Category: Case Studies

This is the second article in a series, showing how I research “haunted” locations – like North Yorkshire’s Eden Camp – when I have no ghost stories to work with. Is the site worth investigating? If it’s Eden Camp, the answer is yes.

(Update: After seeing the first “Most Haunted” investigation episode, I’m even more interested in the site.)

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Eden Camp – in Malton, England – has at least a thousand reasons to be haunted: one ghost for every POW (mostly Nazi officers) who lived there between 1942 and 1948.

However, when looking at Eden Camp’s ghosts and at haunted sites in nearby Malton, the prison camp may be the tip of the iceberg.

Some of the area’s ghosts – or at least residual energy hauntings – probably date back to the 1st century.

Maybe earlier.

The story starts with the Romans. And, from my research, if the Romans occupied a British site for more than a century… it’s haunted.

About two miles south of Eden Camp, the Romans built a camp and then a timber fort for troops. It was Derventio Brigantum,  built in the Flavian period (69 – 96 AD).

Ruins suggest an even earlier settlement beneath it.

The Romans occupied the area until the end of the 4th century. That means many Romans lived and died there. That’s a compelling reason to investigate Eden Camp and the Malton area.

Roman Ghosts are Different

Most hauntings seem to involve ghosts of famous people – like Anne Boleyn – or ghosts of people who lived between 1600 and the present day.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Roman ghosts are noteworthy, and their ghosts around York are legendary.

As far as I know, York (the city) is where people first reported Roman ghosts with only half a body… the upper half.

That’s not unusual among apparitions. People often see an upper body that seems to fade into nothing, from the waist down.

(That may be explained by a Japanese study – from at least a decade ago – showing that people store more energy in their upper body. If that energy lingers after death, perhaps it manifests in the shape of the upper body? Of course, that’s extreme speculation, but it makes sense to me.)

So, what was different in York…?

Those Roman bodies didn’t fade gradually at waist level.

It was more like they’d emerged from a magician’s “sawed in half” act, but one where things went very wrong.

And, from the torso movement, the ghostly bodies seemed to be walking, anyway.

So, paranormal researchers studied the phenomenon.  Then, they realized that those ghosts – perhaps residual energy images – were walking on roads and paths that existed in the past.

The ghosts weren’t half-bodies, after all.

They were full apparitions, but the other half was underground.  (I’ve talked about this in the past, analyzing a ghost video.)

My point is: Roman ghosts – or at least their spiritual energy – seem to linger longer – and more vividly – than many ghosts from more recent eras.

I’m not sure why.

When I learned that Romans had built a fort in Malton, near Eden Camp – and probably a settlement around it – and the Romans lived there for four centuries… that really sparked my interest in the area.

It’s likely you’ll find Roman ghosts around Malton.

A Forgotten Burial Site?

I’m not sure how much archaeologists have excavated Malton’s Bronze Age tumulus (burial mound). At least one urn from the site is at the British Museum.

Here’s a 1926 map of Malton, showing the Roman Camp (outlined in green), and the tumulus (in red), next to – and perhaps partially beneath – the London North Eastern Railway tracks.

I’ve placed the 1926 map over a modern one (courtesy of Google Maps), for a general idea of what’s where, today… with apologies for mismatched areas.

(The yellow arrow indicates the Lodge – still in Malton – and, in the blue oval, where Malton Castle once was. Both sites have unusual histories.)

So, at this point in my research, I’d found evidence of:

• Ley lines connecting Eden Camp (and Malton) with several significant, haunted sites.
• Many psychological reasons why Eden Camp might be haunted, including the powerful personalities of the Nazi officers imprisoned there.
• The likelihood of Roman ghosts within two miles of Eden Camp (and possibly at the camp itself).
• A burial mound with railroad tracks over part of it. 

With this much quirky information, I was ready to delve deeper into the ancient history of Malton and Eden Camp.

It was time to return to my maps for a closer look at ley lines and Roman roads.

Roman Roads, Ley Lines, and Eden Camp Ghosts

Alfred Watkins (1855 – 1935) popularized ley lines as straight lines between geographical landmarks and communities.

