The Beast of Bladenboro

Naomi Aaron

The Beast of Bladenboro

In 1953, there were strange killings that were appearing in Bladenboro, North Carolina. Something was killing animals and leaving their bodies bloodless and skulls crashed. This killer was given the name “The Beast of Bladenboro” (Hotz). The first witness to see The Beast was a police officer, who described it as a black and large four legged animal. The second victims of The Beast were dogs. The dogs were ripped apart and found with not any blood in their bodies (Hotz). After this incident, numerous dogs were killed and their bodies torn. Most of the people who say they have seen The Beast described it as being dark and bigger than a dog (McCray). Everyone, including tourists, want to see The Beast of Bladenboro, so they could have a story to tell everyone. Police told townspeople, especially women and children, to stay inside their houses when the sun went down and to never walk outside alone (Hotz). One morning in 1954, a bobcat was caught in a large cage. Many people suspected that the bobcat was the Beast of Bladenboro, or wanted to believed that the bobcat was. Then the killings of 1953 and 1954, suddenly stopped and the tourists left Bladenboro, North Carolina. On June 15th, 2013 dogs were found dead with little to none blood in their bodies. Many people believed that this was the second coming of the Beast of Bladenboro (Mathews). The tourists came back to Bladenboro, North Carolina to look for the Beast. But, just as quick as it appeared, the killings stopped and the news channels left.

Works Cited:
Hotz, Amy. “The Beast of Bladenboro.” Starnewsonline.com. 27 October 2006. Web. 12 October 2015.

Mathews, Dana. “Has the Vampire Beast of North Carolina Returned? New Killings by Mystery Animal Match Classic Cryptid Case.” Weekinweird.com. 02 July 2013. Web. 12 October 2015.

McCray, Jonathan. “The Vampire Beast of Bladenboro.” Canofmystery.blogspot.com. Web. 12 October 2015.

Redfern, Nick. “The Beast of Bladenboro.” Monstrumathenaeum.org. Web. 12 October 2015.

Stroming, Jason. “The Beast of Bladenboro.” 2015.

Links for further research:
http://theoccultsection.com/2014/03/31/the-beast-of-bladenboro/Gives you images of what the Beast of Bladenboro might look like.

http://ads.bladenjournal.com/elizabethtown-nc/communication/newspaper/bladen-journal/2014-10-21-1325378-8th-annual-beast-of-bladenboro-festival-a-family-friendly-event-friday-oct-24-6-00-am-10-00-pm-saturday-oct-25-10-00-am-00-pm-classic-cruisers-car-show-free-horse-and-carriage-rides-dream-land-amusement-rides-friday-night-and-all-day- Talks about the annual Beast of Bladenboro Day in Bladenboro, North Carolina that people celebrate every year.

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Seekers-Society-Beast-Bladenboro-ebook/dp/B00B8W2JZS
http://www.wect.com/story/8432580/bladenboro-beast-is-on-the-prowl-on-the-history-channel
Example of when The Beast of Bladenboro was on the History Channel and many viewers watched and wanted to learn more about the Beast.
https://books.google.com/books?id=pcC6NW_NCK4C&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&dq=beast+of+bladenboro&source=bl&ots=uGVvEhEsQq&siq=d4LYosRFagq2Nes7FM_Qi3N5yK0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBzgoahUKEwii-v7O8M_IAhVL6IAKHXpaDas#v=onepage&q=beast%20of%20bladenboro&f=falseThis article talks about animals including the Beast of Bladenboro that have been a mystery and only a few have claimed to see them.

The Vampire Beast of Bladenboro

Author:  Jonathan McCray

 Previously, the small town of Bladenboro encompassing approximately 2.2 square miles of land, was an unknown shadow of the southeastern piedmont of North Carolina.  That changed dramatically during the winter 1953-1954.  In North Carolina Ghost and Legends, it explained that a local farmer reported seeing a huge cat-like creature that mauled one of his dogs and dragged it into the woods four days after Christmas of 1953 (“The Beast of Bladenboro”).  Several other mysterious attacks followed including an attack on New Year’s Eve where two dogs were killed and another one a day later in a farm named Woodie Storms (Weaver).  After New Year’s, a young wife went on the front porch and discovered a four foot tall animal “stalking” towards her.  Frightened, she ran into the house, slammed the door and summoned her husband.  Later that night, while surveying the premises, he later found unusual paw prints in the dirt (Administrator). Local theater owner and mayor W.G. Fussell decided that the scare needed more publicity.  He reported the beast to larger, state newspapers and it caught fire.  Reports on the newspaper went public the week after Christmas 1953 saying that the monster crushed the skull and sucked the blood out of its victims.  These sensational reports soon caught headlines and the attention of hunters eager to get a shot at this beast.

“Vampire Beast of Bladenboro.” 

 

With the attacks of dogs and livestock during the winter of 1953 and into 1954, came the terror of the citizens of Bladenboro at large.  Women and children stayed inside the house while men cautiously went about their business armed with a weapon (Hoyt).  Then just as suddenly as the mysterious attacks and sighting started, they stopped.  The creature vanished without leaving a trace.

“Then in September of 2007, the mysterious attacks started up again across a much larger area.  Similar attacks on dogs and goats have been reported in North Carolina along a 200 mile track including the towns of Greensboro, Lexington, Bladenboro, and Bolivia.  The methods of attacks have been similar to those reported in 1954 (Adminstrator).”

The History Channel visited Bladenboro in 2008 for an edition of MonsterQuest.  After exhuming the remains of some of the canine victims and examining them, they concluded that the dogs died from blood lost and severe spinal trauma.  Given the nature of the evidence, they said a vampire-like animal could have not attacked the dogs of the livestock (Administrator).  People still believe that the beast is still in existence to this day, and the people of Bladenboro hold a festival every year to attract more tourists and to bring more attention to the area.  The beast has certainly brought a  tradition to the town of Bladenboro.

Works Cited:

 

Hotz, Amy. “The Beast of Bladenboro.” StarNewsOnline.com. Star News Online, 27 October 2006. Web. 16 October 2012.

Administrator.  “The MonsterQuest Search for the ‘Vampire Beast.”  The Monster Site. N.p.,

            2 February 2010. Web. 12 October 2012

“The Beast of Bladenboro.” North Carolina Ghost Stories and Legends. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 October 2012

Weaver, Jefferson. “Coverage of "beast" became real monster for Bladenboro” BoroBeast. Loren Coleman. 1 September 2006. Web. 9 October 2012.

“Vampire Beast of Bladenboro.”  Photograph. Webshots. 2008. Web. 19 October 2012

Links for further research:

You Tube website  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVGX7McTX8s 

Contains the episode of MonsterQuest featuring the beast

Star News Online 

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20061029/NEWS/61027007 

Contains an article written for the Beast of Bladenboro

My Reporter
http://www.myreporter.com/?p=781 
Contains more information on the beast of Bladenboro.