins big enough to help it swim. He thought it could crush a yawl boat.

   Also printed in 10 other papers

   • New-York Tribune., New York, July 17, 1892, p. 13
   • St. Paul Daily Globe., Saint Paul, Minn., July 17, 1892, p. 5
   • Pittsburg Dispatch., Pittsburg, July 18, 1892, p. 3
   • Daily Tobacco Leaf-chronicle, Clarksville, Tenn., July 19, 1892, p. 3
   • The Sun., New York, July 20, 1892, p. 10
   • Democratic Northwest., Napoleon, Ohio, July 21, 1892, p. 1
   • The Columbia Herald., Columbia, Tenn., July 22, 1892, p. 4
   • Essex County Herald., Guildhall, Vt., July 22, 1892, p. 4
   • The New Dominion., Morgantown, W. Va., July 30, 1892, p. 1
   • Los Angeles Herald, place not recorded, Oct. 6, 1892, p. 5
5. 1897
6. Freeland Tribune Freeland, Pa. · Aug. 30, 1897 · Page 3

   A girl saves her cousin from an eagle

   Near Germania, Potter County, Pennsylvania · Aug. 1897

   A Pennsylvania paper said Bertha Moore fought off an eagle that went for her small cousin, Elsie Talsen, while they walked on a mountainside near Germania.

   Also printed in 1 other paper

   • The Banner-Democrat., Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La., Oct. 2, 1897, p. 4
7. 1907
8. Barbour County Index. Medicine Lodge, Kan. · Jan. 2, 1907 · Page 7

   The Delaware County 'gorilla'

   Darby and Sharon Hill, Delaware County, Pennsylvania · Jan. 1907

   For weeks people around Darby said a dark-haired, ape-like thing that ran upright and then on all fours jumped out at them on country roads. In April a Philadelphia detective said it was a disturbed local man wearing a bearskin, his hair smeared with phosphorus.

   Probably a hoax or tall tale A detective said it was a man in a bearskin.

   Also printed in 2 other papers

   • The Beaver Herald., Beaver, O.T., Feb. 7, 1907, p. 1
   • Los Angeles Herald, place not recorded, April 14, 1907, p. 22
9. River Falls Journal. River Falls, Pierce County, Wis. · Jan. 3, 1907 · Page 6

   An 'enormous ape' on the Laurel Run road

   Mountain road between Georgetown and Laurel Run, near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania · Jan. 1907

   People on the mountain road between Georgetown and Laurel Run fled from an animal that came out of the brush. Some said it was an enormous ape; others said a bear down from the Bear Creek woods.

10. 1909
11. The Cecil Whig. Elkton, Md. · Feb. 6, 1909 · Page 1

    A museum man admits the publicity stunt

    Ninth and Arch Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Feb. 5, 1909

    Papers reported that a Philadelphia showman named Hope had spread rumours of the beast to promote a so-called Australian vampire on show at the Ninth and Arch Museum, and that the sightings everywhere were imaginary.

    Probably a hoax or tall tale Reported at the time as a museum publicity stunt.

12. 1921
13. The Washington Times place not recorded · Aug. 11, 1921 · Page 2

    A shot 'gorilla' gets up and chases a man in Gettysburg

    York Street, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania · Aug. 1921

    A woman on York Street saw a creature about four feet high moving along her back fence. A neighbour fired a shotgun and it dropped, but when he walked over it jumped up on its hind legs and chased him into the house, then headed off toward Biglerville.

Other states

• California 30
• Connecticut 11
• Delaware 5
• Illinois 10
• Indiana 6
• Kansas 8
• Kentucky 7
• Maine 5
• Massachusetts 18
• Minnesota 5
• Missouri 6
• Nebraska 9
• Nevada 5
• New Jersey 19
• New York 18
• Ohio 7
• Washington 7
• West Virginia 7
• Wisconsin 7

All historic encounters

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).