Ley lines seem to be useful in ghost research, too.

In the 1960s, John Michell – in his book, The New View Over Atlantis –  suggested links between ley lines, sacred sites, and paranormal activity.

After that, many more investigators explored ley lines and reached similar conclusions. In his book, Mysteries, Colin Wilson quotes Michell:

[On the subject of ley lines] “Traditionally, they are also paths of psychic activity, of apparitions, spirits of the dead…”

From my own studies, I can vouch for that.

Many researchers – including David Yarrow – suggest that some Roman roads followed ley lines. At the website Terra: Sacred Space, Yarrow explained:

“Watkins’ friends joined his weekend hiking trips to document his vision. In early years, Watkins was convinced the alignments were ancient trader tracks linking settlements by the shortest pathways. In fact, Roman roads were built on the alignments. But careful research revealed the alignments existed long before Roman conquest. Late in his life, Watkins began to believe some other intention than commerce motivated ancient people to create the alignments.” [emphasis added]

Yarrow is correct about the alignments. This two-minute YouTube video shows how the Romans built long-lasting roads along precise – and carefully chosen – lines.

That YouTube video is at https://youtu.be/IsxTXzjLomU

But why did the Romans choose those lines, and why make them so straight? Why not follow the contours of the land, heading in the general direction of the nearest community?

I’m not sure if answers exist. Some ley line enthusiasts equate ley lines and Roman roads, and suggest a spiritual element to the Romans’ plans.

That may be true. Here’s what I’ve observed:

• When I can connect three or more haunted sites with a straight line, those sites are usually haunted.
• When I can’t find connecting lines – or any other evidence supporting actual ghosts – the site usually has other issues. Most often, it’s a wiring problem resulting in high EMF, or subtle vibrations from an underground stream are disorienting the residents.

So far, I haven’t decided if Roman roads and ley lines correlate.

But ley lines weren’t my only reason to study Roman roads near Eden Camp.

I wanted to see if Malton was a small (but long-enduring) Roman outpost at the end of a dirt path, or something bigger.

A bigger settlement could mean more ghostly energy.

All Roads Lead to… Malton?

I created the following map – based on others’ historical research – to see how important Malton was in Roman times.

So many Roman roads point to Malton, the town seems like a major hub of Roman activity. That suggests a significant Roman population.

That could explain why – in the first Most Haunted episode about Eden Camp – the ghosts claimed multiple people died there. (Only one death had occurred during the POW era.)

And, since those Roman roads – perhaps ley lines – converge at Malton, that could mean the town has heightened paranormal activity, too. (That’s not guaranteed. In the early stages of evaluating a site, I lean slightly towards skepticism… but note this kind of configuration, anyway.)

Also, Eden Camp’s location is so close to the center of that network, it’s reasonable to believe the prison camp was not the first use of that site.

In fact, I’d question if the land already had a “bad vibe” or something, so people decided it wasn’t prime real estate. In that case, it was a perfect site for a POW camp.

I’ve seen this in the past. When a community wants to build something distasteful – a cemetery, a prison, etc. – they look for empty land that’s slightly outside the town centre. Often, that land is empty because it has an unsavory history, or a creepy legend connected to it.

If Eden Camp is truly eerie and haunted, I’d bet the land beneath it has an unsavory history.

Whatever happened on that land in the past, its history (and energy) may be part of what’s haunting Eden Camp.

In my next article, I’ll describe several other reasons why Malton – and Eden Camp – may be haunted. And I’ll list some of the most-often reported ghosts there.

Malton has a fascinating history including political conflicts, plots, feuding relatives… and an unusual mystery that’s never been explained.

Eden Camp… is it really haunted? That’s what I wanted to know, before watching the Most Haunted TV episodes (11 & 18 Jan 2019) about that location.

Here’s why I’m confident of Eden Camp’s ghosts, and why Malton (England) is likely to be haunted… perhaps very haunted.

(If you’re looking for insights about Most Haunted’s Eden Camp investigation, you may enjoy Eden Camp Ghosts – Where the Ghosts Make It Personal.)

Here’s how I researched Eden Camp’s ghosts.

