Database : 1968 – 1990

 

The following is a comprehensive list of oddities, apparitions and anomalous phenomena [1968 – 1990].

Work in progress, more things to be added over time.

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⦁ Vegetable Man – July 1968 (WV)

Witness(es): Jennings H. Frederick

Date: July 1968

Location: North of Fairmont near Grant Town, West Virginia

AKA: Veggieman

Investigator(s): Gray Barker

Story: Before entering the Air Force, in July of 1968, a man by the name of Jennings H. Frederick supposedly had a strange encounter with a green stalk-like creature in the woods north of Fairmont, West Virginia. He was returning to his home in Grant Town after hunting woodchuck with a bow and arrow when he suddenly heard a high pitched sound like that of a sped-up recording. A voice reportedly said to him “You need not fear me. I wish to communicate. I come as a friend. We know of you all. I come in peace. I wish medical assistance. I need your help.”

The thin green creature supposedly resembled a plant stalk but had human-like facial features, long ears, yellow slanted eyes and arms no wider than a quarter with 7-inch-long fingers which had needle-like ends and suction cups.

The unknown entity then reportedly grabbed Jennings by the hand and put him into a trance-like paralysis state. The creature’s eyes turned from yellow to red to orange and began rotating hypnotically. The being then drew blood from Fredrick’s arm which took about a minute. The entity ran away up a hill and the witness heard a strange humming noise which he thought might be some sort of craft taking off.

Jennings recovered from his trance-like frozen state and returned home but did not tell his family what he saw, instead saying that he’d been scratched by a briar bush. Months later, he told the story to UFO researcher Gray Barker of WV who dubbed the creature “Vegetable Man”.

Description: Stalk-like creature, green in coloration.

Note 1: When Jennings was still in school, his mother reportedly witnessed a strange devil-like monster which supposedly came from a flying saucer that landed in a field near her home. She was washing dishes one morning when she saw the small black or dark-green creature from her kitchen window. The being had pointed ears, a tail, no clothing and was reportedly filling a bag with grass and dirt.

Just beyond the humanoid figure was a 5ft tall, 10ft wide dome-shaped craft with an extended elevator. The creature appeared to be attached to the ship by a cable. The craft was silver and cream in coloration, had a row of windows and rotated counterclockwise while producing a humming noise. Mrs. Frederick ran from the window only to return a few minutes later and see the “satanic looking” being taking off in the saucer which lifted lightly off the ground while humming slightly louder than before.

Mrs. Frederick told her son Frederick when he returned from school, Jennings reportedly found depressions in the ground and clawed tracks which convinced Jennings of his mother’s claims.

Note 2: After his discharge from the Air Force, Jennings had a strange Men In Black encounter. Between 1AM and 4AM, Jennings was awoken by a red flashing light. He grabbed his .38 revolver from under his pillow and investigated the living room where he found a small gas canister. A hand grabbed him and put a needle in his left arm. He then saw three men in black turtlenecks, slacks and ski masks. One of them said “The dogs have been darted and everyone gassed.” They reportedly put a gas mask over Jennings’ face and questioned him about UFOs, what he thought they were and what he thought of the future.

Source(s): Gray Barker’s Newsletter (March 1976), Alien Meetings (1978) by Brad Steiger Pg57-60, Men In Black: The Secret Terror (1983) by Gray Barker Pg133, Passport To Magonia (1969) by Jacques Vallee Pg310 #644 (Mother story)

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⦁ The Winged Woman of Vietnam – August 1969 (Vietnam)

Witness(es): Earl Morrison and two other men

Date: August 1969, evening time

Location: Da Nang, Vietnam

Investigator(s): Don Worley, Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark

Story: One evening in August of 1969, U.S. Marine, Earl Morrison and two other men were sitting on top of a bunker near Da Nang when they supposedly saw a glowing humanoid figure flying slowly towards them. The figure looked like a naked woman with giant bat-like wings. The being was entirely black in coloration and was glowing an eerie greenish glow.

