The Varmint of Burkes Garden

From Stories of Appalachia by Steve Gilly, Rod Mullins

May 23, 2026 · 13 min

About this episode

The episode explores the mystery of a predator that killed sheep in Burke’s Garden, Virginia, during the winter of 1952.

The highest mountain valley in Virginia is Burke’s Garden, also referred to as “God’s Thumbprint” for its bowl-like shape. It was here that something began killing sheep in the winter of 1952. Night after night, farmers woke to fresh losses, and no one could agree on what was responsible. Was it a wolf, a panther, or something stranger and unexplainable? This week we tell the story of Burke’s Garden and the mysterious predator that became known as the “Varmint of Burke’s Garden” and gripped an Appalachian community with fear for nearly a year. If you like our stories, be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast. You’ll find us wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening!

People in this episode

Hosts: Steve Gilly, Rod Mullins

Topics covered

mystery
Appalachian culture
sheep predation
local folklore
historical events

Keywords

Burke’s Garden
Virginia
sheep
predator
1952
mystery
Appalachian community

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Burke’s Garden, Virginia