Now that Halloween is nearly here, it's time to tell some spine-tingling tales. And what could be better than a few yarns about the creatures that supposedly call Maryland home, just like we do? Yep, Maryland contains all kinds of creepy critters, and the first one lives right in the Chesapeake Bay.
Just like Scotland's Loch Ness has Nessie, our own Chesapeake Bay has...you guessed it...Chessie. People have been seeing a strange reptilian creature in the Bay since the mid 1930's, or so they say. Fisherman and boaters and even tourists have reported long and snakey critters that can't be explained in the Bay itself and its tributaries. The most recent sighting was back in 2014, but we can't help but wonder why Chessie has become so shy in the era where everyone has a phone camera.
Even if this critter is camera-shy, we still love to pay tribute to it! Chessie has appeared on everything from local beer cans (RAR, to be precise) to environmental literature.
One of the less friendly citizens of the Old Line State, however, is the infamous Goatman of Prince George's County. The legends surrounding it are downright sinister, since the stories purported the half-man, half-goat creature wielded an axe and terrorized animals and humans alike. Some say he is a mutant from the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center while others claim he's simply an evil spirit, but for awhile, especially in the 70's, the Goatman was the terror of the DMV.
Western Maryland might be free of goat creatures, but they've got other problems to deal with: namely, the Snallygaster. This bizarre monster frightened folks in Frederick and Washington Counties back in the early 1700s. The colonists were terrified by a monster that seemed part dragon, part bird, part octopus. Even decades and even centuries later, people were still supposedly seeing the beast, and it was said that President Teddy Roosevelt considered stopping by the area to try and hunt it down. However, no Snallygaster has been caught dead or alive...yet.
What's your favorite Maryland creature? Let us know in the comments!