Her arms appeared boneless and were fused with the wings, similar to a bat. The winged woman flew overhead, about 6 or 7 ft above the men, before flying away into the distance. They reportedly heard the large wings flapping and watched as the entity flew off out of sight. Earl Morrison told the story to his Uncle Don Worley and it was published in a FATE magazine article by Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman in 1972.

Description: A naked woman with bat-like wings, entirely black in coloration and glowing a greenish cast, flew overhead, flapped wings in flight and flew off.

Source(s): “Winged Weirdies” FATE Magazine (1972) by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark Pg80, The Mothman Prophecies (1975) by John Keel Pg49-50 Ch3, Mothman and other curious encounters (2002) by Loren Coleman Pg32-33 Ch2

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⦁ Loveland Frogman – March 3rd and 17th 1972 (OH)

Witness(es): Ray Schockey, Mark Matthews

Date: Friday, March 3rd 1972 at about 1AM (R.S.) and Friday, March 17th 1972 (M.M.)

Location: Loveland, Ohio

AKA: Loveland Frog 1972

Investigator(s): Ron Schaffner and Richard Mackey

– Ray Schockey Sighting (March 3rd 1972) –

On Friday March 3rd 1972 at about 1AM, Police Officer Ray Shockey was driving towards Loveland Ohio on the Riverside Road. He saw something in a field beside the road which then reportedly stood up revealing itself to be a 3 to 4 foot tall creature with leathery skin and a frog or lizard-like face.

It’s eye lit up in Ray’s headlights. It then turned and jumped over a guardrail and ran down a small embankment into the Little Miami River. Ray Shockey told Officer Mark Matthew who looked for the creature but found only markings leading to the river.

– Mark Matthews Sighting (March 17th 1972) –

On Friday, March 17th 1972, Officer Mark Matthews was driving near Loveland Ohio when he reportedly saw a small animal in the center of the road. When he stopped his car, the creature supposedly got up and climbed over the guardrail. Matthews decided to shoot at the being but he reportedly missed.

– Retraction of Loveland Frogman 1972 Sightings –

Later in 1999, Mark Matthews retracted his sighting by saying that what he saw was actually an iguana. However, in their earlier alleged statements it seemed that they had seen an upright standing creature. Before the retraction, Officer Shockey’s sister drew a sketch based on the experiences which resembled a large bipedal frog.

Source(s): Ron Schaffner and Richard Mackey, Mysterious America (1983) by Loren Coleman Pg63, Mothman and other curious encounters (2002) by Loren Coleman Pg96-97 Ch5

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⦁ Dover Demon – April 21st and 22nd 1977 (MA)

Witness(es): Bill Barlet, John Baxter, Abby Brabham and Will Taintor

Date: Thursday, April 21st 1977 at about 10:30PM, Friday, April 22nd 1977 at about 12:30AM and Friday, April 22nd 1977 at late night.

Location: Dover, Massachusetts

Investigator(s): Loren Coleman

– Bill Barlett Sighting (April 21st 1977) –

On Thursday April 21st 1977, at about 10:30PM, three 17-year-olds by the names of Bill Bartlett, Mike Mazzocca and Andy Brodie were driving along Farm Street in Dover Massachusetts. They reportedly saw a bizarre thin creature with a large head which was crawling along a wall of stones on the left side of the road. The entity turned its head and stared at the vehicle with brightly glowing orange marble-like eyes as the headlights hit it. The being was 3.5 to 4 feet tall, hairless and peach-colored with a rough sandpaper-like texture. It had long thin arms and legs with large hands and feet.

Bill Bartlett was driving and neither of his friends saw the creature which was on his side of the road. Bartlett frantically drove away and explained to them what he had just seen. His friends convinced him to turn around to see if the being was still there but when they approached the spot again, the creature was gone. Bill then drew a sketch of the creature. He was soon interviewed by author and researcher Loren Coleman who happened to learn of the case from a Dover County Store employee.