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First, I looked for Eden Camp ghost stories, online, and found nothing credible.

That was a small red flag… but a very small one. Personally, I prefer to investigate sites that haven’t been visited by thousands of ghost hunters.

Even if the site is a tourist attraction by day, the ghostly energy can be fresher – easier to detect – if I’m among the first to investigate its ghosts.

And, since Most Haunted was visiting the Eden Camp Museum – and found enough activity for two episodes – I wanted to know more.

So, I looked for ley lines. I found several lines that include Eden Camp.

The following map convinced me to continue researching Eden Camp’s ghosts.

(Note: I don’t claim ley lines as “proof” of anything paranormal. But, though some may raise an eyebrow, this kind of pre-investigation research can be helpful.)

Ley Lines Connecting Eden Camp to Other Haunted Sites

The red line is the most reliable. It connects Eden Camp to Nunnington Hall, brushes by Kiplin Hall, and continues to Ravensworth Castle. All of them have credible ghost stories.

If I widen the line by a mile or two – reasonable when the line covers so much distance (and maps aren’t 100% accurate) – haunted Barnard Castle is on this line, too.

Another possible ley line intrigues me. It connects the Devil’s Arrows with Eden Camp and continues to Filey, an area with noted haunted locations.

 

The Devil’s Arrows, shown below, are three (of five or more) standing stones that form a line that extends through four Neolithic earthworks, Nunwick Henge, and the three Thornborough henges. (Per Nigel Pennick’s research in Leylines: Mysteries of the Ancient World.)

In addition, a Roman road connected the Eden Camp area with Filey, and those roads were among Watkins’ earliest ley line studies.

Note: I’m working with broad “ley line” (or energy line) concepts. I want to see at least three anomalous – usually haunted – sites on a single straight line.

The longer the line, the more sites I should find, and they should be well-documented for paranormal research. Otherwise, I’ll dismiss it.

For now, the Eden Camp to Ravensworth Castle line was enough to justify further research into the POW camp.

Important Connections to Ghosts and Hauntings

Next, I studied the history of Eden Camp. I was looking for connections that usually indicate a haunting: money, power struggles, drama, and tragedy.

Almost every prisoner of war camp seems to be haunted.

In the US, I can think of many, including  – on the east coast – Rutland Prison Camp (MA); Elmira Civil War Prison Camp (NY), where 25% of the 2963 prisoners died;  and Point Lookout (MD), also known as Camp Hoffman, which held over 20,000 prisoners. That was double its maximum capacity.

In the western US and Midwest, I’ve heard creepy stories from Camp Douglas (IL), Camp Chase (OH) where at least 2,000 prisoners died, and a very haunted prison camp in Nephi (UT). Currently, the Nephi site is a men’s state correctional facility.

And, in the deep South, Andersonville and Fort McAllister – both in Georgia – are notorious for their ghosts.

So, that increases the likelihood that something haunts Eden Camp Museum: It was a prison camp.

The History of Eden Camp

Eden Camp was one of about 456 known British prisoner of war (POW) camps. Of them, only 11 remain with over 80% of their structures still standing. That makes Eden Camp extraordinary, and it’s why the museum has won at least two awards for excellence.

At the end of 1945, over 355,000 prisoners of war were in the UK. There wasn’t a single successful prisoner escape from Britain itself. (A Canadian escape was featured in the 1957 movie, The One That Got Away.)

At first, Eden Camp – also known as Camp 83 – was the home of about 250 Italian POWs, and perhaps some Italian immigrants and those with Italian parents or grandparents.

They helped to build the camp’s huts, and were the main residents between 1942 and 1943.

From 1944 to 1948, German POWs made up most of the thousand residents at Eden Camp.

When German prisoners were brought to the UK, they were categorized as “white, grey, or black.” The white ones were non-Nazis, the greys were those considered dubious, and hardened Nazis (such as officers) were coded as blacks.

The more dangerous Nazis were imprisoned further north than the whites and greys.

That’s why most German officers were sent to POW camps in the Lake District and North Yorkshire… including Eden Camp.

