About this episode

This episode explores the legend of the Snallygaster, a monstrous creature that terrorized Maryland in the early 1900s.

In the fall of 1909, a strange fear settled over the hills and farms of Maryland. Newspapers carried reports of a monstrous winged creature said to stalk the countryside with a host of bizarre descriptions pouring out from witnesses, including glowing eyes, huge claws, and boiling brimstone dripping from its snout. The creature became known as the Snallygaster, and for a time, its legend gripped entire communities until its rapid demise. More than twenty years later, in 1932, the panic returned, proving that some stories refuse to stay buried. But was everything as it seemed? Or were there far uglier things at play than flying monsters?SOURCES Boyton, Patrick (2011) Snallygaster: The Lost Legend of Frederick County. Self Published Bridgeton Evening News (1909) The Devil Runs Rampant. Bridgeton Evening News, Fri 22 Jan, p3. NJ, USA Sheperdstown Register (1909) After The Colored People. Shepherdstown Register, Thu 4 Feb, p3. WV, USA. The Tennesseasn (1887) The Devil Of Leeds. The Tennessean, Sun 16 Oct, p12. TN, USA. Chicago Tribune (1909) Devil Which Alarms Jersey Likely To Be Captured Soon. Chicago Tribune, Fri 22 Jan 1909, p5. IL, USA. The Evening Sun (1932) Bovalopus…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Cutmore

Topics covered

• cryptids
• urban legends
• historical events
• Maryland folklore
• monsters

Keywords

• Snallygaster
• Maryland
• cryptid
• urban legend
• historical panic
• monstrous creature
• 1909

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bridgeton Evening News, Sheperdstown Register, The Tennessean, Chicago Tribune, The Evening Sun, The News

Books & works: Snallygaster: The Lost Legend of Frederick County

Places: Maryland

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