– John Baxter Sighting (April 22nd 1977) –

On Friday, April 22nd 1977 at about 12:30AM, 15-year-old John Baxter was walking home from his girlfriend’s house on Millers High Road in Dover, Massachuttes. He then reportedly saw a short shadowy form with a large head. John walked forward and the figure ran off down a slope into a wooded area. He followed the creature and stared at it from across a gully. The being stood about 30 feet away, leaning towards a tree with it’s long fingers around the trunk which was about eight inches in diameter. John then backed up the hill and ran down the road to Farm Street where he hitchhiked his way home. In the morning, he told his story to his friend Will Taintor.

– Abby Brabham and Will Taintor Sighting (April 22nd 1977) –

On the late night of Friday April 22nd 1977, 18-year-old Will Taintor was driving 15-year-old Abby Brabham home along Springdale Avenue when they supposedly saw a thin creature on the left side of the road. The being was hairless with tan or beige skin, a large oblong head and green glowing eyes. Abby got a better look at the creature than Will did. They quickly drove off. Will reportedly only remembered the John Baxter story well after his own sighting.

Source(s): “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” FATE Magazine (1978) by Ted Bloecher, Creatures of The Outer Edge (1978) by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark (Epilogue)

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⦁ THE MICHIGAN DOGMAN (FICTIONAL SONG) – 1987 (MI)

Date: Wednesday, April 1st 1987

Location: Michigan

Story: On Wednesday, April 1st 1987, the radio station WTCM-FM in Traverse City, Michigan played a song created by radio disc jockey and folklore collector Steve Cook as an April Fool’s day joke. The song, titled “The Legend,” told several stories of upright standing man-sized dog creatures that appeared around Michigan every ten years beginning in 1887.

The song was reportedly entirely fictional, though based loosely on general American folklore concepts. Cook had reportedly not heard of any dog creature sightings in Michigan before making the song. He claimed to have essentially invented it out of thin air. He reportedly chose the locations of the sightings in the fictional stories based on them being within broadcasting range of the radio station.

The song refers to one of these creatures as a “dog man” and to them collectively as “dog men.” It ends warning not to go out at night as the seventh year of the decade (1987) had come. Listeners began requesting the song on the radio after April Fool’s day and calling in to report their supposed dogman sightings. The song drew attention to all bizarre werewolf-like encounter stories in Michigan, the Midwest, as well as across America.

The title “Michigan Dogman” began being applied to these supposed sightings despite its radio origin. It was an important moment in spotlighting modern American werewolf tales and encouraging the sharing of odd stories and experiences. In 1997, Cook re-released the song with the ending dates updated. In 2007, he gave the song a more timeless closing. At the end the song asks: “What does a legend become when the truth outruns the fiction?”

Source(s): “The Legend (Spring 1987),” “The Legend ’97” & “The Legend (2007)” fictional song by Steve Cook, The Beast of Bray Road (2003) by Linda Godfrey Ch7, The Legend of Michigan’s Dogman: Legacy Edition DVD (2008) by Steve Cook (FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions)

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⦁ The Beast of Bray Road – 1989 / 1991 (WI)

Witness(es): Lori Endrizzi, Doris Gipson

Date: Fall 1989 and Thursday, October 31st 1991

Location: Bray Road outside of Elkhorn, Wisconsin

Investigator(s): Linda Godfrey

AKA: The Wisconsin Werewolf, The Bray Road Beast

– Lori Endrizzi Sighting (Fall 1989) –

One night in the fall of 1989, teenager Lori Endrizzi was driving home along Bray Road outside of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. It was about 1:30 AM when she reportedly saw a bizarre man-sized Caine-like creature covered in dark brownish gray fur with reflective eyes and pointed ears. The beast was kneeling by the roadside and within it’s long claws was a chunk of roadkill that it appeared to be eating. Lori described the creature as a “werewolf.”

Later in 1991, she told this experience to a neighbor who rode the bus with her, Doris Gipson, who revealed that she had also seen something matching that description on Bray Road. When Endrizzi later relayed the story to Walworth County animal control officer Jon Fredrickson, books reportedly fell off of his shelf inexplicably.