Many of those officers remained in UK prison camps until 1948 or later, until they were shipped to Germany for war crimes trials.

Eden Camp After World War Two

After the war, Eden Camp became a home for displaced persons, then an agricultural holiday camp and Ministry of Agriculture depot.

In the 1950s, Malton Minerals used it to dry & store grain, followed in the 1970s when individuals sublet the huts as workshops.

In 1985, Stanley Johnson bought the site, intending to use it for a crisps (potato chips) manufacturing plant.

And that’s where the story turns really interesting. 

A former Italian POW contacted Mr. Johnson. The Italian wanted to revisit the camp where he’d lived during World War II.

Why is that important…?

It’s very odd. And, it tells me that other POWs – alive or dead – may want to revisit Eden Camp, too.

If I were looking for a good reason for Eden Camp Museum to have ghosts, that one is compelling.

So, in March 1987, Stan Johnson opened the site as Eden Camp Modern History Museum, “to honour the courage, fortitude, and sacrifice of the people who served in all walks of life during the Second World War, 1939 – 1945.”

The museum started as 10 huts. Then they restored six more, and it has expanded since then.  (The original camp had at least 33 huts.)

Visitors say you’ll need at least two or three hours to see all the exhibits… and that’s in daylight. If you’re investigating ghosts, especially after dark, plan a full overnight vigil, if the site opens to them. (Please, do not trespass and spoil it for the rest of us.)

More Reasons for Eden Camp Museum’s Ghosts

In two additional articles, I’ll explain many other reasons ghosts may haunt the Eden Camp site and nearby Malton.

One of the main reasons (besides potential ley line energy) is a direct, physical connection with an ancient Roman camp, and – possibly –  a large Roman community. One of the camp’s names was Derventio Brigantum, and residences may have expanded to the nearby Eden Camp area. (The Romans were there for at least four centuries.)

Also, on the central part of the Roman camp, Malton Castle (two built on the site, actually) had a turbulent history involving politics, plots, feuds, and tragedies.

So, Eden Camp is likely to be haunted… and the east and northeast sides of Malton may have lurking ghosts, too.

Where to Start Research at Eden Camp Museum

Since I haven’t seen the Most Haunted TV episodes about Eden Camp, I’d start with Hut 10, refurbished in 2002. It contains the world’s most comprehensive collection of POW artifacts.

If you believe in residual energy hauntings or haunted objects, Hut 10 seems certain to have some ghostly activity.

And then there are the other daily cues, churning up energy related to power struggles, drama, and tragedies of the war.

These quotes are from a 1994 Liverpool Echo article by Angela Candlin, “A weekend on the warpath!”

A weekend on the warpath! The Second World War as a tourist attraction oh, what a lovely idea…

No dusty history book can compete with the blood ‘n’ guts reality of Eden Camp…

This is as authentic as barbed wire, UXBs, and the smell of fear…

Shiver at the horrors of a U-boat attack and feel the goosepimples as a mother screams for help during the Blitz. The smell of burning, the thud of bombs lingers even inside the camp theatre hut with its “We’ll Meet Again” nostalgia.

I’m not sure I’ve ever read such a dramatic list of triggers likely to result in paranormal activity, ghosts, and… well, everything that happens at truly haunted sites.

Is Eden Camp Haunted?

Until I visit it, I can’t confirm that it has ghosts. However, at first glance, it has much to recommend it:

• It seems to be on at least one ley line of powerfully haunted sites.
• It was a prison camp, and – from past experience – many (perhaps most) former prison camps have ghosts.
• Some past prisoners (living) have expressed a deep wish to revisit the site. Perhaps the dead do, too.
• With Nazi German officers held at the camp, it was certainly the site of power struggles, one of my “top four” reasons to expect ghosts.
• The museum includes steady “triggers” that ghost hunters use to encourage paranormal activity – sights and sounds, plus artifacts – related to the drama behind the hauntings. So, I’d expect poltergeist activity.
• The area has connections to military conflicts, feuds, deliberate and destructive fires, and unmarked graves, including those of infants. (I’ll talk about those points in future articles.)

The more I research Malton and the area around Eden Camp Museum, the more weird history – and likely ghost stories – I find.

