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All the United States Texas Denton Goatman's Bridge

Goatman's Bridge

A registered historic landmark shrouded in unsettling local legends.

Denton, Texas

Added By
Caroline Thrift
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Looking onto the bridge from the walking trail.   Carolinethrift / Atlas Obscura User
Looking onto the bridge from the walking trail.   Carolinethrift / Atlas Obscura User
  Scott Terrell / Atlas Obscura User
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  jocelynharris230 / Atlas Obscura User
Goatman’s Bridge. November 2022.   rhenton / Atlas Obscura User
Goatman’s Bridge. November 2022.   rhenton / Atlas Obscura User
Goatman’s Bridge. November 2022.   rhenton / Atlas Obscura User
Goatman’s Bridge. November 2022.   rhenton / Atlas Obscura User
Goatman’s Bridge. November 2022.   rhenton / Atlas Obscura User
Goatman’s Bridge. November 2022.   rhenton / Atlas Obscura User
1887   creteBee / Atlas Obscura User
View of the bridge from the road.   Carolinethrift / Atlas Obscura User
Plaques stating the bridge’s historical landmark status and weight limit.   Carolinethrift / Atlas Obscura User
The bridge is marked with the year of its completion, 1887.   Carolinethrift / Atlas Obscura User
  desertcryptid / Atlas Obscura User
The bridge   heysoif / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Goatman's Bridge is the common nickname for what's formally called Old Alton Bridge, an iron-truss span that once connected Denton, Texas, to Copper Canyon. Many who have crossed at night have claimed to have seen the demonic figure of a man with a goat’s head waiting for them at the other side.

The bridge got its nickname from a popular local ghost story. The legend concerns a successful African American goat farmer who, in 1938, is said to have been murdered on the bridge at the hands of local members of the Ku Klux Klan. It's said that the Klansmen lynched the goat farmer, hanging him with a noose over the side of the bridge, but when they went down below to confirm the goat farmer was dead, his body had disappeared.

Alternate versions of the ghost story have also circulated, including one that suggests the bridge is actually haunted by the Goatman’s wife. Another story blames the work of Satanists. Most versions of the tale tend to include a warning that knocking three times on the trusses of the bridge runs the risk of bringing out the Goatman. 

Over the decades there have been numerous alleged sightings of a ghost-like apparition with a goat head haunting the area. Some locals have claimed to see glowing eyes staring at them on the bridge, while others have claimed to hear splashing in the creek directly below, followed by unsettling laughter. In 2017, Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural investigated some of these claims. 

Naturally, none of the ghost stories surrounding the bridge are based on any specific historical facts. Today the bridge is only used for foot traffic, since a replacement bridge was constructed nearby. 

Know Before You Go

The bridge is on Old Alton Road, not to be confused with the neighborhood road less than a mile away called Old Alton Drive.

Community Contributors

Added By

Carolinethrift

Edited By

erjeffery, rhenton, creteBee, desertcryptid...

  • erjeffery
  • rhenton
  • creteBee
  • desertcryptid
  • chasepopt
  • Scott Terrell
  • jocelynharris230
  • heysoif

Published

June 11, 2018

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Sources
  • http://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-alton.html
  • http://wedentondoit.com/blog/2013/10/18/back-in-the-day-goatmans-bridge
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEZfGlyLQnA&t=954s
Goatman's Bridge
Old Alton Bridge
Denton, Texas
United States
33.129736, -97.105979
Get Directions

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