– Doris Gipson (October 31st 1991) –

On the foggy night of Thursday, October 31st 1991, Doris Gipson was traveling along Bray Road when she reportedly hit something with her vehicle. She continued on for about 50-60ft, approaching Hospital road, before stopping to see what she hit. She exited her car only to see a large muscular man-like canine creature with long straight brown hair in the road behind her car. The beast ran at her with inhuman speed. She ran back to her car and got in. The creature then reportedly grabbed the back of her vehicle. She floored the gas pedal and took off, barely escaping.

In winter of 1991, Wisconsin journalist and cartoonist Linda Godfrey of The Week newspaper investigated the rumors of a large man-like canine being seen along Bray Road and interviewed the reported witnesses Lori Endrizzi and Doris Gipson. After this she continued to collect strange reports of werewolf-like creatures.

Note: When asked, the Bray Road witnesses said they had not heard of Steve Cook’s 1987 fictional song about the “Michigan Dogman.”

Source(s): The Beast of Bray Road (2003) by Linda Godfrey Pg6-11 Ch1, (Note: Pg66 Ch7), The Bray Road Beast (2018) Documentary by Small Town Monsters

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⦁ “Mothman” – Early 1990’s (WV)

Witness(es): Darren Hayes

Date: A December night in the early 1990’s, between 9PM to 10PM

Location: Fairgrounds Rd and The TNT Area, Mason County WV

Investigator(s): Jeff Wamsley

AKA: Dark Bird Creature

Story: One December night in the early 1990’s, Darren Hayes and an unknown companion were driving around looking at Christmas lights on Route 62 towards Point Pleasant in Mason County, West Virginia when he decided to go to The TNT Area. Darren hadn’t been to The TNT Area since he was 8 or 9 years old when he and his aunt would fish in the ponds there. Darren spent only about 10 minutes in the area before heading back to the car at about 9:00PM or 9:30PM.

Suddenly, a strange and intense feeling of uneasy anticipation like nothing he’d felt before overcame him with a cold chill down his spine and he felt that something was horribly wrong or that something dangerous was there. He looked around but found nothing, not even car lights. By then his companion could see his visible nervousness as they drove away along Fairgrounds Road back towards Route 62. Darren scanned around for the source of his fear and felt as if something was following him.

Then out of nowhere a large 6ft tall dark bird-like thing with a huge wingspan reportedly flew over the car. The creature’s wingspan was wider than his vehicle as it glided back and forth about 3 or 5 feet above them without flapping its wings and then flew straight up into the air. Darren hit the gas yelling “Did you see it?” as he sped off but the creature supposedly kept up with them circling above and swooping down over the car. It flew over the car at least 5 or 6 times during the chase.

At one point Darren was traveling about 120 MPH while his terrified companion ducked down in the seat. He claimed that the creature was flying so fast it appeared to have a glowing yellowish outline to it. He only noticed the being was gone after he took a left turn onto Route 62 towards the town of Point Pleasant, at that point it seemed to stop following them.

At about 10PM, Darren and his passenger went to Krodel Park to try and calm their nerves after the whole ordeal. They never went to the police about this encounter, thinking they would be dismissed or called crazy. Darren had heard bits of the Mothman story when he was young but hadn’t read The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel until after his experience. In the 2000’s he told his story to local author Jeff Wamsley who printed it in his 2005 book “Mothman…behind the red eyes.”

Description: Large 6ft tall dark bird-like creature with a huge wingspan that reportedly glided about 3 or 5 feet over their car at least 5 or 6 times without flapping its wings. It supposedly flew straight upwards and swooped down above them. It kept up with them traveling about 120 MPH, moving so fast it appeared to have a glowing yellowish outline, and only stopped following when they turned onto Route 62.

Source(s): Mothman: Behind The Red Eyes (2005) by Jeff Wamsley Pg107

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