If I were closer to Malton, England, I’d visit Eden Camp today. Really, it sounds like a ghost hunter’s dream site.

If you’ve been there – or if you watch the Most Haunted Eden Camp episode – I hope you’ll share your thoughts in comments.

In my next article in this series, I’ll explain why Malton’s Roman history makes the area – including Eden Camp – even more interesting for paranormal research. [Link]

Other, related articles:

• Most Haunted: Eden Camp Investigation – Review
• Eden Camp – Where the Ghosts Make It Personal
• Eden Camp Ghosts – The Roman Connection
• Ghosts of Malton, England

Eden Camp Ghosts – Research Resources

Eden Camp – https://www.edencamp.co.uk/

Eden Camp Museum – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eden_Camp_Museum

Most Haunted – Upcoming episodes, airing Friday evenings on Really

Most Haunted Experience – Meet Eden Camp’s ghosts with Most Haunted experts.

Prisoner of War Camps in the UK During World War Two – Transcript of a lecture by Colin Dean

Photos by Christine Matthews are copyright Christine Matthews (cc-by-sa/2.0)

 

Is “Pig Man” a ghost? An urban legend? Or something weird, somewhat hidden, and – perhaps – widespread, like Bigfoot?

I’m leaning towards this being an urban legend, but these stories are a little quirkier than the usual urban legends.

So, you may have a different opinion.

If you’re interested in “pig man” ghosts, you may want to start your research in Tennessee. That state’s hiking trails can be spectacular… or spectacularly haunted.

A May 2018 article, This Haunted Hike in Tennessee Will Send You Running for the Hills, claimed that Germantown (TN) area has multiple ghost stories.

One of them… well, one reason I think this is an urban legend is: In 2016,  a similar story was part of “American Horror Story: Roanoke.”

But where do these stories start, and do they have any basis in fact?

The 2018 article says:

“… Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park is located in Germantown, Tennessee, on the western side of the state. It’s a beautiful place that boasts over 13,000 acres of land.”

According to that article, the area’s most infamous ghost is “Pigman.” If you think he’s just some spectral figure with an unattractive nose or tiny, piercing eyes, think again.

The article says:

“The most well-known ghost is that of a man who worked at a local explosives plant during the second world war. He was horribly, wickedly disfigured during an accident, and was given the nickname “Pigman.”
It’s just the right kind of scare to offset such deep Tennessee beauty. There are stories of the Pigman, that he wanders around in the dead of night wearing the face of a pig.

“He is said to be looking for his next victim. “

But Wait… There’s More!

Another version of the story – also located in Tennessee – describes Pig Man as a deranged recluse who put dead pigs’ heads on pikes around his property, to scare away visitors. (He killed visitors who weren’t scared away… and then put their heads on pikes, too. Sounds a lot like Dracula.)

And, in death, he’s still up to his old tricks, scaring people.

Yet another story says that Pig Man was a circus animal trainer. He was mauled when his pigs turned on him and killed him. I’m not sure why he’d haunt with a pig’s head on. (Apparitions usually look exactly as the ghosts want to appear to you… and a pig’s head doesn’t seem a likely choice.)

The Tennessee story seems more detailed than counterparts in other areas, which could give it more credibility.

Or maybe that’s just a reporter’s creative writing. It needs to be verified in the actual areas where Pig Man has been reported.

But, no matter who Pig Man (or “Pigman”) was, or where he lived, the rest of the story is the same:

• After death, he’s appeared with a human body.
• People note the vile stench, even before he appears.
• He’s wearing a pig’s head. (Not a mask, but an actual pig’s head instead of a human one… or maybe it’s wrapped around his head.)

Stay Far Away

Approaching him is not advised. In fact, if anything looks or smells like him, get out of there as fast as you can.

(That’s true whether he’s a real ghost or someone playing a sick prank.)

A ghost like this…? It might not be a ghost. It could be something more sinister.

Of course, some researchers will explore this version of the Pig Man story. (It’s a good excuse to visit some spectacular locations, right…?)

From my research, the Tennessee pig-faced ghost is usually seen around “Pigman Bridge” in Millington (TN).

According to reports, if you park in the middle of Pigman Bridge and shout, “Pigman!” three times, he’ll appear. (Some claim it helps to flash your lights three times, as well.)

Related, Non-Porcine Urban Legends

First of all, no one should ever park their car in the middle of a bridge, especially at night. That’s a major safety concern, and probably against the law.

Houston, Texas’ Most Haunted Bridge

This story has a strong resemblance to a couple of Houston legends, including Langham Creek Bridge, on Patterson Road in Bear Creek Park. According to stories, dead Civil War soldiers tap on cars.

Some say the sound is from rifles or canteens, or something else metallic, carried by each soldier, and hitting the car as they pass.

Others say the soldiers are tapping as if to say, “Move along, it’s not safe here.” After all, those soldiers died, and some may have encountered something other than a human enemy.

Yes, I’ve heard the tapping on my car at Bear Creek Bridge, when no one was around.  The taps were noisy and intermittent. The sounds came from my car. The metallic sound was definitely on my car, not inside and not from the bridge itself.

Each time, I rolled my window down to be sure nothing (like a persistent, hard-shelled insect) was actually there. But the tapping repeated.

They were single taps, and then two or three taps in a row, and so on. I can’t explain it, but it was real, and someone else (someone usually skeptical) witnessed it. I’m still looking for a reasonable explanation that fits what happened, but – for now – that ghost story seems true.

Nashua, New Hampshire’s Colonial Ghost

The Tennessee legend also resonates with a Gilson Road Cemetery (Nashua, NH) story:  Supposedly, if you’re on Gilson Road, the ghost of Betty Gilson can be summoned by shouting three times, “Betty Gilson, I have your baby.”

Most frequent reports claim she’s dressed in Colonial garb – complete with a mob cap – and dashes out from behind a nearby tree. Or, she just peers out from behind it, so you just see her cap, some of her hair, and her glowing eyes.

Haunted University Mirrors

Various universities have stories similar to the “Betty Gilson” legend.

At those colleges & universities, student claim if you summon a spirit while looking in a haunted mirror, calling the ghost’s name three times, she’ll appear.

I’ve seen ghosts in mirrors, but these university tales seem silly, and possibly dangerous. (Those dangers – of mirrors and possible demonic doorways – are a topic for another article.)

Sometimes, the name of the ghost is just “Bloody Mary.” That may (or may not) summon the grisly ghost of Mary Tudor (the Queen of England before Queen Elizabeth I).

Most related university legends give this advice:

1. At night, around 10 PM, turn off all lights in the room with the mirror. (Usually, the mirror is in a dorm.)
2. Then, look in the mirror and say, “Bloody Mary” either three or five times. (The number varies with the storyteller.)

The ghost’s image should appear within seconds.

If that doesn’t work, say “Bloody Mary, I have your baby,” or “I stole your baby, Bloody Mary.” (This references Queen Mary Tudor’s faux pregnancy.)

Other college and university haunted mirror stories advise using the name of a deceased student who – according to the stories – died by suicide. (Some Bradford College ghost stories described a student’s ghost in a mirror. Apparently, there really had been a suicide in that dorm.)

Additional “haunted mirror” ghost stories include different names and different tragic stories that explain them.

Usually, whether it’s Bloody Mary or some other spectre, the face of the ghost is a gruesome image. Luckily, it’s there for less than a second, and rarely appears more than two or three times, per night.

There are at least two major problems with these stories:

1. Ghosts usually appear as they want to be remembered. I suppose a spirit might be bitter enough to remind people of his or her gruesome death, but that’s very rare. I’d guess they’re less than 1% of all reported apparitions. Most ghosts appear as attractive young people, or as beloved elderly archetypes.
2. Ghosts rarely travel from one place to another. In fact, I know of only a few in the U.S. and the U.K. I can’t think of a single good reason for England’s Queen Mary Tudor to appear in American university mirrors.

That’s why I’m leaning towards these stories being urban legends.

More Pigman Tales?

One of the biggest problems with the Tennessee story is this: An almost identical tale is told about Pigman Road in Angola, New York. It has a similar history, including heads on spikes, and a lingering,  pig-faced ghost hiding in the woods, waiting to kill teens.

I don’t watch “American Horror Story,” but a Mental Floss article (linked below) suggested the TV “Pig Man” episode was based on the NY story.

So, maybe it is more credible than the TN counterpart.

I wanted to get to the bottom of this, so I searched Tennessee newspapers for a reference to “pig man” – with or without a reference to Millington – and found nothing.

A similar search of New York newspapers, with “pig man” and a reference to Angola, New York, turned up nothing, either.

So, at this point, I have no historical support for either legend.

However, I did uncover a “Pig-faced woman” legend… though it’s from the 17th century, and appeared in Holland, England, and France.

Initially, I thought this was parody, insulting some particular woman. Further research suggested that – in western Europe – several, reclusive people had “pig heads.”

Was it the result of a disease? A deformity? Were they aliens, or some version of “mole people”?

I have no idea. But, whatever it was… maybe that’s the basis of the New York, Tennessee, and other stories.

Those Pig Man Sites May Still Be Haunted

The Pig Man story is an interesting tale, but – being a little cynical – I wonder how many communities are trying to attract tourists who watch “American Horror.”

Or, maybe the current “pig man” stories evolved from earlier, sordid ghost stories in each area. It’s possible. Sometimes, a colorful ghost story may be fictional, but its roots might be authentic.

For example, Snallygaster stories related to the Blair Witch seem to echo Native American Thunderbird lore from distant parts of the U.S. They also sound eerily like some Bell Witch reports.

So, I wouldn’t dismiss the basic concept: a malicious entity with a grotesque, pig-like face. And, I wouldn’t go looking for one.

Like Bigfoot, Pig Men might appear (or even dwell) at multiple locations, and behave similarly in each one… complete with pigs’ heads on pikes.

Is he a ghost…? He doesn’t fit the usual profile. Not even close.

If he exists, I’d probably categorize him with other crypto-zoological creatures like Bigfoot.

And that’s a “best case” scenario.  When I first read about “Pig Man,” I immediately thought of demons.

For example, in the Bible, there’s a story of Jesus casting demons into a herd of pigs: Matthew 8:30-37; Mark 5:1-20; and Luke 8:27-38.

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Circe turned some of Odysseus’ men into pigs.

A casual search of “men turned into pigs” will show many similar references, across multiple eras & cultures.

Those kinds of stories often have a very real foundation. What I don’t know is… why pigs? 

Should You Investigate Pig Man? Maybe.

To verify this story, I’d investigate the Tennessee location because it sounds lovely… whether or not an unattractive ghost is in the woods.

By contrast, Angola, New York, was the site of a well-documented 19th-century tragedy. So, there’s provenance (credible evidence) for ghosts in that area.

If that “Pigman” site is truly haunted – and it might be, at least with residual energy – I’m not likely to investigate it. What happened there is just too sad.

(But that’s my personal preference. You may have more tolerance for research at disaster sites.)

Of course, those axe-wielding, pig-related legends are difficult to believe, without some first-person stories to support them.

That’s another reason to visit areas where “Pig Man” has been reported: To find out if anyone has a credible, first-person story of seeing him.

This might be an interesting example of how urban legends migrate, nearly intact.

Or… maybe all the stories are true. (Cue the Twilight Zone music…?)

If you’ve seen “Pig Man” in Georgia, New York, Tennessee, Texas, or Vermont, or know a similar ghost story – true or urban legend – please leave a comment at this website.

Pig man resources: additional reading

• The Terrible Pig Headed Specter of Pigman Bridge
• This Haunted Hike in Tennessee Will Send You Running for the Hills
• Pigman Road is home to a blood-thirsty, axe-wielding maniac…
• Mental Floss: The “Real” Legend of the Pig Man of “American Horror Story: Roanoke”
• Pig-faced women (Wikipedia)

Illustration credit: Pig-faced woman, By Anonymous – Print given free with the 7 January 1882 issue of Illustrated Police News, reproduced in Fortean Times, April 2007, PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28115837